Turkey Tail Immune Response Approved for Research

Turkey Tail Immune Response Approved for Research

KENMORE, Wash.The NationalCenter for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a branch of theNational Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded Bastyr Universityin partnershipwith the University of Minnesotaa three-year grant to research turkey tailmushrooms effects on strengthening immune response to breast and prostatecancers.

The multi-project, two-site research grant will conductexploratory studies on the immune effects of the Trametesversicolor mushroom species, commonly known as turkeytail, in both breast and prostate cancers.Turkey tail grows in many parts ofAsia and old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest and has a long history ofmedicinal use in China and Japan. Laboratory and animal studies will exploremechanisms by which turkey tail mushroom extracts interact with different immuneresponse pathways involved in host defense against tumor cells. Studies willalso examine the safety of using turkey tail in women with breast cancer afterstandard cancer treatments. Data from this safety study will be used to designfuture clinical trials to test whether this mushroom can improve immune functionin breast cancer patients after completing conventional treatment.