Hericium erinaceus is a rare fungus which grows as a parasite on the trunks still alive or dead deciduous trees, mostly oaks, beeches and birches (often in places crust fracture or break off branches), preferentially in forests with high humidity. Native to North America, Europe and Asia. In Europe the fungus is widespread, but everywhere is rare. It's body reaches a size of 20 cm and a weight of 1.5 kg. Hericium erinaceus is a choice edible when young, and the texture of the cooked mushroom is often compared to seafood. It often appears in Chinese vegetarian cuisine to replace pork or lamb. Sliced the mushroom can also be breaded and prepared like a vegetarian schnitzel. Its taste is reminiscent of veal or poultry meat with slightly fruity aromas of coconut and lemongrass. This mushroom is cultivated commercially on logs or sterilized sawdust and is available fresh or dried in Asian grocery stores. In folk medicine, it used for the treatment of chronic gastritis, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, leukemia. In oriental medicine is used as an antiseptic, immunostimulant, growth stimulator and for regeneration processes of the nerve cells. Hericium erinaceus (also called lion's mane mushroom, bearded tooth mushroom, satyr's beard, bearded hedgehog mushroom, pom pom mushroom, or bearded tooth fungus). It is called hóu tóu gū (simplified: 猴头菇; traditional: 猴頭菇; lit. "monkey head mushroom") in Chinese. In Japanese it is called yamabushitake (山伏茸; lit. "mountain priest mushroom"). In Vietnamese it is called nấm đầu khỉ which literally means the same as hóu tóu gū (monkey head mushroom). In Korean it is called "노루궁뎅이버섯, "Norugongdengi-beoseot", literally "Deertail Mushroom".