Mushrooms aren’t just a tasty food item anymore. While we can always find affordable edible mushrooms at the grocery store, the health food world is more interested in a different type of mushroom; medicinal mushrooms.
There are many different varieties of mushroom supplements available, but the most popular is the turkey tail. These mushrooms are commonly sold as a capsule, such as these turkey tail Mushroom capsules by VidaCap.
But what are the health benefits of turkey tail mushrooms? What are the real reasons and advantages of taking the mushroom as a supplement?
What Are Turkey Tail Mushrooms?
Understanding what turkey tail mushrooms are is critical to being able to comprehend its myriad of advantages.
Turkey tail mushrooms often develop on fallen trees and logs in forests. Their actual texture is woody, just like their referred habitat, primarily because they are polypore mushrooms.
Unlike more common gilled mushrooms, polypore mushrooms are made of a complex, fibrous substance and constitute a series of pores along the underside. Turkey tail mushrooms are unique in that they have a distinctive pattern of concentric rings with alternating colors.
This unique coloration gives it its name, as the ring pattern, combined with the outward growing circular nature of its appearance, makes it look like a turkey’s tail.
Turkey’s tails have been used throughout history, primarily in East Asia, as a medicinal curative to treat several different health conditions.
But what are the actual reasons to use turkey tail mushrooms? Is there any scientific data to support taking turkey tail mushrooms as a supplement?
The Primary Advantages of Turkey Tail Mushrooms
While plenty of health food supplements don’t hold muster once examined scientifically, turkey tail mushrooms are different. Many scientific journals show that these mushrooms have potential medicinal benefits.
The primary reasons for its use as a health supplement are its high concentration of polysaccharopeptides and polysaccharide krestin. These compounds have been shown to affect the immune system positively and improve overall bodily health.
However, most people use turkey tail mushrooms to try and help with a specific condition, many of which also have some great scientific data backing up its effectiveness.
Is It Easier to Manage Weight?
Trying to manage weight is never an easy task; lots of foods may taste great but aren’t healthy, and it is hard to get sufficient exercise.
Thanks to some preliminary studies, Turkey tail mushrooms have been shown to be rich in beta-glucans, a protein that affects how the body handles high-fat concentrations.
The presence of this protein could help to encourage good gut bacteria, which could then lead to a lower build-up of weight.
However, it’s important to note that we still need more research to determine if turkey tail mushrooms are truly effective as a fat suppressor.
Better Gut Health
Strongly linked to weight management is the development of healthy gut bacteria. While we are only beginning to understand how the gut works for its internal bacteria, we know that gut health is extremely important.
As the above study shows, turkey tail mushrooms could not only be used to help encourage a lack of fat development, but they could help to encourage strong gut bacteria as well.
The polysaccaropeptides within turkey tail mushrooms are probiotic, which encourages healthy bacteria balance within the gut.
Again, we are still learning about how useful this can be for us, but in the meantime, those struggling with encouraging good gut health might consider turkey tail mushrooms.
Final Thoughts on What Are the Advantages of Turkey Tail Mushrooms & Where to Get Them
The world of medicinal mushroom supplements is exciting, and it is really only just getting started.
While there are now different mushroom supplements available, it can sometimes be tricky to trust them.
However, new scientific studies are being conducted and published every day pointing towards the surprisingly efficacious benefits of medicinal supplements.
Furthermore, they are not only becoming cheaper over time but more available as well. Expect to find medicinal mushroom supplements for sale at basically every health food store, pharmacy, and even just regular supermarket.
While turkey tails aren’t some kind of magical cure-all, it does seem like they, alongside other types of medicinal mushrooms, could indeed be incredibly beneficial for all sorts of different conditions.