# Medicinal mushrooms: reishi, turkey tail, shiitake and others

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/medicinal-mushrooms-reishi-turkey-tail/  
OnCo record `medicinal-mushrooms-reishi-turkey-tail` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Reishi, turkey tail, shiitake, maitake and cordyceps extracts are rich in beta-glucans that stimulate natural killer cells in the laboratory and are sold as supplements to people with cancer. A 2016 Cochrane review found five small, poor-quality reishi trials and no evidence it treats cancer; the other species lack randomised efficacy trials, and rare liver toxicity is reported.

## Summary

Mushroom extracts rich in beta-glucans (Ganoderma lucidum or reishi, Trametes versicolor or turkey tail, Lentinula edodes or shiitake and its lentinan, Grifola frondosa or maitake, Cordyceps) increase NK cell and cytokine activity in vitro and in small human studies. A 2016 Cochrane review of Ganoderma lucidum found five small randomised trials of poor quality, no evidence that it should be used as a first-line treatment, and only weak signals for immune markers and quality of life when added to chemotherapy. Turkey tail extract was studied in a phase 1 trial in breast cancer survivors showing immune changes without clinical outcomes. Lentinan is used in Japan alongside chemotherapy with limited evidence. Standardised PSK, an approved Japanese drug, is a separate record. Reishi and other extracts can affect platelet function and liver enzymes; a few cases of hepatotoxicity are reported.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: phase-2
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: Fungal beta-glucans act on pattern-recognition receptors of innate immune cells; whether this translates into anti-tumour effect in patients is untested in adequate trials.
- Strengths: Consistent immunological activity in small studies; Generally well tolerated
- Limitations: Cochrane: no evidence to support reishi as cancer treatment; No randomised efficacy trials for most species; Unstandardised products; rare liver toxicity

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinal_fungi
- Cochrane: Ganoderma lucidum (reishi mushroom) for cancer treatment (2016): https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007731.pub3
- NCI PDQ: Medicinal mushrooms: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/mushrooms-pdq

## Connected records

- fronts: [Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle](https://onco.cc/fronts/nutrition-lifestyle/), [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms](https://onco.cc/technologies/dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions/), [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/), [PSK (Krestin) mushroom polysaccharide as adjuvant therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/psk-krestin-adjuvant/)
- bottlenecks: [Misinformation and unproven therapies](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/)
- key papers: [Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) for cancer treatment](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-jin-cochrane-database-syst-rev/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/medicinal-mushrooms-reishi-turkey-tail.json