Turkey Tail Mushrooms

A very knowledgeable friend of mine recently recommended Turkey Tail Mushrooms as an immune boosting supplement. My immediate, wise-ass response was, “You are making that up.” I couldn’t get past its absurd name. What next- eye of newt?

She started throwing around words like “well researched” and “National Institute of Health,” and the science-based clinician in me became interested.

A quick google search confirmed she was indeed, NOT making this sh*t up.  Apparently, medicinal mushrooms have been used in Asia for centuries, and as an adjunct to cancer treatment for the past 30 years. In 2012, the National Institute of Health published an article in the ISRN Oncology Journal about the influence of Turkey Tails on breast cancer patients stage I-III who had completed chemotherapy or radiation. Remarkably, the mushrooms strengthened immune function. (For a more thorough explanation, check out this article by HuffPost.) Even better, there were no adverse effects reported.

My Breastie Says is now on the Turkey Tail bandwagon, and excited to sell the same brand used in the NIH study (to purchase, click here.) Remember, this is used as an adjunct to traditional treatment, not in place of. And please check with your oncologist before adding anything new.