Turkey Tail

People often come to us with the wrong idea of what the turkey tail research says. These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store before you buy.

A good fit if

• Immune support is what you're after and you want one species, not a blend
• You're happy to choose by the stated beta-glucan percentage rather than the brand story
• You know the evidence in healthy adults is thin and you're fine with that
• You want the Latin name on the label so you know what you're getting

Check with us first if

• You're having, or have had, cancer treatment. The PSK research was done alongside standard treatment under specialist care, so talk to your treating team rather than us.
• You take any medicine that affects your immune system, including after a transplant. We couldn't find a human interaction study for turkey tail, so we won't guess either way.
• You take warfarin or another blood thinner. The required Australian warning applies to maitake, not turkey tail, and we won't stretch it further. But bring the pack in.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. No trial in this mushroom family included pregnant or breastfeeding women, and the rules set no warning either way, which isn't the same as evidence that it's safe.
• It's for a child. There's no turkey tail data in children at all.

• Hot-water extract. Best known for: The beta-glucan fraction, which is the part that dissolves in water. Absorption: Ratios like 8:1 concentrate the fibre. This is the type used in trials looking at immune markers. Typical use: The usual choice for a turkey tail product aimed at immune support.
• PSP (proteoglycan concentrate). Best known for: A protein-bound polysaccharide, used clinically in Japan and China since the 1970s. Absorption: About 60% polysaccharide and 10 to 30% peptide by make-up. Typical use: Taken by mouth only. Schedule 1 limits the concentrate to oral medicines.
• Mycelium or fermentation broth. Best known for: The material PSP is actually made from. Absorption: Grown in liquid culture rather than harvested as a mushroom. Typical use: A legitimate source for turkey tail, unlike species where the fruiting body is the part that's been studied.
• Whole dried powder. Best known for: The whole mushroom, ground, without concentrating it. Absorption: There's no concentration step, so the beta-glucan content is whatever the mushroom held. Typical use: The simplest form. Ask for a beta-glucan figure before you buy.

Reference values. There's no Nutrient Reference Value for turkey tail. It's a fungus rather than a nutrient, so the NHMRC doesn't set one.

Typical supplemental range. We won't quote a turkey tail dose, because we couldn't find a trial in healthy adults to base one on. The PSK and PSP research was done in cancer care, at doses specialists set alongside treatment, and that doesn't carry over to a tub off the shelf. Australian products are usually hot-water extracts taken once a day. Read the label and follow its directions.

Upper level. None is set. Australia's permitted ingredients list (Schedule 1) doesn't set a daily dose limit for Trametes versicolor or its proteoglycan concentrate. No limit on the list doesn't mean there's no safe limit. It just means the rules don't set one.

Worth knowing. If you're comparing two tubs, compare the beta-glucan percentage rather than the milligrams, because more of a weaker material doesn't give you more. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Turkey tail itself: too woody to eat; taken as an extract instead
• Shiitake, oyster and enoki: culinary sources of the same (1,3)(1,6)-beta-D-glucan fibre
• Button, Swiss brown and portobello: 0.4 to 2.0 mg ergothioneine per gram dry weight

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• You have cancer. In a systematic review of 92 case reports, 70% of those whose severity was graded were severe, mostly through an allergic mechanism, and mushroom products were the main products involved.
• You're having cancer treatment. In trials, PSK was given after and alongside standard radiation and chemotherapy, under specialist supervision. It's not something to start on your own.
• You're allergic to mushrooms or mould. Allergy was the main mechanism in the severe cases on record.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. None of the trials we hold included pregnant or breastfeeding women, and Schedule 1 sets no pregnancy warning for this species.
• Children. We have no turkey tail data in children.
• You take immunosuppressants, transplant medicines or blood thinners other than warfarin. There's no human interaction study, so we can't say either way.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.