What Is Lion’s Mane Mushroom?
Hericium erinaceus, or Lion’s Mane mushroom, is widely distributed throughout North America and Asia. It’s a unique mushroom. What makes it unique, first and foremost, is its appearance. Lion’s Mane, as the name might suggest, looks like the mane of a lion. This is because it has many small spines that lump together to form a “mane”. Lion’s Mane stands out due to its versatility, from a gourmet ingredient to a cognitive support supplement. Our Lion’s Mane mushroom, like our other extracts, grows in the pristine mountains of China, away from pollution. Noo-tropics.eu offers two Lion’s Mane extracts; a full spectrum hot water treated extract and an 8:1 dual hydro-alcoholic extract.
Heavy Metal and Skip Lot Testing of Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Research has found that various commercial mushroom extract products contain worryingly high levels of heavy metals. Noo-tropics.eu implements a stringent in-house and third-party testing protocol to guarantee safe heavy metal levels in our products. The industry standard is “skip lot testing.” The testing protocol usually tests the first three batches from the supplier to ensure quality standards are met. After the initial three tests, the supplier can decide upon a testing frequency allowing them to test. For example, only every third batch that comes in or only testing a product once a year. Noo-tropics.eu and other companies have learned that skip-lot testing can overlook many issues. Due to this, Noo-tropics.eu tests every single batch that comes in. No exceptions!
Which Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract is Best for Me?
Noo-tropics.eu creates its 8:1 Lion’s Mane extract using a dual solvent method involving both water and ethanol. Beneficial compounds known as Hericenones are only ethanol soluble. Various research suggests that these ethanol soluble compounds are responsible for cognitive and cardiovascular benefits. Opting for an 8:1 extract might be preferable for those seeking to leverage the specific benefits of Lion’s Mane. Shifting our focus to water-soluble compounds yields a comprehensive Lion’s Mane mushroom extract beneficial for overall health. If you seek daily health support, opt for the 1:1 Lion’s Mane mushroom; for cognitive function, choose the 8:1.
What To Know About Lion’s Mane Mushroom 1:1 Extract
The full spectrum 1:1 Lion’s Mane extract includes the whole mushroom, treated with hot water to increase bioavailability. Breaking down the cell walls of the mushroom liberates beneficial polysaccharides (beta-d-glucans), increasing bioavailability. They collect, dry, and turn all of the raw Lion’s Mane mushroom that undergoes this process into a powder. With the full spectrum 1:1 Lion’s Mane extract, you will receive every beneficial compound presented in the chart on the right. This full spectrum Lion’s Mane Mushroom extract produces a very comprehensive effect profile, ranging from immune system support, memory and nerve health support, while also supporting a positive mood.
What To Know About Lion’s Mane Mushroom 8:1 Dual Extract
The 8:1 Lion’s Mane extract is a more traditional solvent extract. Compounds within Lion’s Mane, like most of the Hericenones, which produce NGF-boosting effects, are only soluble in ethanol. There are also certain compounds in Lion’s Mane, such as the beta-glucans, which are not ethanol soluble and are only soluble in water. By using ethanol as our main solvent during extraction, we can extract and concentrate a higher amount of ethanol soluble compounds.
This produces a Lion’s Mane extract that is geared more towards supporting cognitive function than the full spectrum extract. To make the Lion’s Mane 8:1 extract, a whopping 8 kilograms of raw Lion’s Mane mushroom needs to be used to produce just a single kilogram of the 8:1 extract. This does not make the 8:1 Lion’s Mane extract 8 times more powerful but it does shift the character of its benefits due to concentrating the cognition-supporting ethanol soluble compounds in Lion’s Mane mushroom.
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