Turkey Tail Mushroom for Cancer

Turkey Tail Mushroom for Cancer: What It Is, How It May Help, and Safety

Authors

Sophie Kakarala

Research Assistant

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Sophie received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cambridge, where she studied Middle Eastern languages and the philosophy of science. She then completed a premedical post-baccalaureate at the City University of New York. Before joining CancerChoices, she worked for several years at the Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, where she helped to conduct research on terminal illness and grief. Working in end-of-life research filled her with the conviction that all patients deserve free, accessible, and scientifically accurate information about the therapies available to them. While taking classes in anthropology, she also became curious about traditional medical knowledge and philosophies. These interests led her to CancerChoices. She is delighted to be part of CancerChoices’s work creating rigorous, evidence-based treatment guides for patients and physicians.

Sophie Kakarala Research Assistant

Larry Scherwitz

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With a focus on preventing and reversing heart disease and obesity, Larry Scherwitz’s areas of research expertise are Lifestyle Medicine; epigenetics as a mediator between lifestyle, wellness or illness; and the evidence-based Whole Person Integrative Eating (WPIE) model and program for overcoming overeating, overweight, and obesity. With a key focus on Lifestyle Medicine and the science-backed Whole Person Integrative Eating dietary lifestyle, he researches preventing, managing, and reversing lifestyle-based chronic conditions, such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Highlights of his professional experience:

Director of Research and Sr. Research Scientist on Dean Ornish, M.D.’s program for reversing heart disease with comprehensive changes diet, exercise, stress management, and social support.

Principal investigator on more than 30 research projects conducted at universities, medical centers, and medical schools ranging from University of California, San Francisco and California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco to the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Specialist in all phases of qualitative and quantitative research including designing, implementing and analyzing results of clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nutriceuticals, lifestyle changes, mind/body therapies, and devices (for FDA approval).

Core competencies in every phase of research including literature reviews, performing statistical analyses, writing IRB and study protocols, research papers, and grant proposals.

International and national keynote speaker, workshop leader, and focus group leader.

Co-author of four health books: Make Weight Loss Last (based on original research that identifies 7 eating styles that lead to overeating), The Enlightened Diet: Seven Weight Loss Solutions that Nourish Body, Mind, and Soul, Pottenger’s Prophecy: How Food Resets Genes for Wellness or Illness, and more recently, the award-winning Whole Person Integrative Eating: A Breakthrough Dietary Lifestyle to Treat the Root Causes of Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity.

Scherwitz received his doctorate in Social Psychology from the University of Texas, Austin, and trained in psychophysiology at Harvard Medical School.

Larry Scherwitz

Clinical reviewer

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS

Senior Clinical Consultant

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Laura Pole is senior clinical consultant for CancerChoices. Laura is an oncology clinical nurse specialist who has been providing integrative oncology clinical care, navigation, consultation, and education services for over 40 years. She is the co-creator and co-coordinator of the Integrative Oncology Navigation Training at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC. Laura also manages the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv for Smith Center/Commonweal. In her role as a palliative care educator and consultant, Laura has served as statewide Respecting Choices Faculty for the Virginia POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) Collaborative as well as provided statewide professional education on palliative and end-of-life care for the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care.

For CancerChoices, Laura curates content and research, networks with clinical and organizational partners, brings awareness and education of integrative oncology at professional and patient conferences and programs, and translates research into information relevant to the patient experience as well as clinical practice.

Laura sees her work with CancerChoices as a perfect alignment of all her passions, knowledge and skills in integrative oncology care. She is honored to serve you.

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS Senior Clinical Consultant

Last update: March 20, 2026

Authors of previous versions: Nancy Hepp, MS, Andrew Jackson, ND

Turkey tail mushroom for cancer: what you need to know

• Extracts of turkey tail mushroom and its constituents PSK and PSP are widely available as a supplement in capsule, liquid tincture, and powdered form.
• Evidence suggests that turkey tail extracts and its constituents, used alongside conventional treatment, may improve survival and reduce risk of recurrence.
• It is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
• Supervision by a medical professional is essential due to possible interactions with drugs, other supplements, and cancer treatments.
• This is not a standalone treatment for cancer; it is a complementary therapy used alongside standard medical care to support treatment and/or well-being.

What is turkey tail mushroom?

Extracts of turkey tail mushroom and its constituents PSK and PSP are widely available as a supplement in capsule, liquid tincture, and powdered form. The extracts and PSK are used alongside conventional treatment to improve survival and reduce risk of recurrence, while the constituent PSP shows some benefit for pain, appetite, and percentage of body fat.

