Reishi vs Turkey Tail: Which Mushroom Fits Your Goal?

Reishi and turkey tail are both functional mushrooms rich in polysaccharides, but they lead in different areas. Turkey tail is the gut and immune mushroom: in a randomized trial in healthy volunteers, its polysaccharide PSP shifted the gut microbiome in a prebiotic way. Reishi is the calm mushroom, traditionally used to ease the mind and studied for antioxidant status in healthy adults. You can take reishi and turkey tail together, and our Forage contains both.

Key Takeaways

• Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) is best known for two protein-bound polysaccharides from different strains, PSP and PSK (Saleh et al., 2017).
• In 24 healthy volunteers, turkey tail PSP produced gut microbiome changes consistent with a prebiotic over 8 weeks (Pallav et al., 2014).
• In 100 healthy adults, 4 months of capsules combining turkey tail with the herb danshen raised T helper cell counts (Wong et al., 2004).
• Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is traditionally used to "ease the mind" (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2011), and in 42 healthy adults, 6 months of a reishi extract raised total antioxidant capacity (Chiu et al., 2017).
• You can take both. Our Forage has 200 mg of reishi and 150 mg of turkey tail extract per 2 capsules.

Reishi vs Turkey Tail at a Glance

	Reishi	Turkey tail
Latin name	Ganoderma lucidum (also called lingzhi)	Trametes versicolor (also Coriolus versicolor, yun zhi in China, kawaratake in Japan)
Key compounds	Polysaccharides and more than 100 triterpenes	Protein-bound polysaccharides PSP and PSK
Main focus of research	Antioxidant status, calm and sleep	Gut microbiome and immune system function
Best known human study in healthy people	42 adults, 6 months: antioxidant markers rose	24 volunteers, 8 weeks: prebiotic microbiome changes
Usual time of day	Evening, or in a morning blend	Any time

Turkey Tail: The Gut and Immune Mushroom

Turkey tail is the North American name for Trametes versicolor, known as yun zhi in China and kawaratake in Japan. Most of its research centers on two protein-bound polysaccharides from different strains of the mushroom: PSP, most used in China, and PSK, used in Japan. PSP is about 90% polysaccharide and PSK about 60%, with the rest peptide. In lab and animal research, PSP stimulated many types of immune cells, increasing their growth and their release of cytokines, the signaling proteins immune cells use to talk to each other (Saleh et al., 2017).

Gut microbiome support

A prebiotic is a compound that gut bacteria use as food, shifting the mix of microbes in the gut. In a randomized trial, 24 healthy volunteers took PSP, the antibiotic amoxicillin or nothing, and their stool was tracked over 8 weeks. PSP led to clear, consistent changes consistent with a prebiotic, while the antibiotic's changes were still there 42 days after it ended (Pallav et al., 2014).

Immune system function

In a placebo-controlled crossover trial, 100 healthy adults took capsules of turkey tail plus danshen, a Chinese herb, for 4 months. The capsules raised the number and percentage of T helper cells and the CD4 to CD8 ratio, and routine liver and kidney tests did not change (Wong et al., 2004). Because the capsules combined two ingredients, the trial cannot say how much came from turkey tail alone. Our turkey tail mushroom benefits guide and turkey tail ingredient page cover more.

Reishi: The Calm Mushroom

Reishi has been recognized as a medicinal mushroom for over 2,000 years in China, Japan and other Asian countries. It is a large, dark, glossy mushroom with a woody texture, and its main compounds are polysaccharides and more than 100 triterpenes, which make it bitter. China's official pharmacopoeia describes it as able to "ease the mind". In normal mice, a polysaccharide-rich reishi extract increased the activity of macrophages and natural killer cells, two kinds of immune cells (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2011).

Human studies in healthy adults have focused on antioxidant status:

• 18 healthy adults aged 22 to 52 took 1.44 g a day of reishi for 4 weeks in a double-blind crossover study. Antioxidant capacity in their urine rose, with no sign of liver, kidney or DNA toxicity (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2004).
• In a 6-month double-blind crossover trial, 42 healthy adults took 225 mg a day of a reishi extract enriched in triterpenes and polysaccharide peptides, and a placebo in turn. On reishi, total antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzyme activity rose (Chiu et al., 2017).

For sleep, reishi's research is in animals: in rats, 3 days of a reishi fruiting body extract increased total and non-REM sleep (Cui et al., 2012). See reishi mushroom benefits and reishi for sleep for more.

Reishi vs Turkey Tail for Immune System Function

Both mushrooms are studied for immune system function because both are rich in polysaccharides, but the research looks different:

What was studied	Reishi	Turkey tail
Immune cells in animals	More macrophage and natural killer cell activity in mice	PSP stimulated many immune cell types and their cytokine release
Healthy adults	Antioxidant markers rose over 4 weeks and 6 months	More T helper cells over 4 months (with danshen)
Gut	Not its main area	Prebiotic microbiome changes in 24 healthy volunteers

If your focus is the gut, turkey tail has the stronger human data. If you want a calmer baseline with antioxidant support, reishi is the better fit. Many people simply take both. Our guides to the gut-brain axis and maitake mushroom benefits, another polysaccharide mushroom, add context, and our immune system guide covers the everyday habits that support immune system function.

