Turkey Tails

TRAMETES VERSICOLOR

Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) is native to Europe, Asia and North America. Turkey Tails have long been used to support immune health, in Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as Native American herbalism.* Turkey Tail grows naturally in many types of forests, although it is primarily found throughout mixed hardwood deciduous forests. This mushroom is abundant and edible, but it’s not particularly delicious or palatable. (They can be quite tough.) It is often found growing in clusters on fallen branches and logs throughout the forest floor. A mushroom goes through many stages during its life cycle, just like any plant or animal. Each part of a mushroom has unique attributes that support wellness and serve a different purpose for the organism, but it’s the fruiting bodies that receive the most attention and are the most familiar. Fruiting bodies emerge from the substrate on which they grow — such as trees or fallen logs — to become the part of the mushroom we recognize. They’re the above-ground part that we can see when we walk through the woods, and they’re also what have been traditionally foraged and consumed, in food and supplements.