Lion’s Mane

Hericium erinaceus

Lion’s Mane

Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is also known as the hedgehog mushroom, and once you see if you’ll know why! This edible mushroom is tasty albeit unusual in appearance, and it has a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine for supporting the brain and neurological health.* Native to North America, Asia and Europe, this unique mushroom is commonly found during late summer into the autumn. It grows on hardwoods in the wild, particularly American beech trees. A mushroom goes through many stages during its life cycle, just like any plant or animal. Each part of a mushroom has unique attributes that support wellness and serve a different purpose for the organism, but it’s the fruiting bodies that receive the most attention and are the most familiar. Fruiting bodies emerge from the substrate on which they grow — such as trees or fallen logs — to become the part of the mushroom we recognize. They’re the above-ground part that we can see when we walk through the woods, and they’re also what have been traditionally foraged and consumed, in food and supplements.