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Turkey Tail

Also known as: Trametes versicolor, Coriolus versicolor, yun zhi, PSK, PSP, Krestin

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Turkey Tail is a common, fan-shaped bracket mushroom with colorful concentric bands that resemble a turkey's tail feathers. It has the strongest clinical track record of any mushroom on this list — but that evidence is for purified prescription-grade extracts used alongside cancer treatment in Asia, not for the everyday capsules on a supplement shelf.

What it is

Trametes versicolor (also Coriolus versicolor; Chinese yun zhi) is the source of two well-characterized polysaccharide-protein complexes: PSK (polysaccharide-K / Krestin) and PSP (polysaccharide-peptide). PSK is an approved adjuvant cancer therapy in Japan and has been used alongside chemotherapy since the mid-1970s.1

Commonly used for

Immune support as a chemotherapy adjunct (prescription-grade): reviews and meta-analyses of randomized trials — typically using PSK around 3 g/day — report improved white-cell counts and NK-cell activity and reduced chemo side effects, with a colorectal-cancer meta-analysis suggesting a survival advantage when PSK was added to chemotherapy. A separate non-small-cell-lung-cancer trial used PSP.123

General immune support (OTC): everyday turkey-tail supplements are taken for immune support, but contain only small amounts of PSK/PSP and should not be expected to reproduce the clinical effects above.1

Typical dosing

Clinical PSK dosing was ~3 g/day (PSP ~1 g three times daily) under medical supervision. General-wellness turkey-tail supplements are taken at gram-level daily doses, with the understanding that beta-glucan/PSK content is far lower than the studied pharmaceutical preparations.1

Route of administration

Oral, as capsules, powders, or extracts.

Storage & handling

Store at room temperature, away from heat, light, and moisture.

Common considerations

Important: the PSK/PSP cancer findings are for prescription-grade extracts used under medical supervision — they are not a treatment claim for over-the-counter supplements, and none of this is a substitute for medical cancer care. Discuss use with your provider, especially during cancer treatment.

References

  1. 1. NCI PDQ — Medicinal Mushrooms (Health Professional Version, NCBI Bookshelf) Fact sheet
  2. 2. Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail): preclinical and clinical evidence review (Integr Cancer Ther) Review
  3. 3. Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation — Cognitive Vitality: Turkey Tail Mushrooms (PDF) Fact sheet

The information on this page is provided for general educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for consultation with a qualified healthcare provider. Individual needs, contraindications, and responses to supplementation vary, and decisions about starting, stopping, or modifying any supplement or medication should be made in consultation with a physician, pharmacist, or other appropriate professional. References are provided to authoritative sources; STACK Tracker does not endorse any specific product or brand.