John Miller
Turkey tail mushrooms, also known as Trametes versicolor or Coriolus versicolor, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat lung diseases. In Japan, it is called kawaratake, or roof tile fungus. Turkey tail mushrooms have been used as an additional treatment for cancer patients in Japan and other Asian countries for a long time. Polysaccharide-K (PSK), also known as krestin, is a proprietary formulation derived from turkey tail mushrooms and used for cancer treatment in Japan. PSK is produced using a hot-water extraction method and has been safely used in Japan for many years with few reported side effects.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common name | Turkey tail |
| Scientific name | Trametes versicolor or Coriolus versicolor |
| Traditional Chinese medicine name | Yun Zhi |
| Japanese name | Kawaratake (roof tile fungus) |
| Japanese use | To strengthen the immune system when given with standard cancer treatment |
| Active compound | Polysaccharide K (PSK) or Krestin |
| PSK production method | Hot-water extraction |
| PSK safety | Well-established safety record in Japan with few adverse events reported |
| PSK use | Used as an adjunctive cancer treatment in thousands of patients since the mid-1970s |
| PSK benefits | Improved 5-year disease-free survival and survival rates in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers |
| PSK research | Bastyr University researchers are studying the effects of turkey tail mushroom extract on cancer patients' immune systems |
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What You'll Learn
Turkey tail mushrooms are used to make PSK
Turkey tail mushrooms, also known as Trametes versicolor or Coriolus versicolor, are named for their colourful stripes that resemble the tail feathers of a turkey. They are widely found growing on dead logs and trees around the world. In traditional Chinese medicine, they are known as Yun Zhi and have been used for centuries to treat lung diseases. In Japan, they are called kawaratake, or roof tile fungus, and have been used alongside standard cancer treatment to strengthen the immune system.
Turkey tail mushrooms have been the focus of a $5.4 million collaboration between Bastyr University, the University of Washington, and others, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The research aims to determine the potential of turkey tail mushrooms in boosting the immune systems of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Turkey tail has been used as an additional cancer treatment in Japan and other Asian countries for many years, and PSK has been safely used with few reported side effects.
PSK has been studied for its effects on the immune system, including immune cells called natural killer cells and T-cells. It has been used as an adjuvant therapy in cancer patients since the mid-1970s, particularly in those with gastric, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer. PSK appears to improve survival rates in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers and may also benefit those with oesophageal cancer. It has been shown to repair immune cell damage caused by chemotherapy and strengthen the immune system.
In summary, turkey tail mushrooms are an important source of PSK, a compound with significant potential in cancer treatment. The mushrooms have been used traditionally in China and Japan, and modern research is now exploring their medicinal properties and potential applications in immunotherapy and cancer treatment.
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Hot water extraction methods are used
Turkey tail mushrooms, or Trametes versicolor, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat lung diseases. In Japan, it is known as kawaratake, or roof tile fungus. Polysaccharide-K (PSK), also known as krestin, is the best-known active compound in turkey tail mushrooms and has been used as an adjunctive cancer treatment in Japan for over 30 years.
The multi-step hot water extraction process involves creating a purified hot water extract from the cultivated fungal mycelium. This process delivers the same concentration of immune-supporting polysaccharides as the PSK tested in Japanese research. As these compounds are difficult to extract and can be easily degraded with excessive heat, NMR and linkage analysis are used to ensure product quality.
The pharmaceutical company that first manufactured PSK for the Japanese market preferred to extract PSK from mycelium grown through liquid fermentation, also known as submerged culture. This was because they already owned the necessary equipment, such as stainless steel fermenters or bio-reactors. They are able to grow a batch of mycelium in 48-72 hours, quickly producing the raw material. In contrast, it can take up to 4-5 months to grow a crop of Coriolus versicolor mushrooms on wood.
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PSK has been used in Japan for over 30 years
PSK, or Polysaccharide-K, is a proprietary formulation from the Kureha Corporation, derived from the Coriolus versicolor mushroom, also known as Trametes versicolor, Turkey Tail, or Yun Zhi in traditional Chinese medicine. In Japan, it is known as Kawaratake, or the roof tile fungus.
Turkey Tail mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, and in Japan, they have been used for over 30 years to strengthen the immune system when given with standard cancer treatment. Turkey Tail is one of the most researched mushrooms in the world, valued for its powerful immune-supporting properties.
