A Guide To Turkey Tail Mushroom Benefits
Harvested in high-altitude mountain regions, turkey tail mushrooms are often used to assist in helping modulate the immune system and reduce inflammation.
Turkey tail are native to Europe, Asia, and North America, but can be found all over the world within woodland environments, growing on dead logs. They are called turkey tail due to their brown and tan rings that mimic the tail of a turkey.
Turkey Tail mushrooms have been researched extensively for their medicinal properties. People have been using mushrooms for centuries to remedy various illnesses and maladies. They have been chopped, ground, chewed, boiled, brewed into tea, and mixed into food, to help with everything from the common cold to fatigue.
Turkey Tail Mushroom Benefits
There are many benefits when it comes to consuming and incorporating Turkey Tail into your daily diet. Here are some of those benefits.
May help treat the common cold
Turkey Tail helps your immune system to become more resilient against ill-causing germs by modulating the immune system, helping to fight infections, and build up a tolerance to illness.
This mushroom has strong anti-microbial properties that allow your immune system to become stronger.
Enhances Overall Gut Health
By improving gut bacteria composition and reducing inflammation both internally and externally. Turkey Tail mushrooms consist of prebiotics and anti-inflammatory properties, which help nourish good bacteria and reduce potentially harmful bacteria.
Having a healthy gut improves intestinal symptoms (like diarrhea), enhances the immune system, reduces cholesterol levels, lowers the risk of certain cancers, and improves digestion.
May help reduce risk of diabetes
By lowering the level of glucose in the body, the consumption of Turkey Tail mushrooms decreased the glucose concentration in the blood and decreased weight gain.
Turkey tail helps your body regulate blood sugars throughout the body by reducing insulin resistance.
Aids in Digestion
Mycelium (part of the mushroom) is what contributes to a smoother digestion process. The prebiotic properties of the mushroom assist in the microbiome, meaning it helps grow good bacteria within the body.
Is Packed with Antioxidants
Antioxidants are compounds that help inhibit or reduce damage caused by oxidative stress, which results from an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals. An imbalance between the two can cause cellular damage, internal inflammation, and developing health conditions (such as certain cancers and heart disease).
Being rich in antioxidants, has many benefits including the aid in protection from the sun, blocking harmful free radicals, and being rich in Vitamin E.
Contains Immune-Boosting Properties
These powerful immune-boosting properties are protein-bound polysaccharides, which increase the production of monocytes – white blood cells that fight infection and boost immunity.
Helps Protect the Liver
Turkey Tail’s antibacterial and antioxidant properties help protect one of our most important organs: the liver.
The liver protects, purifies, and produces important hormones, enzymes, and antibodies for important systems throughout our bodies, making it a key player to our immune system.
Is Known to Help Improve Athletic Performance
By improving exercise performance and reducing fatigue. It has also proven to lower blood sugar levels when at rest and post-exercise.
Ways to Use Turkey Tail Mushroom Supplements
Here are the ways to add turkey tail mushrooms to your diet.
- Fresh
- Cooked
- Turkey Tail Extract (in the form of a powder, but are more potent than simple turkey tail powders)
- Turkey Tail Powder
- Turkey Tail Tincture (a liquid format)
Since Turkey Tail mushrooms have a mild taste, you can add them to just about anything without even noticing!
Turkey Tail Mushroom Tea Recipe
- 8 ounces Hot Water
- ½ tsp Wild Shroom #3 Turkey Tail Mushroom Extract Powder
- 3 slices Lemon
- ½ tsp Raw Honey
- Cinnamon pinch
- Splash of Almond or Coconut Milk, optional
- Combine the mushrooms, lemon slices, honey, and Turmeric in a cup.
- Heat water until steaming.
- Pour it into the cup and cover to steep for 3 minutes.
- Stir and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!
Turkey Tail Mushroom Coffee
- 8 ounces of Medium Roast Coffee
- ½ – 1 tspTurkey Tail Mushroom Extract Powder (or try our Master Blend)
- 2 – 3 Wild Cocoa Butter Wafers
- Dash of MCT Oil
- Brew your coffee.
- Add in the mushroom powder, cocoa butter, and MCT
- Blend until frothy
- Enjoy!
Commonly Asked Questions
What does Turkey Tail mushroom taste like?
It has a mild taste and is considered rather chewy.
What are the side effects of Turkey Tail?
Diarrhea darkened stools and darkened nail pigmentation have been reported with high doses of turkey tail. Turkey tail products have been safely consumed at doses of 1-3 grams per day by many long term research participants.
Is Turkey Tail good for cancer?
Turkey Tail has been shown to significantly extend survival at five years or beyond in cancers of the stomach, colon/rectum, esophagus, and lung in Japanese trials since 1970. What makes these mushroom compounds so unique and useful is that they can be combined with conventional treatments like chemo.
Is Turkey Tail good for dogs?
This holistic approach can benefit all dogs. Turkey tail contains beta-glucan polysaccharides, which may help to reduce bacterial infections.
What is the best way to use Turkey Tail?
We recommend adding it to your morning coffee, daily smoothie, or even mixing it into your dinner. Turkey Tail has minimal taste, so you can add it to everything!
How is Turkey Tail extracted? Are there chemicals used?
Turkey Tail is extracted using water, no chemicals. It is triple water extracted.