Turkey tail mushroom has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for many years. PSK has been studied and used extensively in Japan for its effects on immune function and also as an adjuvant cancer treatment.

Use of turkey tail mushroom is also linked to better markers of immune function, including after conventional treatment.

Safety

• Turkey tail mushroom should be used cautiously if you have bleeding or clotting disorders due to possible impacts on platelet counts
• Known interactions, consult with your healthcare provider before adding to your regimen, some evidence suggests worse outcomes when used with tegafur/uracil (UFT) for colorectal cancer
• Some side effects observed, typically mild and temporary, including gastrointestinal upset, cough, low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), low white blood cell count (leukopenia), and elevated liver enzymes
• Supervision by a medical professional is essential

See full safety details ↓

How turkey tail mushroom may help people with cancer

Strength of evidence rating

We rate the strength of the evidence with 0=no evidence, 1=weak evidence, 2=modest evidence, and 3=good evidence. Read more about our method in detail here ›

Optimizing your body terrain

People treated with PSP or turkey tail following conventional cancer treatment showed biomarkers of higher immune function in two small studies.⁹Tsang KW, Lam CL et al. Coriolus versicolor polysaccharide peptide slows progression of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Respiratory Medicine. 2003 Jun;97(6):618-24; Torkelson CJ, Sweet E et al. Phase 1 clinical trial of Trametes versicolor in women with breast cancer. ISRN Oncology. 2012;2012:251632. However, higher immune activation may not always be beneficial; always consult with a physician before starting turkey tail mushroom treatment.

Reducing cancer risk or recurrence

People with colorectal cancer treated with PSK together with chemotherapy had a lower risk of recurrence in several studies,¹⁰ Ma Y, Wu X, Yu J, Zhu J, Pen X, Meng X. Can polysaccharide K improve therapeutic efficacy and safety in gastrointestinal cancer? A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Oncotarget. 2017 Jul 6;8(51):89108-89118; Ohwada S, Ikeya T et al. Adjuvant immunochemotherapy with oral tegafur/uracil plus PSK in patients with stage II or III colorectal cancer: a randomised controlled study. British Journal of Cancer. 2004 Mar 8;90(5):1003-10; Sakamoto J, Morita S et al; Meta-Analysis Group of the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon Rectum. Efficacy of adjuvant immunochemotherapy with polysaccharide K for patients with curatively resected colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of centrally randomized controlled clinical trials. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy. 2006 Apr;55(4):404-11; Takahashi Y, Mai M, Nakazato H. Preoperative CEA and PPD values as prognostic factors for immunochemotherapy using PSK and 5-FU. Anticancer Research. 2005 Mar-Apr;25(2B):1377-84. and one study also showed lower risk of recurrence among people with stomach cancer who were treated with PSK plus chemotherapy after surgery.¹¹Ito G, Tanaka H et al. Correlation between efficacy of PSK postoperative adjuvant immunochemotherapy for gastric cancer and expression of MHC class I. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 2012 Jun;3(6):925-930. People who tested positive for human papilloma virus (HPV), which increases the risk of cervical cancer, and who were treated with a turkey tail-infused vaginal gel showed lower markers of cervical and uterine cancer risk in one study.¹²Criscuolo AA, Sesti F et al. Therapeutic efficacy of a Coriolus versicolor-based vaginal gel in women with cervical uterine high-risk HPV infection: a retrospective observational study. Adv Ther. 2021 Feb;38(2):1202-1211.

In one small study, people with head and neck cancer treated with PSK plus radiotherapy did not show evidence of an effect on their risk of recurrence.¹³Go P, Chung C-H. Adjuvant PSK immunotherapy in patients with carcinoma of the nasopharynx. Journal of International Medical Research. March 1989:141-149.

See the full evidence summary ›

Affordability and access

Is a prescription required?

• No, but we recommend you consult your oncology team before using this therapy

Other names and brands

Where to find it

• Retail drug stores and pharmacies
• Online retailers
• To find practitioners or clinics providing medicinal mushrooms, see Yes to Life: Medicinal Mushrooms ›

Affordability

• Moderate cost (between $40 US and $160 US/month)

Find an integrative provider ›

Full safety details

When used appropriately in daily recommended doses, both oral turkey tail mushroom and PSK and PSP extracts of turkey tail have appeared safe when used for extended periods.¹⁴Torkelson CJ, Sweet E et al. Phase 1 clinical trial of Trametes versicolor in women with breast cancer. ISRN Oncology. 2012;2012:251632.

