Have you ever wondered about turkey tail mushroom side effects? If the answer is yes, this article is for you. Keep reading this article to learn many side effects of turkey tail mushrooms.
What is turkey tail mushroom side effects?
Contents
Among thousands of mushroom varieties, the Turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor ) is an edible, rich with nutritious and medicinal mushroom. They grow on fallen woods and trunks and are distributed worldwide. It is a multi-colored mushroom with a fan-shaped fruiting body. It has whitish, thick, leathery flesh. If you like to read more about turkey tail mushroom identification and other related information read our article on Turkey Tail Mushroom | A Comprehensive Note |
When comparing the other types of medicinal mushrooms, the Turkey tail mushroom has both good and bad characteristics. But there are a lot of medicinal advantages consisting of turkey tail mushrooms. But when consuming it you should be aware of its side effects too.
The side effects of Turkey tail mushroom are: Allergy reactions, Nausea, Vomiting, Leukopenia (low white blood count), Liver impairment, constipation, heartburn, cold and flu-like symptoms, darkened nail pigmentation, and diarrhea
Allergy
When considering all mushroom types, the main side effect of these mushrooms is allergy reactions. The reasons for allergic reactions occur due to mushrooms:
- Inhalation of spores
- contact mushrooms with the skin
- Ingestion of the mushrooms (consume)
Allergies for mushrooms can occur at any age. The reasons for allergies are when someone consumes mushrooms, our body identifies them as toxic substances. They also produce IgE antibodies against the mushrooms. Therefore a protein called histamine is released into the body and histamine causes an allergic reaction.
The symptoms of allergy reactions are;
The mild allergy reactions. Angioedema (swelling of the lips, mouth, and all the skin) Swelling of the throat, Skin rashes, Nausea, Vomiting Diarrhea, Stomach, cramping or bloating, Wheezing reactions, Runny nose, watery eyes
The severe allergy reactions: Low blood pressure, Shortness of breath, Fainting
The above side effects may occur after using cooked mushrooms, mushroom extracts like powders capsules, and Turkey tail mushroom tea. Turkey tail mushrooms are not edible raw and are not recommended as raw. Those side effects are not common among healthy persons. But you should consider the dosage that you consume. According to some research, the best effective Turkey tail mushroom dosage is 2000mg mushroom powder per day.
Can you take turkey tail daily?
Yes, you can take Turkey tail mushrooms daily. But there is a recommended dosage to take them. The dosage is 2000mg of mushroom powder per day.
How long does it take for a turkey tail mushroom to work?
Turkey tail mushrooms have a lot of health benefits. The dosage depends on the consumer’s health status and requirements. The dosage amount varies from mushroom prepared type. When considering cooked Turkey tail mushroom samples and powdered mushroom samples, they have different dosages. Therefore it’s better to get advice from a health care professional before taking Turkey tail mushrooms.
According to your body’s metabolism, biology, and digestion rate, the absorption time of mushroom and action time of Turkey tail may vary from six to eight hours.
For long-term purposes of Turkey tail consumption:
When you consume Turkey tail for the first time, it should take daily for three weeks. And it can give you better health benefits. The dosage of powdered mushrooms is 2000 mg per day. Mushroom extraction is the most famous preparation and consumption type of Turkey tails because it’s inedible as raw. Considering the uses of mushroom extracts, this can be advantageous to calculate its dosage and easy to prepare with tea or coffee.
The Turkey tail mushrooms can be prepared as
- The whole mushroom is cooked in various recipes such as soups, fried mushrooms etc.
- Can be used with tea and coffee or it also can add to your meals.
- The mushroom extract can be prepared as capsules and can be consumed directly.
What are the health benefits of turkey tail?
Turkey tail mushrooms were used for many years as medicinal mushrooms in eastern medicine, especially in Chinese medicine. This mushroom is famous for its immune-boosting property but it’s not the one and only benefit there are several other benefits of Turkey tails.
