Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake

This 2010 study investigated the impact of the edible mushroom hericium erinaceus on menopause, depression, sleep quality, and indefinite complaints. These mushrooms are believed to affect brain function and the autonomic nervous system since its components hericenones and erinacines can trigger the production of nerve growth factor. This trial conducted by Nagano et al. recruited and randomized thirty female subjects to either receive H. erinaceus (HE) cookies or placebo cookies for 4 weeks. Compared to scores at baseline, the depressive severity and the number of indefinite complaints were significantly lower after consuming the H. erinaceus (HE) cookies. With regards to the Indefinite Complaints Index, the average scores in the “concentration”, “irritating” and “anxious” sections were generally lower in the HE group than in the placebo group. These results indicate that Hericium erinaceus holds the potential to reduce depression and anxiety through a mechanism other than enhancing synthesis of nerve growth factors. [NPID: mushrooms, edible mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms, depression, anxiety, alternative, hericium erinaceus]

Year: 2010

Reference: Nagano, M., Shimizu, K., Kondo, R., Hayashi, C., Sato, D., Kitagawa, K., & Ohnuki, K. (2010). Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomedical research (Tokyo, Japan), 31(4), 231–237. https://doi.org/10.2220/biomedres.31.231