Identification
Thin leathery shelves with concentric color zones; white pore underside.
The clinical dossier
PSK (krestin) is an approved adjuvant cancer therapy in Japan, used alongside chemotherapy since the 1980s; PSP is the Chinese counterpart. This is the strongest human evidence base of any medicinal mushroom.
In practice
- True turkey tail: thin, flexible, white pores. False lookalikes (Stereum) are smooth underneath and not pored.
- Wild-harvested material varies; clinical products are standardized extracts.