When considering the immune-boosting property of Turkey’s tails, it consists of numerous chemical compounds. They are:
- Antioxidants
- Immune boosting polysaccharopeptide (protein-bound polysaccharide)
- Prebiotics
- Krestin
- Phenols and phenolic compounds
- The health benefits of Turkey tail are:
- Immune boosting
- Enhancing the treatments for cancers
- Improving the immune functioning for cancers
- Enhance the gut health
- Act as an anti-inflammatory
- Antibacterial properties
- Good for heart health
Immune boosting
The immune system is your protecting agent. The antioxidants and polysaccharopeptide are Immune boosting compounds that consist of Turkey tail mushrooms. Various types of flavonoids and phenol which consist in Turkey tail are examples of antioxidants.
Antioxidants reduce the free radicals in the body. Free radicals lead the way for inflammatory actions and cell damage. Antioxidants act a role to reduce the free radicals in the body and this can increase the oxidative stress in the body. By reducing oxidative stress, Turkey’s tail can support the immune system. This leads the body to enhance immunity. Other immune-boosting compounds are polysaccharopeptide and Krestin. Polysaccharopeptide is a polysaccharide that binds with a protein.
Krestin is a glycan that binds a protein. Both compounds can activate immune cells as well as inhibit specific immune cells. Polysaccharopeptide can increase the monocyte (a type of white blood cell) cell amount and it is supported to boost the immune system. Krestin can compete with some chemical substances and can boost immunity. Also, Krestin can activate macrophages (a type of white blood cell) too.
Enhancing the treatments for cancers
When cancer patients have treated with chemotherapy with Turkey tail mushroom supplements, is the best medication to enhance the activity of cancer treatments. Polysaccharopeptide plays an important role in this enhancing process.
Turkey’s tail is mainly used to treat breast cancers, and gut and colon cancers. According to some studies, a daily intake of 1 – 3.6g of Turkey tail powder with chemotherapy can increase the survival percentage. Daily intake of 6 -9 g of Turkey tail powder with chemotherapy is best for breast cancers. Turkey tail mushrooms increase the white blood cells and other cancer-fighting cells to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatments.
Improving the immune functioning for cancers
Turkey tail mushrooms have antitumor properties due to polysaccharopeptide, glucan, beta-glucan, and inonotus oxides-like compounds. These compounds act to inhibit the growth of tumors and inhibit the spreading of cancer cells in the colon.
Enhance the gut health
Turkey tail mushrooms have prebiotics as a compound. This prebiotics can enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. This prebiotics also reduces some harmful bacteria types like Staphylococcus and Clostridium.
Act as an anti-inflammatory
Glucans which are bound with proteins in Turkey tail mushrooms play a major role as anti-inflammatory medicine. The flavonoids, phenols like antioxidants which consist in Turkey tail, also help to reduce inflammations.
Antibacterial properties
Turkey tail mushrooms have antibacterial properties and this property is useful, especially for Salmonella enterica and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. These antibacterial compounds are organic and aromatic compounds and activated against both Gram-negative and positive bacteria. Quinone, flavonoids, and antimicrobial peptides are antibacterial compounds in Turkey’s tails.
Good for heart health
The antioxidants reduce the free radicals in the body and it reduces oxidative stress in cells. This helps to keep your heart healthy. Turkey’s tails also consist of compounds that have hypolipidemic activity and it helps to reduce lipids in the blood. This fact guides the body to reduce obesity.
Not only for the above health benefits but there are also some benefits like anti-diabetic properties, ACE inhibitory activity, Cardiovascular benefits, immunomodulating, hepatoprotective activity, and detoxifying properties.
Is turkey tail good for pregnant women?
Studies for use of Turkey tail for pregnant women can not be found. Anyway, raw or cooked Turkey tail mushrooms are not recommended for consumption during pregnancy. If someone who is pregnant wishes to consume Turkey tails, they should get advice from a doctor.
Read Next : Clathrus Ruber | Unreal Red Cage Mushroom |
