Functional Mushrooms · Trametes versicolor
Turkey Tail
Turkey Tail is one of the most common mushrooms in North American forests, growing prolifically on dead and dying deciduous wood across Canada. Its concentric bands of cream, brown, rust, and blue-grey distinguish it from similar bracket fungi, though confident wild identification requires inspection of the white porous underside (as opposed to the smooth underside of look-alikes).
Turkey Tail has produced two of the most clinically advanced immunotherapeutic compounds derived from any mushroom: Polysaccharide-K (PSK, branded Krestin) and Polysaccharide-Peptide (PSP). PSK has been approved in Japan as a cancer adjuvant therapy since 1977 and is used alongside conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatments. A 2012 study published in *ISRN Oncology* found that patients with breast cancer who received PSK showed improved disease-free survival and overall survival compared to controls.
PSP has been studied primarily in China and has shown immunostimulatory effects in randomized controlled trials. A 2013 study in *PLOS ONE* demonstrated that PSP supplementation significantly modulated gut microbiome composition — an observation that has generated interest in Turkey Tail's role in gut-immune axis research.
Active Compounds
Polysaccharide-K (PSK / Krestin), Polysaccharide-Peptide (PSP), Beta-glucans, Ergosterol, Phenols, Flavonoids
Trametes versicolor grows on dead wood of many hardwood species — oak, beech, maple, cherry — as well as some conifers. It is a white-rot fungus, meaning it breaks down lignin and leaves white cellulose fibres. It fruits year-round in temperate climates, is common after rain, and can be found across most of Canada from April through November.
The fruiting body is thin, leathery, and flexible — not fleshy like edible mushrooms. It is not consumed raw or cooked as food; it is too tough and provides no culinary value. Preparation involves hot water extraction, often as tea or in capsule/extract form.
Commercial PSK (Krestin) is a specific standardized extract approved in Japan; consumer-grade Turkey Tail supplements are not equivalent to pharmaceutical PSK in standardization or concentration. Look for products specifying the polysaccharide content and extraction method.
Origin: Cosmopolitan — common across North America, Europe, and Asia.
- Scientific Name
- Trametes versicolor
- Origin
- Cosmopolitan — North America, Europe, Asia