Trametes versicolor may well be the most common mushroom in the world. It grows on dead wood from the rain forest to the taiga.

When one considers Trametes competing against so many different fungi and bacteria in such diverse environments, its obvious that it must have a powerful immune system, with the potential for powerful medicinal compounds.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Trametes versicolor extract is used to treat liver cancer and some types of jaundice. [160] In modern medicine, the best known and most researched medicinal extract of Turkey Tail Mushroom is called PSK. It is used in Asia as an anti-cancer drug under the brand name Krestin. [188]

In the 1990′s, two Japanese studies including 486 patients reported increased survival when PSK was used as an adjunct to chemotherapy for gastric cancer. [161, 162, 163] Other studies have shown that PSK reduces metastasis and cancer recurrence. [161, 162, 164]

Two polysaccharides from Trametes known as CVP and SPCV have shown an inhibitory effect on leukemia. CVP was reported to reduce leukemia cell proliferation with no harm to healthy lymphocytes. [165, 166, 167, 168]

It appears that Trametes extract helps combat cancer in two ways:

1) Through directly inhibiting cancer cell proliferation.

2) Through stimulating Natural Killer (NK) cells in humans. [169, 170, 171] NK cells are a vital part of the human immune system’s cancer fighting arsenal.

PSK is used in Asia to treat cervical cancer in conjunction with standard radiation therapy, through which it has been shown to increase survival rate. [134] In a 2001 U.S. study at the New York Medical College, it was also shown to decrease tumor growth in hormone responsive prostate cancer. [172]

PSK has also been tested with promising results against colon, lung and breast cancer. [25, 173] It appears to have no effect on Sarcoma 180. [174]

PSK has also been proven as a potent antibiotic, in particular against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. [175, 176, 177, 178, 179]

Petri dish trials of a different compound (PSP) isolated from Trametes versicolor has even been shown to inhibit replication [180] and infection [181] of HIV. It has not yet been tested on live subjects.

A 1995 study on PSK reported a normalization of immune function in cases of chronic rheumatoid arthritis. [182]

Paul Stamets, in his book Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, says he’s aware of several individuals with Hepatitis C reporting symptom relief on a regimen of medicinal mushroom tea. In particular, he mentions a man with a swollen spleen and liver. Every day, he would drink a tea made from Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) and Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail Mushroom). The swelling disappeared after two weeks. His liver enzymes normalized as HVC was reduced from 1.3 million to 140,000. [183]

Trametes versicolor is also a rich source of antioxidants and has been reported to help the spleen recover from radiation therapy induced injury. [189]

Finally, in the book Mycelium Running, Paul Stamets lists two additional areas of promising research on Trametes versicolor: Kidney health and uterine cancer. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb (or mushroom) for medicinal purposes.

Credit to Paul Stamets for research and source material.

Dr. Markho Rafael currently focuses on researching and writing about medicinal fungi in partnership with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, an NC business offering Trametes extract and other medicinal fungi. For article references, please go to Trametes versicolor extract and click on any number indicating a reference.