Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
This review describes compounds in medicinal mushrooms and how they work in lab and animal studies. It lists many possible effects, such as immune changes, anti-inflammatory and anticancer actions, and names key molecules like polysaccharides (β-glucans), terpenes, and fungal proteins. Most evidence so far comes from in vitro or animal…
This paper is a 2015 review that brings together many studies about the lion’s mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus). It describes the mushroom’s chemical makeup, nutrients, food uses, and about 70 identified bioactive compounds. The review reports many claimed health effects seen in cell, animal, and some human studies—such as anti-inflammatory…
In a small, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Japanese adults aged 50–80 with mild cognitive impairment, 30 people were randomly assigned to take Yamabushitake (an edible mushroom) or placebo for 16 weeks. The mushroom group took four 250 mg tablets three times a day and showed higher scores on a cognitive…
This review describes several medicinal mushrooms — including Lion's Mane, Reishi, Chaga, Cordyceps, Shiitake, and Turkey Tail — as low‑fat, low‑calorie foods that contain high levels of bioactive compounds (for example (1,3)(1,6)-β-d-glucans, triterpenes, phenolic compounds, and sterols). The review reports that these compounds have been linked in studies to anticancer,…
This review surveys the chemical and biological literature dealing with the isolation, structural elucidation and bioactivity of hericenones and erinacines from the fruiting body and mycelium of Hericium erinaceus, concentrating on work that has appeared in the literature up to December 2009.
In a small, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 30 women ate Hericium erinaceus (HE) cookies or placebo cookies for 4 weeks. After HE intake, overall depression scores (CES-D) and scores for vague or indefinite complaints (ICI) were significantly lower than before. Two specific ICI items, written as "insentive" and "palpitatio," were lower…
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, people took supplements containing the mushroom Hericium erinaceus for 12 weeks. The researchers gave three mental tests and found that only the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) showed a statistically significant improvement and less decline in the group taking the mushroom. The authors say compounds…
Researchers isolated two compounds from the medicinal mushroom Hericium erinaceus—N-de phenylethyl isohericerin (NDPIH) and hericene A. In lab cultures, these compounds caused strong axon growth and more branching in hippocampal neurons even without serum. Tests showed they activate ERK1/2 signaling and do not act only through the TrkB (BDNF) receptor.…
Polysaccharide-K (PSK, also called Krestin) is a mushroom extract widely used as an additive in cancer treatment in Asia, especially Japan. Studies over about 40 years report anti-tumor effects in laboratory experiments and in living organisms for several cancer types, but researchers say the exact ways PSK works are not…
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested a mushroom blend containing Cordyceps militaris (4 g/day) in 28 young, recreationally active adults. After one week there were no clear group differences on most lab tests, but analysis of confidence intervals showed time-to-exhaustion (TTE) increased by about 28 seconds in the mushroom group.…
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is an inexpensive fungus that grows on birch trees and has a long history of traditional use. A review of about 90 scientific documents (1900–Nov 2022) found Chaga contains chemical groups such as steroids and terpenoids, and studies report antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antitumor activities. The authors…
This is a review of research on two edible fungi, Hericium erinaceus (lion’s mane) and Trametes versicolor (turkey tail). Lab studies and animal studies show their extracts can affect the immune system and have possible anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and nerve-regenerating actions. The authors say these extracts could help support chemotherapy more…
