The human brain was long considered a static organ — a fixed network of neurons that could only degrade with age, never regenerate. This dogma persisted through most of the twentieth century, shaping everything from clinical approaches to neurological disease to our fundamental understanding of cognitive aging. Then came the discovery of neurogenesis: the brain's capacity to grow new neurons throughout life.
At the center of this revolution sits a compound called Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a protein first identified by Rita Levi-Montalcini in work that earned her the 1986 Nobel Prize. NGF is essential for the survival, maintenance, and regeneration of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Without adequate NGF, neurons atrophy. With it, they flourish — forming new synaptic connections, strengthening existing pathways, and even generating entirely new neural tissue.
The challenge has always been delivery. NGF is a large protein molecule that cannot cross the blood-brain barrier when administered externally. Pharmaceutical approaches have struggled with this limitation for decades. But nature, as it often does, found a workaround.
Hericium erinaceus — Lion's Mane — produces two families of compounds that are unique among all known natural substances: hericenones (found in the fruiting body) and erinacines (found in the mycelium). These small molecules can cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate the brain's own NGF production from within. Rather than delivering NGF externally, Lion's Mane triggers the brain to manufacture more of its own.
The clinical evidence is compelling and growing. A landmark 2009 study by Mori and colleagues, published in Phytotherapy Research, conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with older adults experiencing mild cognitive impairment. After 16 weeks of daily Lion's Mane supplementation, the treatment group showed statistically significant improvements in cognitive function scores compared to placebo. Critically, when supplementation ceased, cognitive scores began declining again — suggesting an ongoing, dose-dependent mechanism rather than a one-time effect.
More recent research has expanded the picture. A 2020 study in the Journal of Medicinal Food demonstrated that Lion's Mane extract promoted neurite outgrowth — the physical extension of nerve cell projections that form new synaptic connections — at rates significantly exceeding control conditions. This wasn't just preservation of existing neural architecture; it was active construction of new pathways.
The implications for cognitive longevity are profound. Age-related cognitive decline, long considered inevitable, may be more malleable than previously understood. If the brain can be stimulated to produce adequate NGF throughout life, the trajectory of neural aging could fundamentally shift. Lion's Mane doesn't just slow decline — it appears to support the biological machinery of neural renewal.
At Fungtion, our Lion's Mane extract uses a dual-extraction process — hot water followed by ethanol — to capture both the water-soluble beta-glucans and the alcohol-soluble hericenones. This full-spectrum approach ensures that the compounds most relevant to NGF stimulation are present in bioavailable form. Our 10:1 extraction ratio means each serving delivers the concentrated equivalent of 5 grams of raw fruiting body.
The science of neurogenesis is still young. But the convergence of traditional wisdom — centuries of Lion's Mane use in East Asian medicine for "nourishing the brain" — with modern molecular biology points to something remarkable: a natural compound that doesn't just protect the brain, but actively helps it rebuild.
The question is no longer whether the adult brain can generate new neurons. It can. The question is what we do with that knowledge.
日本語
人間の脳は長い間、静的な器官と考えられていました。加齢とともに劣化するだけで、決して再生しない固定されたニューロンのネットワークです。この教義は20世紀のほとんどを通じて持続し、神経疾患に対する臨床アプローチから、認知老化の基本的な理解まで、あらゆるものに影響を与えました。そして神経新生の発見がありました：生涯を通じて新しいニューロンを成長させる脳の能力です。
この革命の中心に位置するのが、神経成長因子（NGF）と呼ばれる化合物です。NGFは、中枢神経系と末梢神経系のニューロンの生存、維持、再生に不可欠です。適切なNGFがなければ、ニューロンは萎縮します。NGFがあれば、新しいシナプス結合を形成し、既存の経路を強化し、まったく新しい神経組織を生成することさえできます。
ヤマブシタケ（ヘリシウム・エリナセウス）は、すべての既知の天然物質の中でユニークな2つの化合物群を産生します：ヘリセノン（子実体に含まれる）とエリナシン（菌糸体に含まれる）。これらの小さな分子は血液脳関門を通過し、脳自身のNGF産生を内部から刺激することができます。
2009年の画期的な研究では、16週間のヤマブシタケ補給後、治療群はプラセボと比較して認知機能スコアに統計的に有意な改善を示しました。補給を中止すると認知スコアは再び低下し始め、継続的で用量依存的なメカニズムを示唆しています。
Fungtionでは、水溶性のベータグルカンとアルコール溶解性のヘリセノンの両方を捉えるために、二重抽出プロセスを使用しています。10:1の抽出比は、各サービングが生の子実体5グラムの濃縮相当量を提供することを意味します。
神経新生の科学はまだ若いですが、伝統的な知恵と現代の分子生物学の融合は、注目すべきことを指し示しています：脳を保護するだけでなく、積極的に再構築を助ける天然化合物の存在です。