PSK is the best-known active compound in Turkey Tail mushrooms, and it has been used as an adjunctive cancer treatment in thousands of patients since the mid-1970s. It has been safely used in Japan for a long time, and few side effects have been reported. PSK is produced using a hot-water extraction method, and it is an approved mushroom product used for cancer treatment in Japan.
Studies have shown that PSK can help repair immune cell damage caused by chemotherapy and strengthen the immune system. For example, a 2007 meta-analysis included 8,009 patients from eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adjuvant PSK in patients after curative resection of gastric cancers. The analysis found that PSK improved both the 5-year DFS rate (70.7% vs. 59.4%; P = .047) and 5-year survival rate (73.0% vs. 60.0%; P = .044) compared to the standard treatment group.
In addition to its use in cancer treatment, PSK has also been studied for its potential benefits in other areas. For instance, PSK induces apoptosis in leukemia cells and has analgesic activity without producing adverse effects on female reproductive or embryonic development in mice.
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PSK is used as an adjuvant therapy
PSK, or polysaccharide-K, is a protein-bound polysaccharide derived from the CM-101 strain of the fungus Coriolus versicolor, also known as turkey tail mushroom. It has been used as a chemoimmunotherapy agent in the treatment of cancer in Asia, particularly in Japan, for over 30 years. Turkey tail mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a tonic for thousands of years.
PSK is produced in Japan using a hot-water extraction method. It has been studied in patients with various types of cancer, including gastric, breast, colorectal, lung, and esophageal cancer. It has been used as adjuvant therapy alongside chemotherapy and radiation therapy in thousands of cancer patients since the mid-1970s.
Several clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of PSK as an adjuvant therapy. For example, in a randomized clinical trial in Japan from 1978 to 1981, 751 patients who had surgery for gastric cancer received chemotherapy with or without PSK. The patients who received chemotherapy along with PSK lived longer than those who only received chemotherapy. Another study of patients with stage II or III rectal cancer found that PSK increased the number of cancer-killing immune cells and had anticancer effects when used with radiation therapy.
PSK has been shown to have several benefits as an adjuvant therapy. It can help repair immune cell damage caused by chemotherapy, strengthen the immune system, and improve overall survival rates, particularly in patients with advanced lymph node metastasis. Additionally, PSK has antioxidant properties, which may help protect healthy tissue during chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It may also inhibit carcinogenesis by inhibiting the action of various carcinogens, potentially preventing second primary tumors.
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PSK is known to have few side effects
Turkey tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for many years to treat pulmonary diseases. Turkey tail mushrooms are used to make a purified hot water extract in Japan, which is used for its immunomodulatory effects as an adjuvant treatment for cancer. Polysaccharide-K (PSK) or krestin, is an approved mushroom product used for cancer treatment in Japan. PSK is a proprietary formulation from the Kureha Corporation.
PSK has been used as an adjunctive cancer treatment in thousands of patients since the mid-1970s. The safety record for PSK is well-established in Japan, with few adverse events reported. PSK has been safely used in people for a long time in Japan, and few side effects have been reported. In fact, PSK has been studied in patients with gastric cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. It has been used as adjuvant therapy in thousands of cancer patients since the mid-1970s.
In 1994, a study in Japan followed 262 patients who had successful surgery for gastric cancer and were given chemotherapy with or without PSK. Patients who received chemotherapy and PSK were less likely to have recurrent cancer and lived longer than those who did not. Treatment with PSK caused few side effects. The researchers thought that PSK and chemotherapy should be given to gastric cancer patients after surgery to remove the cancer.
However, it is important to note that some people who are receiving chemotherapy and PSK have reported nausea, vomiting, low white blood cell counts, and liver problems. But it is unclear if these side effects are due to chemotherapy or PSK. Turkey tail mushroom is likely safe for most healthy adults when taken by mouth. However, there isn't enough information to determine its safety when used in the vagina, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushroom PSK, or Polysaccharide K, is a proprietary formulation from the Kureha Corporation. It is the best-known active compound in turkey tail mushrooms and is used as an approved cancer treatment in Japan.
Mushroom PSK is made in Japan using a hot-water extraction method. The pharmaceutical company that first manufactured PSK for the Japanese market used liquid fermentation to extract PSK from mycelium.
Mushroom PSK is used as an adjuvant therapy in cancer patients, having been studied in patients with gastric, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer. It has been used in thousands of patients since the mid-1970s and has been found to have few side effects.
