If you haven’t heard about the magic of nootropics, then you’re probably not cool enough.
Let’s be honest – like those expensive t-shirts with a million holes in them, health trends come in cycles.
It seems to suit the momentum of thoughts like “I want to be healthy now – and whatever that means, can it please be all boiled down into a magic powder, wonder pill or an even a health tonic elixir?” We want to run faster, jump higher, solve impossible equations on the universal blackboard like Good Will Hunting, paint, fly, ski, dance, while attracting other jumpers, runners, flyers, skiers, dancers — basically, with all our hopes and desires, we still need enough ENERGY to be a modern human being.
WHAT IS A NOOTROPIC ANYWAY?
The definitions have changed since the 1960s when the term was introduced into the lexicon. However, today nootropic loosely refers to brain supplementation, which is essentially anything that *may* have an effect, however slight, on memory, attention, learning, creativity—in a broad term: cognitive function.
While there are many different kinds of nootropics; for our purposes here, we’ll be focusing on mushrooms and more specifically Lion’s Mane.
HOW IS IT A SMART MUSHROOM?
Lion’s Mane, which really does really actually really look like Mufasa’s regal mane in the storm cloud after he comes back to haunt Simba for killing him, contains two derivatives, impossibly named: hericenones and erinacines. Together these compounds combine forces to cross the blood-brain barrier and promote the sprouting Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) are proteins that regenerate nerve cells, that are each responsible for a specific task:
- Erinacines helps you in the gates
- Hericenones populates the NGF.
And so here Lion’s Mane lives up to its hype as a smart mushroom, directly acting upon the brain.
[blockquote]“Nootropic” loosely refers to brain supplementation i.e. anything that may have an affect, however slight, on memory, attention, learning, creativity—in a broad term: cognitive function.[/blockquote]
DOES IT REALLY WORK?
The blood-brain barrier is like a citadel with a totalitarian ruler. Not everything gets through. Not much really. But once these impossibly named derivatives penetrate the citadel (which they’re extremely good at), they may now stimulate NGF and hence repair those flickering 400 watt bulbs on your old neurons—and also hang up some brand-new ones.
This process also produces a reduction in amyloid plaques, which are putrefied clumps of old protein chunks that block communication between neurons. These clumps are essentially what neurodegenerative disease looks like; think Alzheimer’s.
And to attributable to the mechanisms mentioned, the role of NGF may assist correlatively in boosting general happiness and reducing depression and anxiety.
Once upon a time, Science told us neurons were allotted to us in a finite amount.
The brain you came in with will be the brain you go out with. But the earth also revolves around the sun and humans can now “grow” new neurons. The brain is actually plastic (as in it has neuroplasticity), to some degree. But this all depends on NGF, which all depends on nutrition and lifestyle with exercises by the assistance of a personal trainer—and apparently Lion’s Mane, also, to some degree.
In one double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, thirty 50- to 80-year-old men and women, all suffering from mild cognitive impairment, were split into two even groups.
One group received four 250mg tablets containing 96% powdered Lion’s Mane three times a day for 16 weeks. The other group received a placebo. The men and women were tested at 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks.
At each testing interval, the subjects taking the mushroom showed a significant improvement in cognitive scores, which only kept increasing, while supplementation was sustained. But, 4 weeks after quitting Lion’s mane supplementation, cognitive scores, which had once been on a steady rise, had now decreased significantly.
Okay – sounds good, but even though the science seems comprehensive, how does this play out anecdotally?
As for me?
I’ve taken Mushroom supplementations on and off for a few years now. I’ve used it in powder form and pill form, both available from the company OM: Organic Mushroom, and also in a coffee brew from Four Sigmatic, that also included Chaga and ground coffee beans.
Honestly, I never notice much. I’ll forget about it for whole periods of time and then take it up again after reading a convincing article or hearing a persuasive mushroom tale. After considering its role on NGF outlined above, it seems to have obvious benefits.
The rhetoric, “smart mushroom”, speaks to an impressionable part of the human condition, I mean, the labelling is nice and who doesn’t want a better brain?
So before you give Lion’s Mane a whirl, I suggest you first go through your reliable old life inventory:
- Am I eating enough?
- Am I eating organic or quality sourced foods?
- Am I drinking enough quality water?
- Am I stimulated by my peers?
- Do I feel fulfilled in my career?
- Am I exercising the right amount for my stress levels?
- Am I challenging myself with new ideas about eating more food and not burning out my soles on a treadmill?
Usually, we forego this list and go straight for the brain enhancers.
We want everything right now except for our senility.
No matter what you see as the magic food/product/– remember that at the end of the day that these are just nutritional supplements (remember: nutrition), and, in reality, boast the same benefits one might usually get from eating more good quality food.
