Alternative Names | Description | Known Active Constituents |
Purported Uses | Medicinal Properties and Modes of Actions |
Selected References

Latin Name (Coriolus versicolor)

Alternative Names
Trametes versicolor, Polyporus versicolor
Many-Colored Polypore
Kawaratake
Yun Zhi

Description
A fan-shaped bracket fungus with wavy margins often forming overlapping layers of fruit bodies.. The fruit bodies are multicolored with zonate regions of grays & browns, reds, blues, greens and white. True to their name, they actually resemble turkey tails. The underside of the caps covered with whitish pores. Widely distributed throughout the world, this mushroom has been used for medicinal purposes by Asians for thousands of years. The fruit bodies are tough and woody and are extracted by boiling in water for use in teas or in soups. Active ingredients are found in both the fruit bodies and mycelia of this species. Dried fruitbody and mycelial powders are slightly bitter in taste.

Known Active Constituents
Polysaccharide-K (PSK)
Polysaccharide-P (PSP)
Coriolan
Triterpenoids
Sterols

Purported Uses
Gastric cancer
Colorectal cancer
Cancer metastasis
Inhibition of HIV replication
Non-small cell lung cancer
Leukemia
Anti-bacterial
Anti-viral
High cholesterol

Medicinal Properties and Modes of Actions

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Turkey Tail is used to clear dampness, reduce phlegm, heal pulmonary disorders, strengthen the physique, increase energy and benefit people with chronic diseases (Yang & Yong, 1989, Ying et al., 1987). Chinese medical doctors consider it a useful treatment for infection and/or inflammation of the upper respiratory, urinary and digestive tracts. Turkey Tail is also regarded as curative to liver ailments (including hepatitis B and chronic active hepatitis) and is used to treat general weakness of the immune system (Ying et al., 1987)

Krestin (PSK), a proprietary anticancer drug approved in Japan, is extracted from the Turkey Tail mushroom and accounted for 25.2% of the total Japanese national expenditure for anticancer agents. Nakazato et al. (1994), reported that 262 gastric cancer patients treated with PSK as an adjunct to chemotherapy showed a decrease in cancer reoccurrence and a significant increase in disease-free survival rate. Kobayashi et al. (1995) reported that the protein-bound polysaccharide PSK reduced cancer metastasis. Sakagami et al. (1993) reported that PSK stimulated interleukin-1 and interferon production in human cells. Other researchers have reported that PSK appears to be a scavenger of free-radical oxidizing compounds. Unlike many conventional anticancer drugs, PSK produces few, if any, side effects and shows no immunosuppressive activity.

PSP, a water soluble, low-cytotoxic polysaccharidepeptide appears to induce cytokine production and T-cell proliferation. Collins and Ng (1997) based on an in vitro study proposed the use of PSP as an antiviral agent for the inhibition of HIV replication. In a controlled clinical trial of 485 cancer patients (211 control patients) with cancers of the esophagus, stomach and spleen; treatment with PSP in combination with radio- and chemo-therapies was investigated. In the PSP group, the side effects from the conventional therapies (pain, poor appetite, fatigue, weakness, dryness of throat and mouth) was significantly lessened and body weight, T-cell ratios, NK cell activity and IL-2 levels were significantly increased. PSP also raised the one year survival rate of esophageal cancer patients by 11% and significantly increased remission rates when compared with conventional chemotherapy treatments.

The medicinally active components of Turkey Tail are considered to be biological response modifiers which induce immune responses including the increased production of gamma interferon, interleukin-2 and T-cells. Reported adverse reactions to Turkey Tail are rare.

Selected Reference

Collins, R.A., and T.B. Ng. 1997. “Polysaccharides from Coriolus versicolor has potential for use against human immunodeficiency virus type I infection”. Life Sciences. 60(25):383-387.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=
Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=
9194694&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_DocSum

Nakazato, H., A Koike, S. Saji, N. Ogawa & J. Sakamoto, 1994. “Efficacy of immunotherapy as adjuvant treatment after curataive resection of gastric cancer”. The Lancet May7,343: 1122-1126.

Ng, T.B. 1998. “A Review of Research on the Protein-Bound Polysaccharide (Polysaccharopeptide, PSP) for the Mushroom Coriolus versicolor (Basidiomycetes: Polyporaceae)”. Gen. Pharmac. 30(1): 1-4.

Tsang, K. et al., 2003. “Coriolus versicolor polysaccharide perp

Tochikura et al. 1987. “A biological response modifier, PSK, inhibits immunodeficiency virus in-vitro”. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 148: 726-733.

Tsang, K. 20003. “Coriolus versicolor polysaccharide peptide slows progression of advanced non-small cell lung cancer”. Respir Med. 97:618-624.

Torisu, M., Y. Ishimitsu, T. Fujimora, K. Katano, H. Yamamoto, Y. Kimua, M. Takesue, M. Kondo, & K. Nomoto, 1990. “Significant prolongation of disease-free period gained by oral polysaccharide K (PSK) administration after curative surgical operation of colorectal cancer” Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy 31:261-268.

Tsukagoshi, S., Y. Hashimoto, G. Fujii, H. Kobayashi, K. Nomoto, & K. Orita, 1984. “Krestin (PSK).” Cancer Treatment Review 11:131-155.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=
Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6238674&dopt=Abstract

Yang, Q.Y., et al., 1993. “A new biological response modifier – PSP”. From Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products S. Chang et al. (eds.) Hong Kong. The Chinese University Press, 247-259.

Yang, Q.Y. & S. C. Jong, 1989. “Medicinal Mushrooms in China”. Mushroom Science XII (Part 1) 631-643. Proceedings of the Twelve International Congress on the Science and Cultivation of Edible Fungi. From K. Grabbe & O. Hilber (eds.). Braunschweig, Germany.

Ying, J. et al., 1987. Icons of Medicinal Fungi from China. Translated by C. Yuehan. Beijing: Science Press.

Alternative Names | Description | Known Active Constituents |
Purported Uses | Medicinal Properties and Modes of Actions |
Selected References

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