BY DR WONG KAH HUI
EDIBLE mushrooms represent an untapped source of nutraceuticals. They are treasured as functional food that can improve our health and quality of life.
Mushroom-based functional food are products from mycelia or the fruiting bodies of mushrooms and are being utilised by traditional physicians, herbalists, naturopathic practitioners, chiropractors, acupuncturists and herbal experts in Oriental medicine.
Hericium erinaceus also known as Lion’s Mane, Monkey’s Head, cendawan bunga kobis, Hedgehog Mushroom, Satyr’s Beard, Pom Pom Blanc, Igelstachelbart and Yamabushitake is one of the most popular culinary and medicinal mushrooms used in Asia, Europe and North America.
Lion’s mane is a unique-looking medicinal mushroom that has long white or cream-coloured spines (5-30cm). The fungus may be found “frozen” to the tree during winter.
Prior to 1960, Lion’s Mane was available only in the wild, and it was difficult to harvest it, as it grows as a saprophytic inhabitant on dead trunks of hardwoods in deep forests.
The first report on the cultivation of Lion’s Mane [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ]was published in 1988 by the Shanghai Agricultural Academy of Science. It has since been cultivated by artificial log using bottles and polypropylene bags using sugarcane, bagasse, sawdust, cottonseed hulls, corncobs and paddy straws as the substrates – therefore making it possible to constantly put this mushroom into market year round.
However, mature Lion’s Mane lasts for few days after which they are infested by bacteria and turn yellow.
In China, Lion’s Mane is called Houtou, as its fruitbodies look like the head of a baby monkey. In Japan, it is called Yamabushitake because it resembles the ornamental cloth worn by Yamabushi, the Buddhist monks who practise asceticism in the sacred mountains.
In addition, it is also called Jokotake (funnel-like), Usagitake (rabbit-like) and Harisenbontake (porcupine fish-like) according to its appearance.
As a culinary mushroom, Lion’s Mane has a seafood-like flavour and lobster like-texture. Studies involving human subjects at the Third People’s Hospital of Shanghai confirmed its effectiveness against ulcers, inflammations and tumours of the digestive tract, and is known to extend the life expectancy of cancer patients.
Lion’s Mane has been successfully domesticated for cultivation in the tropical climate of Malaysia for the past 20 years. This mushroom produces fruit bodies in lowlands and the tested bioactive properties are not affected by the tropical weather.
Recently, it has come under scientific scrutiny for its neuro-regenerative and neuroprotective activities. Laboratory findings in animal and human studies suggest its potential to improve cognitive and neurological deficits.
A team of scientists at the University Malaya Mushroom Research Centre began their research by testing Lion’s Mane in in vitro trials, using it as the neurite outgrowth stimulator in the cultured cells of neural hybrid clone NG108-15, rat pheohromocytoma PC12 and isolated cells from central nervous system of chick embryo.
It was found that Lion’s Mane promoted synaptic connectivity among the cells and could provide promising therapeutics to various neurological and psychiatric conditions. Further, Lion’s Mane has been demonstrated to accelerate wound healing in rats and to reduce severity of mucosal lesion in stomach ulcer induced-rats, indicating its anti-inflammatory activity as well as possessing antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria.
The above mentioned findings justified the team’s further investigation in vivo by exploring Lion’s Mane in peripheral nerve regeneration. Traumatic peripheral nerve injury is often caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls or penetrating injury.
Symptoms experienced include numbness of the injured limb, neuropathic pain and paralysis. The initial findings from the scientists suggest that patients with traumatic nerve injury may experience improvement in their quality of life upon consumption of the mushroom.
Currently, the research team is investigating the neuroprotective activities of the mushroom at the central nervous system level, targeting at improving motor coordination following damage to the cerebellum.
Pertaining to its phytochemical constituents, the total phenolic content is equivalent to tomato juice whereas its total flavonoid content is higher than that of cherry tomatoes, cucumber or squash.
The antioxidant capacity is comparable to that of celery, watermelon or carrot.
It was also noted that heat treatment of Lion’s Mane greatly increased the phenolic compounds and generation of Maillard’s reaction products (MRPs).
MRPs have been known to be associated with the formation of compounds with prominent antioxidant activity. Therefore, oven drying of mushrooms for storage at predetermined temperature may be a process necessary to concentrate the antioxidant activity of fresh mushrooms.
Heat-treated mushroom could be used as food or incorporated as a food ingredient to replace artificial antioxidants in human diets to reduce oxidative damage.
