Turkey tail

Trametes versicolor

Also: Yun zhi, Coriolus versicolor, Kawaratake

Neutral temperatureNeutral moistureNeutral tone

A common bracket fungus with a long record in immune support.

Thin, leathery fans banded in browns, tans, and blues, stacked like shingles on dead wood, with tiny pores underneath. Turkey tail's polysaccharides strengthen and steady the immune system, and in Japan and China extracts of it are given alongside cancer treatment.

Energetics: Neutral, nourishing
Taste: Mild, earthy
Family: Polyporaceae (bracket fungus family)
Parts used: Fruiting body

Medicinal uses 1

The tags sort the evidence behind each use by kind. Members are able to tap a condition to compare every herb for it.

Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Frequent colds & low immunityTLC
Its polysaccharides, PSK and PSP, strengthen immune responses; Japan has prescribed PSK alongside chemotherapy since the 1970s, and a trial in women after breast cancer treatment found their immune counts recovered faster.

Preparations

Long-simmered broth and decoction, double extracts, and powdered hot-water extract.

Members are able to see the amounts, ratios, and methods for each preparation, search by condition, and match herbs to your constitution.

Become a member · $39 a year Log in

Cautions

Identify it carefully: true turkey tail has tiny pores on its underside, while look-alikes such as false turkey tail (Stereum) are smooth underneath.
If you are in cancer treatment, take it with your oncology team's knowledge.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for turkey tail, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

Practitioner membership · $150 a year Log in

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyAsk your practitioner

Turkey tail has no action on the uterus, but it has not been studied in pregnancy, and its effect on immunity is the theoretical concern. Check with your practitioner.

BreastfeedingAsk your practitioner

Nursing data are limited; check with your practitioner first.

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the full entry from the Moss Herbalism Pregnancy Safety Database: trimester ratings, uterine and placental action, breastfeeding and nursing-baby effects, chemistry, traditional use, studies, and sources.

Practitioner membership · $150 a year Log in

Folklore

Its banded fans look like a strutting turkey's tail, and versicolor means of many colors. In China it is yun zhi, the cloud mushroom. In 1977 Japan approved PSK, a polysaccharide drawn from turkey tail, as a cancer medicine, and doctors there still prescribe it alongside chemotherapy. Turkey tail is one of the most common fungi on Earth, rotting fallen hardwood on every continent where trees grow.

How to grow

Grows on hardwood logs or stumps inoculated with plug spawn, fruiting within a year or two. Harvest fresh, pliable fans with white pore surfaces; faded or insect-eaten ones are past their best.

In the wild

Dead hardwood logs, stumps, and branches worldwide, year-round.

Every herb here fits some people better than others. Find out which ones fit you.

Match by condition Book a consult