Compound or practice · Supplement
Turkey Tail
The best-evidenced medicinal mushroom — its PSK/PSP fractions are real cancer-immunotherapy adjuncts in Asia.
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
1 at grade B · 1 at grade C — 2 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Cancer survival (PSK adjuvant)Evidence grade B
Specific cancers, with chemo
Moderatemixed
- General immunityEvidence grade C
Weaker
Smalllow
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: General immunity (grade C).
- Studies disagree: Cancer survival (PSK adjuvant) (mixed agreement).
The evidence in words
What it is
Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) yields the polysaccharides PSK and PSP, used adjunctively in oncology.
How it works
PSK/PSP are beta-glucan-protein complexes that stimulate immune responses against tumor cells.
What the evidence shows
PSK is an approved adjuvant cancer therapy in Japan with survival data in some cancers alongside chemotherapy — genuinely notable for a mushroom. Over-the-counter turkey-tail supplements are less standardized. Not a standalone treatment.
How to use it
Standardized PSK/PSP under medical supervision in oncology contexts.
Safety & interactions
Generally well tolerated.
Bottom line
The mushroom with real clinical oncology data (as an adjuvant, in specific cancers). OTC products vary; use under care for cancer support.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- Standardized PSK/PSP under care.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- AstragalusA traditional immune tonic with adjunct-in-chemo and kidney-protection signals — thin standalone evidence.Evidence grade C
- ChagaAn antioxidant-rich fungus with essentially no human trials — and a real oxalate/kidney caution.Evidence grade D
- ReishiA calming medicinal mushroom with immune and sleep signals — better data as a cancer-care adjunct than as a daily tonic.Evidence grade C
- Turkey Tail for Cancer survival (PSK adjuvant)Evidence grade B — Specific cancers, with chemoEvidence grade B
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.