Medicinal mushrooms: reishi, turkey tail, shiitake and others
Reishi, turkey tail, shiitake, maitake and cordyceps supplements are widely sold to people with cancer. They stimulate immune cells in the laboratory, but a Cochrane review found no good evidence that reishi treats cancer, and human trials of the others are small and uncontrolled.
Overview
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.
How it works
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.
- Consistent immunological activity in small studies
- Generally well tolerated
- Cochrane: no evidence to support reishi as cancer treatment
- No randomised efficacy trials for most species
- Unstandardised products; rare liver toxicity
Latest papers
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