Taking Reishi and Turkey Tail Together

Yes, you can take reishi and turkey tail together. The studies above tested each mushroom on its own or in other combinations, so there is no measured result for this exact pair, but they cover different ground: turkey tail for the gut and immune system function, reishi for calm and antioxidant status. That is why both often sit in the same blend.

Most people tolerate both well. Healthy adults taking reishi for 4 weeks showed no sign of liver, kidney or DNA toxicity (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2004), and routine liver and kidney tests did not change over 4 months with the turkey tail capsules (Wong et al., 2004). Skip both if you have a mushroom allergy, and check with your clinician first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, are under medical care for a serious health issue or take prescription medicine.

Who Might Choose Which

Your main goal	A good fit
Gut microbiome support	Turkey tail
Immune system function	Turkey tail, or both in a blend
An evening wind-down	Reishi
Antioxidant support	Reishi
One simple daily routine	Both, in a measured daily blend

For how these compare with lion's mane, see our lion's mane vs reishi guide. For turkey tail next to lion's mane, our guide to lion's mane vs turkey tail compares what each mushroom is studied for. If you are choosing between turkey tail and chaga instead, our guide to chaga vs turkey tail sets the two side by side.

Where Our Forage Fits

Our Forage puts reishi and turkey tail in one capsule routine. Each 2-capsule serving has 200 mg each of reishi, lion's mane and cordyceps and 150 mg each of turkey tail, chaga, maitake and shiitake, all as 8:1 fruiting body extracts, plus 100 mg of Himalayan shilajit extract, 100 mg of ashwagandha root extract and ginger extract in vegan capsules. Take 2 capsules daily in the morning, with or without food. It is made with third-party tested ingredients.

If you would rather drink your mushrooms, our Mushroom Cacao is a mushroom hot chocolate with 500 mg each of lion's mane and cordyceps 8:1 fruiting body extracts per serving, 15 calories and 0 g sugar, in a 28-serving jar. Cocoa and cacao naturally contain a small amount of caffeine, so it is not caffeine free; its lift comes mainly from theobromine.

Benefits build with consistent daily use. Months 1 to 2 can bring early changes, and 3 months and beyond is where the full benefit builds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between reishi and turkey tail?

Turkey tail is the gut and immune mushroom, known for its polysaccharides PSP and PSK. Reishi is the calm mushroom, traditionally used to ease the mind and studied for antioxidant status.

Can you take reishi and turkey tail together?

Yes. They cover different ground, and many daily mushroom blends, including our Forage, contain both.

Reishi or turkey tail: which is better for immune support?

Turkey tail has more human data on immune markers and the gut, including a 4-month trial in 100 healthy adults. Reishi's immune research is mostly in animals, so many people take both.

Is turkey tail or reishi better for gut health?

Turkey tail. Its PSP produced prebiotic changes in the gut microbiome of healthy volunteers over 8 weeks.

What are the benefits of reishi vs turkey tail?

Turkey tail supports the gut microbiome and immune system function. Reishi supports a calm baseline and raised antioxidant markers in healthy adults.

Does turkey tail make you sleepy like reishi?

Turkey tail is not known for sleep. Reishi is the one traditionally used to ease the mind, and it increased sleep time in rats.

When should I take reishi and turkey tail?

Turkey tail fits any time of day. Many people take reishi in the evening, while a morning blend with both keeps things to one routine.

How long do reishi and turkey tail take to work?

The studies above ran from 4 weeks to 6 months of daily use, so plan on months of steady use rather than days.

Sources

• Pallav K, Dowd SE, Villafuerte J, Yang X, Kabbani T, Hansen J, Dennis M, Leffler DA, Newburg DS, Kelly CP. Effects of polysaccharopeptide from Trametes versicolor and amoxicillin on the gut microbiome of healthy volunteers: a randomized clinical trial. Gut Microbes, 2014. https://europepmc.org/article/MED/25006989
• Wong CK, Tse PS, Wong EL, Leung PC, Fung KP, Lam CW. Immunomodulatory effects of yun zhi and danshen capsules in health subjects: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. International Immunopharmacology, 2004. https://europepmc.org/article/MED/14996412
• Saleh MH, Rashedi I, Keating A. Immunomodulatory properties of Coriolus versicolor: the role of polysaccharopeptide. Frontiers in Immunology, 2017. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.01087/full
• Wachtel-Galor S, Yuen J, Buswell JA, Benzie IFF. Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi): a medicinal mushroom. In: Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects, 2nd edition, 2011. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/
• Wachtel-Galor S, Tomlinson B, Benzie IFF. Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. British Journal of Nutrition, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN20041039
• Chiu HF, Fu HY, Lu YY, Han YC, Shen YC, Venkatakrishnan K, Golovinskaia O, Wang CK. Triterpenoids and polysaccharide peptides-enriched Ganoderma lucidum: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of its antioxidation and hepatoprotective efficacy in healthy volunteers. Pharmaceutical Biology, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880209.2017.1288750
• Cui XY, Cui SY, Zhang J, et al. Extract of Ganoderma lucidum prolongs sleep time in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2012. https://europepmc.org/article/MED/22207209

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.