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How to Make Turkey Tail Mushroom Tea
Support your immune system and bolster its natural healing processes with turkey tail mushroom tea as an evening ritual. It promotes a healthy gut microbiome, improves insulin resistance in diabetics, and fights HPV.
Finding turkey tail mushrooms in nature is ideal, where they often reside near hardwood trees, stumps and logs. Dried versions can also be purchased and crushed into powder by hand or through food processing devices or blenders.
Ingredients
Turkey tail mushrooms have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine as tonics and antibiotics for various infections, according to research. Furthermore, turkey tail mushrooms may help prevent cancer and support the body’s natural defense mechanisms against tumors; dried form can be purchased online or from health food stores while capsule or tincture form is typically sold at larger drugstores. Studies have also demonstrated that including turkey tail mushrooms alongside chemotherapy therapy leads to a 9% lower five-year mortality rate compared with simply receiving chemotherapy alone.
To make turkey tail tea at home, all that’s required is 4 cups of filtered water, one tablespoon of dried thyme and 34 cups of chopped dried turkey tail mushrooms. Water quality plays an integral part in how well these mushrooms soak up nutrients from their surroundings and take in nutrients through infusion.
Thyme gives your dish its signature aroma and flavor while turkey tail mushrooms provide immune-enhancing benefits. As adaptogenic herbs, turkey tail mushrooms help the body adapt to stressors like fatigue. Just be careful not to overheat either ingredient as this could turn bitter!
For medicinal use, harvest your turkey tail mushrooms from a trusted source. They can be found growing on trees, stumps and logs and should be collected early in the season for maximum flexibility and yield. A sharp knife helps separate them from wood surfaces without risking being damaged by insects; don’t panic if some have been chewed up!
Dried turkey tail mushrooms can be purchased online, at large health food stores and grocery stores that specialize in mushrooms, and in capsule or tincture form from some health food and ethnic markets. If you want to incorporate dried turkey tail mushrooms into your wellness regime diet as part of an overall wellness strategy, you could incorporate them into soups, stews, salad dressings or stir them into hot tea, as well as being used as the foundation of homemade juices and smoothies.
Preparation
Turkey tail mushrooms typically grow on living or dead trees and, unlike varieties that grow directly in soil, don’t become as dirty over time. This makes harvesting turkey tail mushrooms much simpler compared to their medicinal counterparts that require washing before picking. Still, turkey tail mushrooms must still be carefully examined for insects or any serious problems before picking; an easy way is taking a close look at where their stem meets with their host log – often this area gathers dirt and debris which should be cut off with kitchen shears before picking.
An unusual feature of turkey tail mushrooms is their underside is covered with pores rather than gills, like portobellos mushrooms. These tiny pores tend to be white in color though other colors such as grey, brown and red may exist as well as orange hues. There are other species with pores as well but they have larger pores with distinct gill structures unlike turkey tails.
Turkey tail mushrooms feature distinct pores as well as fine fuzz on their underside, though this may be undetectable to the naked eye. You can feel it with your fingertips. In addition, young turkey tail mushrooms are flexible enough to bend with ease; this distinguishes them from other varieties which remain rigid even when harvested young and small.
Whoever wishes to use turkey tail mushrooms as tea must first dehydrate them to extract their beneficial compounds. While this process can be performed manually, most prefer using a food dehydrator as this allows the mushrooms to dry faster without taking in moisture that could spoil them.
Once dried turkey tail mushrooms have been collected and stored for later use, they can be crushed into powder and stored. This process can be performed either manually or using a mortar and pestle. Once this powder has been produced, it can be added to tea or beverages in order to address various health concerns; some people use it with their morning glass of water as part of an awakening routine; others take it during meditation sessions; still others prefer sipping on it throughout their day for pick-me-up or evening snacks.
Simmering
Turkey tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) have long been used as an herbal tea remedy, and now researchers at Bastyr University may have taken one step closer to understanding if this fungus could help boost cancer patients’ immune systems while they undergo chemotherapy treatments.
Mushrooms are an integral component of human diet, and there are numerous health claims surrounding mushrooms that get made about them. While some claims have been disproven by studies, others still remain well-documented – the turkey tail mushroom being one such potency medicinal fungus with amazing immune-enhancing qualities found all across forests around the globe and used traditionally in traditional medicine to heal and promote wellness for centuries.
Though some mushrooms can be consumed whole, many are too tough and woody for direct consumption. Others, like turkey tail mushrooms, are best enjoyed as tea or supplements such as Organifi Gold.
To create turkey tail mushroom tea, chop your mushrooms into small pieces and combine with water in a pot. Bring this mixture to a boil before simmering it slowly for one hour to extract all of its beneficial compounds and flavors from the mushrooms. Strain and enjoy as tea!
Turkey tail mushroom powder can add depth and dimension to soups, stews and salad dressings. Grind it easily using a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle; alternatively you can purchase dried mushrooms pre-packed in tea bags and use these to enhance any hot beverage of your choice.
Turkey tail mushrooms may provide numerous health benefits beyond just strengthening immunity, including treating diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Other benefits may include lowering cholesterol levels, increasing energy, decreasing inflammation and strengthening gut microbiomes – one study actually demonstrated this phenomenon among mice who consumed turkey tail mushrooms as opposed to those who didn’t!
Straining
Turkey tail mushrooms are highly sought-after medicinal mushrooms due to their immune-enhancing qualities and antioxidant content, including polysacchariopeptides and other beneficial components that contain polysacchariopeptides, and other compounds which may help strengthen immunity against certain cancers as well as boost overall energy. Brewing them as tea has also been known to clear dampness, increase energy and strengthen lung, stomach and spleen health – in Chinese culture they’re known as Tun Zhi and are often used for longevity, spiritual attunement as well as fighting illness and infections.
Mushrooms can be found in most health food stores and ethnic supermarkets both fresh and dried; as tinctures or capsules. If you plan to harvest mushrooms yourself, it is essential that you know how to identify specific types, so as not to mistakenly harvest toxic varieties by mistake.
Turkey tail mushrooms can be found growing wild on hardwood trees and are easily recognized by their distinct shape and size. With their woody texture that sets it apart from other edible varieties such as portobellos or shiitakes, as well as their fuzzy caps which contrast against their smooth surfaces; turkey tail mushrooms should ideally be harvested during autumn when they contain most nutrients.
When creating turkey tail mushroom tea, once you’ve simmered for at least an hour you will need to strain out all of the mushrooms using either cheesecloth or straining. Refrigerate before refrigerating; strain prior to each use!
Mix the strained mixture with green or chamomile tea to mask its earthy flavor, producing an invigorating drink which can be enjoyed daily to combat illness and boost overall wellness. This tea may even benefit those living with type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar levels.