The Integration of Chinese Medicine: A Case Study on the Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Author’s Note: There has been a rapid rise in consumer health and wellness markets of functional mushroom products. Companies like Four Sigmatic and Host Defense (led by mushroom expert Paul Stamets) have led the way with innovative and effective wellness products. This paper will discuss historical and scientific roots of Lion’s Mane, centered within a discussion about the integration of what is often characterized as “Eastern” and “Western” medicine. For personal food, nutrition, and wellness content, follow me @olivahealth on Instagram.
Introduction
In the world of medicine, public health, and wellness, there exist many problems and each may have numerous solutions, both known and unknown. Multiple paradigms of thinking in addressing health exist and often challenge one another. This is observed between conventional Western medicine and Chinese medicine, which are often viewed as two vastly different and potentially incompatible schools of thought. Chinese medicine practices that claim ancient wisdom have been praised by some, while scoffed at by others as quackery, pseudoscience, or just poor medical practice. In this regard, it can be difficult, particularly for consumers of healthcare, to dispel the distinction between pseudoscience and evidence-based medicine, quackery and truth…