Obviously, Gisele Bündchen is doing something right.
The 43-year-old supermodel and actress recently revealed that one of her health and beauty secrets is lion’s mane mushrooms, an edible fungus widely used in Asian medicine.
“I’ve been taking lion’s mane mushroom for a while, and it really helps me focus and boost my energy,” said Bündchen in an Instagram post. “I love it!”
But what exactly are lion’s mane mushrooms — and do they really work?
Known to scientists as Hericium erinaceus, lion’s mane mushrooms are round, white fungi with shaggy spines that resemble a lion’s mane.
They’re safe to eat and have been used for generations in Asian cooking and for medicinal purposes. The taste is somewhat briny and has been compared to seafood.
The fresh mushrooms can sometimes be found in grocery or health-food stores, or they can be consumed as dried supplements. Some people add powdered lion’s mane to their morning coffee or tea.
Lion’s mane mushrooms are rich in nutrients such as thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (B2) and niacin (B3). They also contain minerals including manganese, zinc and potassium.
Though there’s been little research in humans that has definitively proven the health benefits of lion’s mane mushrooms, they do contain some compounds that might help support cognitive, digestive, cardiovascular or mental health.
The mushrooms contain two compounds — hericenone and erinacine — that might help to stimulate the growth of brain cells.
A 2020 study found that taking capsules of lion’s mane every day for 49 weeks might bring about significant improvements in cognitive health among people with Alzheimer’s disease.
The supplement has also been linked to improvement in cognitive functioning for people with mild cognitive impairment, but more studies are needed to establish any consistent or significant cognitive benefit.
There’s some interest in lion’s mane for treating the symptoms of anxiety and depression, but most of the research has been done in animals, not humans.
In one human study, women ate cookies containing lion’s mane extracts or placebo cookies for four weeks. The women who ate the lion’s mane cookies reported lower levels of anxiety than those in the placebo group.
Several studies in mice and in-vitro research have found that lion’s mane can stop or limit the growth of Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers.
A 2019 study found that a group of mice with H. pylori that consumed lion’s mane had lower levels of the bacteria in their stomachs than mice that didn’t receive the extract.
Because it has anti-inflammatory properties, lion’s mane extract might also help reduce the inflammation found in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like ulcerative colitis.
A 2016 study of people with ulcerative colitis found that taking a supplement with 14% lion’s mane extract reduced symptoms and improved quality of life after only 3 weeks.
Some research suggests that lion’s mane extract can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Studies with rodents have found that lion’s mane mushroom extract improves fat metabolism and lowers levels of triglycerides, an unhealthy type of fat.
A study from 2010 involving lab rats that were fed a diet high in fats — and given daily doses of lion’s mane extract — showed 27% lower triglyceride levels and 42% less weight gain.
Despite these findings, Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian, doesn’t recommend lion’s mane to prevent or treat heart disease. “It’s not supported by human studies and the safety and side effects haven’t been studied either,” she told Everyday Health.
After centuries of use, lion’s mane mushrooms have been proven safe for human and animal consumption.
There have, however, been reports of allergic skin reactions to the fungi. But for most people, lion’s mane mushrooms are safe to consume at moderate doses. People with underlying health conditions should talk to their doctor before taking the mushrooms as a dietary supplement.