Turkey Tail
Trametes versicolor
A mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine as a tonic. Extracts from it are used alongside cancer treatment in Japan and China.
Turkey Tail may interact with some medicines. If you take any medicine, read Interactions with medicines below and talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using it.
What is Turkey Tail?
- Plant family
- Polyporaceae, a family of bracket fungi (mushrooms that grow on wood)
- Parts used
- The mushroom; extracts called PSK and PSP are made from it
- Genus
- Trametes
- Species
- versicolor
Also called
Turkey Tail Mushroom, Kawaratake, PSK, PSP, Krestin
Traditional names
Yun Zhi, Yunzhi
Older scientific names
Coriolus versicolor, Polyporus versicolor
Traditionally used for
- Immune support
- General health
- Cancer care (alongside treatment)
Traditionally described as
- Immune support
Health topics
Where Turkey Tail appears in symptom search, and why. Being listed doesn't mean it's a proven treatment.
- Immune Support (Colds and Flu)
Traditionally used in Chinese medicine to boost the immune system.
- Liver Disease (Hepatitis, Cirrhosis)
A small trial in advanced liver cancer found no clear effect on survival; results in liver cancer are described as mixed.
Traditions that use it
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Used as a tonic to improve general health and boost the immune system.
Safety
Interactions with medicines
Herbal supplements, including turkey tail, can interact with some medicines and affect how they work.[1]
Side effects
Turkey tail extracts are generally well tolerated. Reported side effects include dark stools (not caused by bleeding) and darkened fingernails. Mild digestive and blood-count problems were seen when it was used with chemotherapy, though the chemotherapy may have caused them.[1]
Pregnancy
It isn't known whether turkey tail supplements are safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Talk to your healthcare provider first.[1]
How much to use
It's generally safe to use turkey tail in food and tea. Supplements are stronger than the amounts used in cooking, so talk with your healthcare providers before taking them.[1]
Contamination
Many over-the-counter turkey tail products aren't standardized, so their strength can vary between brands.[1]
What does the research say?
Traditional use
These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.
In traditional Chinese medicine, turkey tail (yun zhi) is used as a tonic to improve general health and boost the immune system.[1]
Laboratory & animal research
Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.
In lab tests, turkey tail extracts killed leukemia cells and slowed the growth of breast cancer cells. In mice, very high doses of a hot-water extract (10 to 13 times the doses people use) increased intestinal tumors.[1]
Research in people
PSK, an extract developed in Japan, is used there and in China alongside standard cancer treatment to lower the chance of cancer coming back. Added to treatment, it appears to improve survival in stomach and colorectal cancer, and may help in esophageal cancer. Results in breast cancer, liver cancer and leukemia are mixed. The US FDA hasn't approved turkey tail extracts as cancer treatments.[1]
In a small trial, 15 people with advanced liver cancer who couldn't have standard treatment took turkey tail or a placebo. There was no clear difference in survival or in how fast the cancer grew. People taking turkey tail reported better emotional and social wellbeing, less pain and less loss of appetite.[2]
Technical detail: randomized 2:1; median overall survival 6.5 vs 2.2 months, HR 0.35 (95% CI 0.10 to 1.25, p = 0.105); time to progression HR 0.70 (p = 0.634).
In short
Its safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding isn't known; talk to your doctor before using supplements.
Sources
- [1] Coriolus versicolor — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About HerbsGeneral reference
- [2] Coriolus versicolor (Yunzhi) Use as Therapy in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Poor Liver Function or Who Are Unfit for Standard Therapy — Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · DOI: 10.1089/acm.2016.0136Peer-reviewed study
This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.