The Powerful Healing Properties of Turkey Tail Mushrooms

When the Sisters added Turkey Tail mushrooms to the Super 17 mushroom coffee mix, it was because we were reaching for mood stabilization.  We believe that one day, soon, science will prove an entourage effect that contributes to mood stability. 

In America, and likely many other places, there is a mental health crisis going on.  Anything we can do to fortify ourselves, we must.  Anything we can take to increase our resiliency, we should.

Turkey tail doesn’t specifically contribute to a person’s mood or brain function, but when the stomach is balanced, when the immune system is working properly, when our stress reactors are functional, mood elevation follows. 

This magnificent mushroom contains a variety of powerful antioxidants and other compounds that boost the immune system and has been used since ancient times, in many cultures, to increase stomach health.  By balancing stomach bacteria, there is a positive impact on resiliency.

According to UCLA health.org, turkey tail mushroom has been used as a therapy in cancer treatment in Japan for decades.   The article is very specific about the Japanese patients consume it with positive results against breast cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancers, pancreatic and liver cancers, but then concludes, ‘the mechanisms at work here remain unclear’.  So the doctors agree that it works or at the very least, helps with these conditions, but exactly how it does that is still a mystery to be uncovered.

The most commonly known and understood health benefits of turkey tail mushrooms are:

• Adaptogenic Properties
  Adaptogens increase the body’s resistance to physical, biological, and chemical stress, help promote normal functioning during times of stress, and protect against stress-related damage
• Support of the immune system
  Packed with phenols & flavonoids that are antioxidant and anti-aging, turkey tail combats oxidative stress that can damage tissues, causing chronic illness and premature aging.
• Supports a healthy inflammation response
  Krestin (PSK) and Polysaccharide Peptide (PSP) are two types of polysaccharopeptides found in turkey tail. Both PSK and PSP possess powerful immune-boosting properties. They promote immune response by both activating and inhibiting specific types of immune cells and by suppressing inflammation.
• Supports gut health
  Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said over 2,500 years ago ‘all disease begins in the gut.’ A healthy and balanced gut microbiome helps us absorb nutrients from the food we eat, influences the brain and the immune system and also helps to regulate our metabolism, skin health, heart health, hormone balance and much more.

There are many other claims that proponents of turkey tail mushrooms make about increased performance and brain focus, but science has yet to come to agreement on all of that.  And for many of us who don’t just take one type of mushroom, but a wide variety of functional mushrooms in our coffee or in powdered form with regularity in our diet, can’t say what does what, specifically. 

We can say this about functional mushrooms in general:  over time, one will feel improved performance in all areas of life, brain focus, and physical activity.  But it’s not something you feel all at once.  You introduce those functional mushrooms into your diet and over time, you’ll see, you feel better, more resilient, and more capable.  And life demands that we be capable, whether we feel like adulting or not.