Turkey Tail Mushroom

Name: Turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) — a thin, tough, leathery, fan-shaped bracket fungus with concentric bands of colour that resemble a wild turkey's tail. It grows on dead logs in forests worldwide and is a medicinal mushroom, too tough to eat as food.

Description

Turkey tail is one of the most common mushrooms in the world, found on fallen trees in woodlands across Asia, Europe and North America. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as yun zhi, for centuries, and is sold as dried slices, powder and extracts.

Two polysaccharide extracts from turkey tail, called PSK (krestin) and PSP, have been studied for use alongside cancer treatment, and PSK has been approved as an add-on cancer therapy in Japan, though research is still developing. The mushroom itself is made into a tea.

Main nutrition value

Turkey tail contains beta-glucan polysaccharides, notably PSK and PSP, which are studied for immune effects, but it is not a food source of everyday nutrients.

How best to be consumed

Turkey tail is taken as a tea or extract, not eaten like a mushroom.

1. Simmer dried turkey tail in water for 30 to 60 minutes to make a tea, and discard the tough pieces.
2. Use powders or extracts according to the label, and treat them as supplements.
3. Buy from reputable sources, since foraged turkey tail can be confused with look-alike species.
4. Talk to a doctor before using it alongside cancer treatment or other medicines.
5. Store dried pieces in a cool, dry place.

Overconsumption could cause…

Turkey tail is generally well tolerated, but concentrated products need care.

1. Possible interactions with medicines such as blood thinners, diabetes drugs and immune-suppressing drugs, so people on medication should check with a doctor before using concentrated extracts or supplements.
2. Stomach upset, dark stools or nail pigmentation in some people.
3. Misuse as an alternative to medical treatment, which should be avoided.
4. Mistaken identification of look-alike fungi when foraging.

GroupsMushroomsFungi (mushrooms)

Related foodsBlack FungusChanterelle MushroomCordyceps MushroomCremini MushroomEnoki MushroomKing Oyster Mushroom

Wikipedia — Trametes versicolor, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor