Turkey Tail Mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) are beloved among herbalists and mycologists for their potency as medicinal mushrooms, with plentiful polysaccharides, proteins and antioxidants to offer numerous health benefits.

Making tea at home is an effortless experience that yields much more than a simple beverage. Try serving it alongside breakfast or as a midday pick-me-up to complete your experience.

The Benefits

Functional mushrooms have made waves in the wellness community for their immune-enhancing benefits, garnering widespread praise. Packed full of compounds ranging from beta-glucans and polysaccharide peptides that activate specific immune cells, turkey tail mushrooms (Coriolus versicolor) are particularly well known for boosting one of these types of immunity: their innate immunity system provides natural defense against pathogens and diseases.

This mushroom contains immunomodulating compounds, making it particularly helpful for those suffering from chronic fatigue, digestive issues, low immunity or inflammatory disorders. Furthermore, it helps improve mental clarity and energy levels while increasing energy levels.

This mushroom’s myriad health benefits make it one of the most versatile and potency supplements on the market, from immune boosting to its anti-inflammatory effects – even helping fight certain forms of cancers!

Studies have demonstrated that turkey tail mushroom extracts can enhance symptoms and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments, stimulating immune cells that specifically target and destroy cancerous cells.

Another health advantage associated with medicinal fungus is its potential to reduce herpes simplex virus recurrences. Polysaccharide peptides found within this mushroom have been proven to strengthen immune responses and thus thwart outbreaks of herpes simplex virus infections.

Studies have also demonstrated that turkey tail can help lower blood lactate and ammonia levels after intense exercise, suggesting it could delay fatigue onset. This effect could be attributed to its encouragement of glucose production by muscles, thus decreasing how much lactic acid accumulates in your bloodstream.

This mushroom offers numerous health advantages and can easily be consumed as either a supplement or tea. Though generally safe for consumption, there may be mild side effects you should be wary of; such as an increase in melanin production that causes nails to turn yellowish in color. To minimize this side effect, taking multiple types of mushrooms periodically and cycling them may help.

The Recipe

Tun Zhi mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) are highly sought-after medicinal fungus in Traditional Chinese Medicine due to their powerful immune-enhancing effects. Packed full of antioxidants and polysaccharides, turkey tail is a natural immune enhancer with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties that have proven effective.

However, due to its tough texture and unpleasant flavor, turkey tail is rarely consumed directly; rather it is typically taken in tea form, tinctures, or capsules for maximum health benefits. For maximum success when using turkey tail as medicine it is vital that mushrooms be simmered over an extended period in order to extract active compounds that provide most health advantages.

As it can help boost immunity and balance gut bacteria levels, turkey mushroom tea can be extremely beneficial. Simply combine 4 cups of filtered water, one bay leaf and 1 tablespoon of dried thyme for an hour to extract active compounds into liquid form.

Once steeping is complete, strain the mixture to remove mushroom pieces before pouring it into clean, sealed jars for storage in your refrigerator for up to one week – both warm and cold beverages can be enjoyed with this strained liquid!

The earthy flavors of this tea pair perfectly with ingredients such as turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. Honey or maple syrup may help balance out its earthy taste for added balance. This herbal combination is great for morning breakfasts, afternoon pick-me-ups or even with evening snacks!

Preparation

Turkey tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) have many medicinal uses, and one of the easiest and most efficient is making tea out of them. Because their tough and woody nature prevents you from eating them whole, instead these tough and woody mushrooms are usually boiled for an extended period to extract their beneficial compounds before drying and grounding into powder for use in smoothies, soups or other recipes – or they can even be made into tinctures and tablets that provide similar health benefits.

Whoever doesn’t feel confident brewing their own turkey tail mushroom tea may opt to purchase it in stores or online. When selecting high-quality turkey tail mushrooms that meet organic standards, be sure to buy only those marked “organic” on their labeling and include all their ingredients on its ingredients list.

When making turkey tail mushroom tea, begin by chopping your mushrooms into small pieces to increase surface area and ease extraction of all their beneficial compounds. Next, combine these chopped mushrooms with boiling water in a pot, and bring to a boil before straining into cups for drinking later. Additionally, honey or maple syrup could be sweetened as needed and lemon juice added for additional flavour if desired.

Turkey Tail Mushroom Tea can provide many health benefits, from detoxifying effects and increased energy levels, to stronger immunity systems and helping people suffering from diabetes to lower blood sugar levels and fight obesity and cancer treatments. One study even demonstrated how turkey tail mushroom powder helped improve chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients by decreasing the amount of insulin necessary.

Storage

Turkey tail mushrooms are tough and woody, making them unsuitable for direct human consumption. Instead, their medicinal qualities make them sought-after; extracts can be found in teas, supplements and tinctures. Turkey tail mushrooms have the scientific name Trametes versicolor but many refer to them by their more commonly known names of Coriolus polyporus or other names; either way they’re considered shelf or bracket fungi that grow on dead or live trees.

Wild turkey tail mushrooms must first be dried and ground into powder form before they can be used as medicine, though the process is fairly quick and simple. After washing to remove dirt or other debris, mushrooms should be placed into an electric food dehydrator set at around 115 degrees Fahrenheit; after which, 24 hours later they are completely dried out, ready to be stored safely away until needed.

When purchasing dried turkey tail mushroom powder, always read and check the label closely to make sure you purchase only mushroom powder containing turkey tail mushroom fruit bodies – this will guarantee that you are receiving the most potency version.

Since turkey tail mushrooms have a mild, earthy taste, many users opt to steep them in hot water or combine it with other herbs and spices for an herbal tea in order to mask its strong aroma. You could also try adding it into smoothies, soups and salad dressings in order to hide its strong taste. Many also drink this tea as part of an immune boosting regime or treating certain symptoms associated with diseases.

Though the benefits of turkey tail mushrooms have yet to be established, early studies indicate their polysaccharides and polysaccharopeptides could help reduce cancerous tumors while aiding healing of injured tissues. Additional research suggests they could increase resistance to insulin thus keeping blood sugar stable, as well as improving effectiveness of certain cancer treatments by helping cells absorb chemotherapy drugs faster.