Side effects and adverse reactions

A low rate of side effects, typically mild and temporary, has been reported in early clinical trials and in animal studies:¹⁵Eliza WL, Fai CK, Chung LP. Efficacy of Yun Zhi (Coriolus versicolor) on survival in cancer patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery. 2012 Jan;6(1):78-87; Shiu WCT, et al. A clinical study of PSP on peripheral blood counts during chemotherapy. Phytotherapy Research 1992;6:217-218; Jeitler M, Michalsen A, Frings D, Hübner M, Fischer M, Koppold-Liebscher DA, Murthy V, Kessler CS. Significance of medicinal mushrooms in integrative oncology: a narrative review. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2020 Nov 11;11:580656; Kano T, Kumashiro R, Masuda H, Tamada R, Inokuchi K. Late results of postoperative long-term cancer chemotherapy for the gastric cancer patients subjected to curative resection. Japanese Journal of Surgery. 1983 Mar;13(2):112-6; Nakazato H, Koike A et al. Efficacy of immunochemotherapy as adjuvant treatment after curative resection of gastric cancer. Study Group of Immunochemotherapy with PSK for Gastric Cancer. Lancet 1994;343:1122-6.

• Limited gastrointestinal upset, including nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Cough and temporary darkening of fingernails
• Passing dark-colored stools (not due to blood in stools)
• Low platelet count (thrombocytopenia)
• Low white blood cell count (leukopenia)
• Elevated liver enzymes

No evidence of increased major adverse events was found among people with cancer with use of turkey tail or its extracts as an adjunct to chemotherapy in a review of 13 RCTsrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects of low or moderate quality.¹⁶Eliza WL, Fai CK, Chung LP. Efficacy of Yun Zhi (Coriolus versicolor) on survival in cancer patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery. 2012 Jan;6(1):78-87.

Contraindications

Turkey tail mushroom should be used cautiously if you have known bleeding or clotting disorders.

Drug interactions 

The use of PSK with adjunct tegafur/uracil (UFT) has shown a slightly higher risk of recurrence and lower survival among people with colorectal cancer.¹⁷Miyake Y, Nishimura J et al Multi-center Clinical Study Group of Osaka, Colorectal Cancer Treatment Group (MCSGO). Phase III trial comparing UFT + PSK to UFT + LV in stage IIB, III colorectal cancer (MCSGO-CCTG). Surgery Today. 2018 Jan;48(1):66-72; Okuno K, Aoyama T et al. Randomized phase III trial comparing surgery alone to UFT + PSK for stage II rectal cancer (JFMC38 trial). Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology. 2018 Jan;81(1):65-71.

No undesirable herb-drug interactions were reported between turkey tail mushroom or its constituents and cytotoxic drugs in a systematic review.¹⁸Lam CS, Cheng LP, Zhou LM, Cheung YT, Zuo Z. Herb-drug interactions between the medicinal mushrooms Lingzhi and Yunzhi and cytotoxic anticancer drugs: a systematic review. Chinese Medicine. 2020 Jul 25;15:75.

Turkey tail mushroom should be used cautiously with anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents, as it has been associated with low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia). Caution and medical supervision are also needed if you are using immunosuppressants.¹⁹Professional Resource: Coriolus Versicolor. Centre for Health Innovation. Viewed October 25, 2021.

Always consult with a healthcare professional before adding any new therapy to your regimen. To learn more about interactions, visit one of the trusted resources below.

• EfficaSafe ›
• About Herbs ›

FAQs

• Can turkey tail mushroom help fight cancer?
  Studies suggest that turkey tail mushroom used alongside conventional treatment may improve survival, especially among people with stomach cancer.
• Can turkey tail mushroom help with cancer side effects?
  Small studies have shown improvements in appetite, pain, or amount of body fat among people with certain cancers using turkey tail mushroom.
• Can turkey tail mushroom help reduce cancer risk or recurrence?
  Some studies have shown that people with cancer treated with turkey tail mushroom alongside chemotherapy had a lower risk of recurrence, especially people with colorectal cancer. 
• Does turkey tail mushroom support immune function in cancer patients?
  Yes, two studies found that people treated with turkey tail following conventional cancer treatment had markers of higher immune function. However, higher immune activation may not always be beneficial; always consult with a physician before starting turkey tail mushroom treatment.
• Can turkey tail mushroom reduce inflammation in cancer patients?
  Preclinical (lab or animal) studies suggest anti-inflammatory activity, but no clinical studies have investigated whether turkey tail can reduce inflammation in cancer patients.

Read more about supplements and therapies

• Sourcing Quality Herbs & Supplements ›
• Supplement and Therapies Database ›

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