How To Find The Best Lion\’s Mane Supplement
I\’ve heard mushrooms have excellent medicinal properties, but there are so many supplements out there. Which one should I choose? If you\’ve asked yourself this question, you\’re not alone. The popularity of mushrooms as an everyday supplement has grown, and sales are showing it. In 2018, the functional mushroom industry was valued at $20 billion; by 2024, it is expected to grow to around $34.3 billion. This growing popularity has saturated the market with different brands of supplements providing countless choices to the eager consumer. But which ones are the best for you?
Since you\’re reading this article, it\’s probably safe to say that you\’re interested in finding the best lion\’s mane mushroom supplement. And why wouldn\’t you? Lion\’s mane mushrooms provide fantastic health benefits like supporting healthy inflammation response and boosting brain function.
They have become one of the most popular mushroom supplements to add to an everyday diet, which is why the market is ripe with choices. Yet, not all of them are top quality, which results in you not getting the health benefits you are looking for. Read on if you don\’t want to get stuck buying something less than the most effective supplement.
Other Immune Related Articles
New Covid Variant Symptoms & Improving Your Immune System
Wildcrafted Sea Moss: 7 Important Benefits
An Original HealthXwire Article: How To Find The Best Lion\’s Mane Supplement
The Best Lion\’s Mane Supplement Is Made From The Fruiting Body
Let\’s start with a short biology lesson. The picture most people envision when they hear the word mushroom is that of the fruiting body. It\’s the plant with the stem and the cap. What most people don\’t know is that the fruiting body is only one phase of what\’s known as the fungal organism.
The life cycle of the fungal organism starts and ends with spores. A single mushroom generates billions of spores, and when these spores germinate in favorable environmental conditions, they produce a hypha. A hypha is a thin tube that branches and spreads in every direction, similar to your veins.
As more spores germinate and more hyphae grow, they start to form a network also called mycelium. Mycelium is the vegetative state of the fungal organism, typically invisible to the onlooker, and primarily lives underground. The mycelium gathers nutrients from its surroundings, and when environmental conditions are right, they produce a fruiting body, or as most people know it, a mushroom.
While it is important to recognize that the spores, hyphae, mycelium, and fruiting body, are all a part of the fungal organism, they do not all contain the same medicinal properties. Thus the confusion in mushroom supplements. The best lion\’s mane mushroom supplements are made from the fruiting body because it has the best medicinal properties for cognitive health. The reason is that the fruiting body is where you will find the highest amount of beta-glucans.
The Best Lion\’s Mane Mushroom Supplement Will Be Rich In Beta-Glucans
Two polysaccharides provide the fungal organism with its primary nutritional and medicinal properties—alpha-glucans and beta-glucans. Alpha-glucans are commonly associated with starch in foods like rice, potatoes, and grains. Beta-glucans are polysaccharides with significant bioactive properties in mushrooms. Both of these compounds are located in the cell walls of mushrooms, yet a higher concentration of beta-glucans naturally exists in mushrooms. Beta-glucans are the agents behind the medicinal properties most people look for in mushroom supplements between the two polysaccharides.
Beta-Glucans are a fantastic compound. They have incredible medicinal benefits, such as modulating the immune system. They\’re also known to regulate blood sugar, improve feelings of fatigue, and increase overall endurance. These compounds are the essential ingredients to look for when choosing the best lion\’s mane mushroom supplement. How can you ensure you\’re getting a supplement with the most beta-glucans? You look at how the supplement is made.
The greatest amount of beta-glucans is in the fruiting body of the fungal organism. Research shows that the fruiting body contains more than four times as many beta-glucans as pure mycelium. That is a significant difference, especially when getting the most medicinal benefits from your supplement. For this reason, it is essential to know that the best fruiting bodies come from the best farms.
(How To Find The Best Lion\’s Mane Supplement: A HealthXwire Original Article)
The Best Lion\’s Mane Mushroom Supplement Will Come From The Best Farm
The popularity of mushrooms in the United States brought about a boom in the establishment of mushroom farms. As of 2019, over 300 small-scale mushroom farms scattered across the country produce up to thousands of pounds of mushrooms per week. Yet, mushroom farms in the U.S. are limited to indoor spaces because of the rigid climate requirements.
On the other hand, China has the perfect climate for cultivating mushrooms and has been doing it since the 12th century. Perhaps that is why they are the leading producer of cultivated and edible mushrooms, claiming around 85% of the world\’s supply. The best lion\’s mane mushroom supplement uses lion\’s mane mushrooms cultivated from farms in China, so it\’s crucial to find a company with an established presence in that region. But not all mushroom supplements are the same, and how they make them determines how much medicinal value you are getting.
Not all Mushroom Supplements are the Same.
Not all lion\’s mane mushroom supplements are the same. Typically, the lion\’s mane mushroom supplement you purchase is made in two ways: mycelium or the fruiting body. This is significant because of the difference in the amount of alpha and beta-glucans you will consume. When lion\’s mane mushroom supplements are made with mycelium, a filler substrate like grain is typically used to make it.
Although using grain and mycelium may be a cheaper and easier way to make a supplement, the result is an excessive amount of alpha-glucans and a minimal amount of beta-glucans. As we learned in a previous section, beta-glucans are the polysaccharides that provide the health benefits of lion\’s mane mushrooms, like supporting the immune system and boosting brain functions like memory and recall. The best lion\’s mane supplements will always have a higher amount of beta-glucans than alpha-glucans.
In the mushroom supplement market, there has been some significant concern over how loosely the term \”mushroom\” is used on labels. Many supplements out there seek to confuse the consumer with this loose interpretation. Some supplement providers market their products as mushroom supplements and use mycelium to make them. While mycelium is technically a part of the fungal organism in its entirety, it is not the part that possesses the best medicinal benefits.
When looking for the best lion\’s mane supplement, or any mushroom supplement, you should make sure to buy a product made with the fruiting body. A quick scan of the label on the product could provide the information required to determine if mycelium or the fruiting body was used so that you are guaranteed the best medicinal benefits. Unfortunately, sometimes the label isn\’t clear.
Some supplements have labels that say they are lion\’s mane supplements made from pure lion\’s mane mushrooms. At this point, you should research the product further. The product\’s website is an excellent place to start. The best lion\’s mane supplements have informative websites and provide the consumer with information on where and how the product is made. Real Mushrooms is a great example. Their website includes information about where their mushrooms come from, China, and outlines the process of how they make their product from fruiting bodies. They also have a blog with informative articles to help you learn more about mushrooms to help you decide which supplement is right for you.
You can easily find the best lion\’s mane supplement that meets your needs with the correct information. Now that you know what you are looking for, it will be easier to figure out which supplement to choose.
Further Reading For Additional Reference:
American Botanical Council: Commercial Labeling of Medicinal Mushroom Products
Nammex (North American Medicinal Mushroom Extracts): Redefining Medicinal Mushrooms
Real Mushrooms: Medicinal Mushroom Benefits: Mycelium vs Fruiting Body
Real Mushrooms: Lion\’s Mane Mushroom Benefits: A Complete Supplemental Guide
Top Nootropics: Brand Reviews
Disclaimer: How To Find The Best Lion\’s Mane Supplement
Important Note: The information contained in this article (How To Find The Best Lion\’s Mane Supplement) is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
How To Find The Best Lion\’s Mane Supplement: Brought to you by HealthXwire
