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Turkey Tail vs. Cancer, Shiitake for Gut Health, and Extraction Tips

Turkey Tail vs. Cancer, Shiitake for Gut Health, and Extraction Tips

Shannon Ratliff
December 20, 2024

IN TODAY’S EDITION

🎪 | Inside the first-ever Montreal Mushroom Festival
🕰️ | Reset circadian rhythms
🧪 | Mushroom extraction ratios explained

Hi Shroomer. This week’s stories are all about mushrooms’ lasting impact—from turkey tail’s cancer-fighting potential to soil biodiversity.

MONTREAL MUSHROOM FESTIVAL

This October, we joined Bala Yeruva and the team at the first-ever Montreal Mushroom Festival to witness their stunning vision come to life. The space was gorgeous, the crowd engaged, and the festival was a true celebration of fungi, connection, and community. I’m still thinking about the turkey tail centerpiece.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Breast cancer & immune support 🔬 Researchers discovered that turkey tail (Coriolus versicolor) extract can "reprogram" immune cells called macrophages to fight cancer instead of helping tumors grow. The extract also reduced the movement of harmful macrophages by up to 75%, cut down on damaging molecules (ROS), and boosted the immune system's ability to attack cancer.

Prostate health 🧬 Shiitake mushroom extract (Lentinus edodes) helped reduce prostate swelling in a study on testosterone-induced enlargement in rats. Over 21 days, it cut harmful oxidative markers in half, boosted protective antioxidants by 70%, and eased inflammation by normalizing key enzymes.

Your circadian rhythm ⏰ A compound in Cyclocybe cf. erebia mushrooms, called cyclocybelide, can reset the body's internal clock. In lab tests, this mushroom extract shifted circadian rhythms forward, offering a natural way to support better sleep cycles.

Repairing the brain 🧠 Beta-glucan from oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) boosted BDNF levels—key for learning, memory, and brain repair—by nearly 5x in obese rats at the highest dose (375 mg/kg).

Birch wound care 🪵 Fungi like Fusarium oxysporum can transform birch bark’s betulin into betulonic acid, making its healing properties easier to absorb—a natural boost for better wound care.

Loves your gut 👅 A new study on shiitake mushrooms revealed that their β-1,6-glucans improve immune function and increase beneficial gut bacteria.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

Bipolar disorder 🌀 Psilocybin use reduced depressive days and increased symptom-free days in people with bipolar disorder, with no rise in mania or psychosis. These findings suggest potential benefits, but controlled research is still needed.

End-of-life anxiety 🕊️ Psilocybin significantly reduced depression and anxiety in terminally ill patients, improving overall quality of life. This study showed it’s the most effective psychedelic for easing existential distress, with no major safety concerns, offering hope for compassionate end-of-life care.

Psilocin IV 💊 Beckley Psytech’s IV psilocin trial saw remarkable results. In just 10 minutes, depression scores dropped dramatically, with 4 out of 6 patients in full remission by the next day and lasting effects for 3 months.

Naropa’s Psychedelic Studies goes independent 🌿 Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies is now the Memoru Center for Visionary Healing Arts. This new entity will expand into psilocybin and ketamine clinical care, research, and advanced training programs, including end-of-life care and PTSD therapy while meeting state certification requirements.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

Microplastic cleanup 🗑️ Oyster mushrooms showed potential for degrading microplastics in rice paddy soil, reducing their weight by nearly 20% and causing visible scarring on their surfaces.

Water rescue 💧 Biochar from lion’s mane waste effectively removed 95% of phosphates and 100% of cadmium from polluted water. When enhanced with iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), the biochar effectively removed high levels of pollutants.

Soil health 🌱 Blewits (Lepista nuda) improved soil biodiversity in field trials, boosting bacterial richness and reducing harmful pathogens, which shows potential as a natural biofertilizer and biopesticide.

3D printing 🖨️ Chitosan from mushrooms enhanced the strength and flexibility of 3D-printed bioplastics, improving tensile strength by up to 242%. Unlike chitosan from crustaceans, it’s hypoallergenic and eco-friendly, offering a sustainable alternative material in medical, agricultural, and industrial applications.

Get the tea 🫖 Intercropping bamboo mushrooms (Dictyophora indusiata) with tea plants enhanced soil health, increasing organic matter, nitrogen, and potassium. Bacterial diversity, enzyme activity, and water retention also improved.

GROWING & GOURMET

Cordyceps & brown rice 🍚 Using brown rice as a substrate boosted Cordyceps militaris yields by 313%, making it a cost-effective and sustainable way to grow this medicinal mushroom.

Cocoa waste 🍫 Cocoa pod husks, a byproduct of cocoa production, were used to cultivate oyster mushrooms, yielding 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg) per 4.4 lbs (2 kg) of substrate.

Bioherbicides 🌱 Myrothecium verrucaria and Colletotrichum offer eco-friendly weed control by targeting specific plants without harming crops or the environment and show up to 95% weed suppression.

One giant puffball 🍄 Forager Alissimon Minnitt found an 11lb (5kg) puffball mushroom in Buckinghamshire, turning it into meals like meatloaf, steaks, and pizza for a week.

MUSHROOM SUPPLEMENTS 101

When starting a mushroom supplement routine, the most common question is, “Where do I start?” I covered extraction methods in this letter, but let’s talk about extraction ratios. Next week, I’m including what to look for when researching mushroom products.

📊 Extract Ratios
- What it means: A 10:1 extract means 10kg of mushrooms were used to make 1kg of concentrated product.
- Why it matters: Higher ratios = more concentrated, but quality and extraction methods are just as important as the numbers.
🔢 Blended Products
- What to know: A 1000mg seven-mushroom blend gives about 143mg of each species, assuming equal distribution.
- Pro tip: Blends can offer a variety of benefits, but single-species extracts are be better if you're targeting specific health goals. Check if ratios are listed for each mushroom to understand the concentration.
⚖️ Dosing
- Quick math: 500mg of a 10:1 extract = 5000mg (5g) of raw mushrooms.
- Formula: Extract weight × ratio = raw mushroom equivalent.