An Introduction to Turkey Tail Mushroom
How to harvest, cultivate and consume turkey tail, a powerful polypore mushroom.
Turkey Tail Identification and Habitat
The turkey tail mushroom, known scientifically as Trametes versicolor, is a polypore that grows on tree branches, stumps and dead logs throughout hardwood forests in Europe, North America and Asia. It has been found in almost every U.S. state. Turkey tail lacks any sort of stem and appears in bracket formations — two typical characteristics of the polyporacaeae family in the fungal kingdom. In contrast to other mushrooms, this mushroom has a porous surface instead of gills and its thicker fruiting bodies allow it to survive winters which makes them easy to find from May through December.
Pores
The term “polypore” means “many pores” and is used interchangeably with other terms such as bracket or shelf fungi. What sets turkey tail apart from many of its relatives in the polypore family is that it possesses between two to three times the pore density (3-8 pores per millimeter) compared to other species of the trametes genus which generally only have 1-3 pores per millimeter.
Texture and Color
Texture is also an important factor when identifying a potential turkey tail. Trametes versicolor is generally either “hairy” or “velvety” while other trametes species are smooth. The cap of turkey tail comprises different bands of colors, such as orange, brown, yellow, white, and gray, which gives it its namesake. The caps are usually 1 - 4 inches in diameter, triangular or round in shape and have an outer edge that is either smooth or wavy. The pore surface also darkens as the mushroom ages.
Preparation and Uses of Turkey Tail Mushrooms
Turkey Tail can either be foraged or cultivated. In forests it is often found on decaying logs or stumps. The mushroom mycelium grows inside the log, decomposing the organic matter through a process of fermentation. The fruiting bodies themselves, which we see extruding from the tree material then spread spores which are often eaten or transported by animals. It is thought that the protective defenses compounds secreted by the turkey tail’s fruiting bodies to protect them from other bacteria and molds are what offer attractive biological effects to humans. This is the same evolutionary antibacterial defense mechanism of fungi was made famous in the case of penicillium rubens from which the first medicinal doeses of penicillin were derived.
It also possible to cultivate the mushroom at home with the correct tools such as a mason jar, liquid culture syringe, grain bag, flow hood and mushroom grow tent. Although our focus at AlaskaChaga started with the chaga mushroom which can only be wild-harvested and not cultivated, we’ve learned a lot about the cultivation process of other mushrooms from a YouTube channel called Spore n’ Sprout. We recommend checking out their video on Turkey Tail cultivation for more details and also the cultivation supplies that they sell on Etsy (AlaskaChaga is not an affiliate of the Spore n’ Sprout channel).
Some Final Thoughts
The tough texture of the turkey tail mushroom makes them generally unsuitable as an ingredient in traditional methods of cooking. Generally speaking, this mushroom is brewed into teas or tinctures for its potential health benefits. Turkey tail is rich in polysaccharides, in particular polysaccaride-K (PSK) and polysaccaride peptide (PSP), both of which have been extensively researched for their immunomodulatory properties.
Extensive research has been conducted on Turkey Tail with promising (but not conclusive) results. For example, a 2010 meta-analysis of studies containing two randomized controlled trials and five controlled trials investigating dietary polysaccharides documented improved immune function in colon, gastric and coloretal cancer patients who orally consumed glucan extracts from Trametes versicolor. The patients took PSK doses ranging from 200 mg to 3 g daily for four weeks in tandem with chemotherapy threatment for up to seven years.
Another study from 2014 investigated the effects of the prebiotic polysaccharopeptide from trametes versicolor with those of the antibiotic amoxicillin on the human intestinal microbiome. The experiment followed twenty-four volunteers over a course of eight weeks and found that: “PSP from T. versicolor acts as a prebiotic to modulate human intestinal microbiome composition.”
Finally, a groundbreaking 2000 study with over 688 citations investigated the general effects of mushroom glucans in cancer patients and concluded that PSK and PSP, which have been studied in Japan since the 1970s, demonstrated the most promise although further studies are needed. It was also noted that besides darkened stools, nail pigmentation and, in rare cases, diarrhea, mushroom glucan dosages were relatively safe without any reports of major contraindications.1
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