Turkey Tail

What Turkey Tail is

Turkey Tail fruits in overlapping fans on dead hardwood, banded in concentric rings of brown, tan, grey, and sometimes blue-green. The rings are what earned it the name. Its species name, versicolor, says the same thing.

It is thin, leathery, and completely inedible as a vegetable. Nobody has ever put this one in a pan.

Why it is a powder

Because it cannot be eaten whole, Turkey Tail has always been prepared by pulling its compounds out of the tissue. The traditional method is a long simmer into a tea. Milling the dried fruiting body into a fine powder is the modern version of the same idea, and it is the only practical way to take it daily.

The compounds

Turkey Tail is the polysaccharide species. Beta-glucans lead the list, and they sit in the cell walls of the fruiting body alongside other polysaccharides. It also carries triterpenes and antioxidant compounds.

Its polysaccharides are prebiotic, meaning they are the kind of fiber that feeds beneficial bacteria in the gut rather than being digested directly. That is the mechanism behind the gut-health support this species is usually taken for.

How to get it

We do not sell a single-species Turkey Tail powder. It is one of the seven mushrooms in our signature daily blend, ground from 100% fruiting bodies with no additives and no extracts.

Compounds it is known for

• Beta-glucans
• Prebiotic polysaccharides
• Triterpenes
• Antioxidants

What people take it for

• Supports the immune system
• Supports gut health
• Rich in beta-glucans and antioxidants

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.