Coriolus 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 Coriolus 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 Oriental medicine, Coriolus extract is used as a remedy for liver cancer and jaundice. [160] To modern medicine, the best researched medicinal compound from Coriolus is known as PSK. Under the brand name Krestin, PSK is used in Asia as a cancer drug. [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 Coriolus 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]

The compounds of Coriolus versicolor extract appear to work in two ways to combat cancer:

1) By a direct inhibitory effect on the proliferation of cancer cells.

2) By stimulating the activity of NK (Natural Killer) cells in the patient. [169, 170, 171] NK cells are an important part of the immune response to fight cancer.

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 is also a powerful antibiotic, specifically against Listeria monocytogenes, Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Cryptococcus neoformans and Staphylococcus aureus. [175, 176, 177, 178, 179]

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

In 1995, a study on rheumatoid arthritis and PSK reported normalization of immune function. [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 Coriolus 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]

Coriolus versicolor extracts also contain many antioxidant compounds, [184, 185, 186, 187] and may assist the recovery of the spleen after radiation. [189]

Finally, in the book Mycelium Running, Paul Stamets lists two additional areas of promising research on Coriolus 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. Never use any medicinal mushroom or herb without prior approval by medical doctor.

Credit: Thank you to Paul Stamets for source material.