The benefits of turkey tail mushrooms have been known for centuries, but the last few decades we've seen a surge in research and study being done.
I have been watching with much interest since 2008 when the FDA first funded Bastre University in California with $2 million dollars to do research for a variety of different cancers using the Turkey Tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor). Then again in 2012, they received another $5.4 million to zero-in on the potential benefits specifically for breast cancer in woman and prostate cancer in men.
To say the results are incredible is an understatement. But these are just 2 of the avenues researchers have taken with turkey tail research to determine just how beneficial these mushrooms can be.
Turkey Tail Research
Thus far, researchers have taken to their labs to study a significant number of applications for turkey tail in clinical therapeutic settings.
These are just a few of the studies that exist currently, with more being done every day!
Cancer
Polysaccharide krestin is a novel TLR2 agonist that mediates inhibition of tumor growth via stimulation of CD8 T cells and NK cells
Antitumor effect of PSK at a distant site: inductions of interleukin-8-like factor and macrophage chemotactic factor in murine tumor
Coriolus Versicolor and Ganoderma Lucidum Related Natural Products as an Adjunct Therapy for Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Effects of Medicinal Fungi-Derived β-Glucan on Tumor Progression
Polysaccharide K and Coriolus versicolor extracts for lung cancer: a systematic review
PSK may suppress CD57(+) T cells to improve survival of advanced gastric cancer patients
Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Trametes versicolor in Women with Breast Cancer
Purification, characterization, and antitumor activity of a novel glucan from the fruiting bodies of Coriolus Versicolor
Immune Support
Immune Modulation From Five Major Mushrooms: Application to Integrative Oncology
Antigenotoxic Effect of Trametes spp. Extracts against DNA Damage on Human Peripheral White Blood Cells
PSP activates monocytes in resting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: immunomodulatory implications for cancer treatment
Preclinical and clinical studies of Coriolus versicolor polysaccharopeptide as an immunotherapeutic in China
The lignicolous fungus Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd (1920): a promising natural source of antiradical and AChE inhibitory agents
The mycelium of the Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail) mushroom and its fermented substrate each show potent and complementary immune activating properties in vitro
Gut Health
Effects of polysaccharopeptide from Trametes versicolor and amoxicillin on the gut microbiome of healthy volunteers: a randomized clinical trial
A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota
Mushroom Polysaccharides: Chemistry and Antiobesity, Antidiabetes, Anticancer, and Antibiotic Properties in Cells, Rodents, and Humans
Antioxidant Properties
Assessment of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Turkey Tail Medicinal Mushroom Trametes versicolor (Agaricomycetes)
Mycochemical Investigation of the Turkey Tail Medicinal Mushroom Trametes versicolor (Higher Basidiomycetes): A Potential Application of the Isolated Compounds in Documented Pharmacological Studies
Turkey Tail Medicinal Mushroom, Trametes versicolor (Agaricomycetes), Crude Exopolysaccharides with Antioxidative Activity
Extracellular Polysaccharopeptides from Fermented Turkey Tail Medicinal Mushroom, Trametes versicolor (Agaricomycetes), Mitigate Oxidative Stress, Hyperglycemia, and Hyperlipidemia in Rats with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
