Hou Tou Gu

Hericium erinaceus, the lion's mane or monkey's head mushroom, is a saprophytic and weakly parasitic wood-rotting fungus of the family Hericiaceae (order Russulales), found on hardwoods (especially oak, beech, and maple) across temperate forests of East Asia, Europe, and North America. The fruiting body forms an unbranched, globose to cushion-shaped mass 5 to 25 cm across, mounted on a stout lateral base, with the entire lower surface covered in long, soft, pendulous spines 1 to 5 cm long that bear the spore-producing surface. Fresh specimens are bright white, becoming yellowish to brownish-tan with age or drying, and have a delicate fleshy texture. The white spore print and amyloid, finely ornamented spores are diagnostic. The entire fresh or dried fruiting body is used, either as food or medicinally.