Hericium erinaceus

Hericium erinaceus (also called Lion's Mane Mushroom, Bearded Tooth Mushroom, Hedgehog Mushroom, Bearded Hedgehog Mushroom, or Bearded Tooth Fungus) is an edible mushroom in the tooth fungus group. It can be identified by its tendency to grow all the spines out from one group (rather than branches), long spines (greater than 1cm length) and its appearance on hardwoods. Hericium erinaceus can be mistaken for three other species of Hericium which also grow in North America, all of which are edible.

Hericium erinaceus is a choice edible when young, and the texture of the cooked mushroom is often compared to seafood. This mushroom is cultivated commercially on logs or sterilized sawdust.

It is called hóu tóu gū (猴头菇, lit. "monkey head mushroom") in Chinese. In Japanese it is called yamabusitake (kanji: 山伏茸; katakana: ヤマブシタケ, lit. "mountain hidden mushroom").

This mushroom has been used medicinally for hundreds of years in China, and recent studies have shown that several components have biological activity that include antioxidant effect, the regulation of blood lipid levels and reduction of blood glucose levels. 

Ying (1987) reports that pills of this mushroom are used in the treatment of gastric and esophageal carcinoma."

Synonyms

 * Clavaria erinaceus
 * Dryodon erinaceus
 * Hydnum erinaceus