Shield Your Body from Toxins — Naturally

The Incredible, Somewhat Edible Turkey Tail Mushroom

What Is Turkey Tail?

Known in the scientific world as Trametes versicolor, turkey tail is a thin, fan-shaped mushroom that thrives on decaying logs and stumps in the forest, quietly helping recycle dead wood back into the ecosystem. Its colorful, banded layers—ranging from browns and creams to hints of blue or orange—create a pattern that looks remarkably similar to the fanned tail of a wild turkey, which is how it gets its name.

You’ll often spot turkey tail clustered in overlapping shelves on fallen trees or old stumps, adding a splash of color to damp woodland trails almost year-round. In traditional Chinese medicine, this mushroom—known as Yun Zhi—has been used for centuries as a gentle, nourishing tonic to support vitality, resilience, and overall wellness. (1)

Functional, Not Gourmet

Turkey Tail is not a gourmet mushroom, but rather a functional mushroom. It has a tough texture and requires thorough extraction in hot water for its beneficial compounds to become bioavailable. (1,3)

The resulting tea, however, is not very palatable. It has a bitter, earthy taste that can make it hard to take regularly. Shield has solved that problem by adding turkey tail to a cocoa mix, which can mask the bitterness while adding natural antioxidants (from cocoa) and natural sweeteners (stevia).

Health Benefits

• Immunomodulation: Acts as a non-specific immune booster, enhancing the body's defense mechanisms.
• Immune Stimulation: Beta-glucans in Turkey Tail interact with receptor pathways (e.g., CR3 receptors) on immune cells, enhancing their activity against pathogens and tumor cells. (8)
• Cytokine Regulation: Modulates the production of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-2, IL-6, IFN, and TNF. (2)
• Tumor Inhibition: PSK has shown potential to directly inhibit cancer cell growth, encourage apoptosis (cell death), and reduce tumor-promoting factors like TGF. (2)
• Cancer Adjunct Therapy: Polysaccharide-K, PSK, often called krestin, is used in Japan to improve survival rates and quality of life in gastric, lung, and breast cancer patients, when combined with conventional treatments. (2,4)
• Antioxidant & Anti-inflammatory: Contains polyphenols and flavonoids that reduce oxidative stress and inhibit inflammation. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)
• Gut Health: Acts as a prebiotic, supporting beneficial gut bacteria. Polysaccharides and beta-glucans naturally found in Turkey Tail mushrooms help stimulate the growth of health-enhancing bacteria. (8)
• Improve exercise performance, reduce fatigue: Supplementation with Turkey tail mushroom has been shown to reduce physical fatigue and promote glucose utilization in peripheral tissues, leading to lower blood glucose levels. (9)

Safety Profile

Has a fantastic safety profile. Even after mice were given 100 times the usual dose of Turkey tail mushroom, they did not exhibit acute or chronic toxicity. (9)

With all the positive health benefits of this fungus, consider supplementing with Turkey Tail mushroom. For even more health benefits and daily protection from life's toxins, our immune-boosting SHIELD can help guard you against everyday cellular stressors.

References

1. Kuo, M. (2017, November). Trametes versicolor: The turkey tail. Mushroom Expert.Com. https://www.mushroomexpert.com/trametes_versicolor.htm
2. Johnson, M. A., Senn, T., Krochmal, R., Poole, B. D., & Babcock, T. A. (2019). The mycelium of the Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail) mushroom and its fermented substrate each show potent and complementary immune-activating properties in vitro. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 19, 342. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2681-7
3. Standish, L. J., Wenner, C. A., Sweet, E. S., Bridge, C., Nelson, A., Martzen, M., Droin, N., & Disis, M. L. (2008). Trametes versicolor mushroom immune therapy in breast cancer. Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology, 6(3), 122–128.
4. Kariya, Y., Kiyohara, H., Yamada, H., & Otsuka, Y. (2012). Biological mechanism and clinical effect of protein-bound polysaccharide K (PSK). Gan to Kagaku Ryoho. Cancer & Chemotherapy, 39(10), 1525–1530.
5. Matsunaga, K., Yoshida, K., & Ueda, N. (2011). Biological mechanism and clinical effect of protein-bound polysaccharide K (PSK; KRESTIN®). BioFactors, 37(6), 381–387. https://doi.org/10.1002/biof.18
6. Pilkington, K., Wieland, L. S., Teng, L., Jin, X. Y., Storey, D., & Liu, J. P. (2022). Coriolus (Trametes) versicolor mushroom to reduce adverse effects from chemotherapy or radiotherapy in people with colorectal cancer. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 11(11), CD012053. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012053.pub2s
7. Johnson, M. A., et al. “The mycelium of the Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail) mushroom and its fermented substrate each show potent and complementary immune-activating properties in vitro.” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 19, 342 (2019).
8. Standish, L. J., et al. “Trametes versicolor mushroom immune therapy in breast cancer.” Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology 6(3), 122–128 (2008)
9. Ho, C.-S., Huang, W.-C., Leung, W.-K., Tung, Y.-T., Kung, W.-M., Huang, C.-C., & Wu, J.-H. (2017). Effect of Coriolus versicolor mycelia extract on exercise performance and anti-fatigue in mice. International Journal of Medical Sciences, 14(11), 1110–1117. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijms.20547

Written by Brooke Lounsbury