Fresh Reishi or Turkey Tail Tea Directions

First, shred or cut your mushroom pieces into roughly 1/4 inch (5mm) strips or chunks. They'll be corky and tough, in places, so a heavy-bladed knife, cleaver or rocking herb cutter will be beneficial. Using a mason jar or coffee press, steep your Reishi or Turkey Tail pieces in boiled, hot water for at least an hour, and store your mushroom pieces in their extract in the refrigerator for up to a week. When you pour out a cup, re-boil your mushrooms in their extract (microwaving a mason jar is quick and easy) and top up with boiled water another three times, to make sure you extract as much of the compounds you're after as possible. Around 1 1/2 ounces/forty grams of fresh Reishi or Turkey Tail will make around one litre (four cups) of extract. With three top-ups, you'll get a seven day supply! The effective dose will naturally vary around 3.5g per cup of extract of dried mushroom weight, which is an average dose for an adult (for both Reishi and Turkey Tail). Some people are more or less sensitive to Reishi. If you find the standard dose profoundly effective, try halving the amount for future use and see if the effects are still noticable - you may be more sensitive. If you find it's not working for you, do not increase the dose, but instead consider trying a different Reishi variety, such as Purple Reishi, which contains a different suite of compounds with a similar entourage effect that might suit you better.

If you are using Reishi or Turkey Tail that has been dehydrated (an excellent way to preserve your mushroom for up to a year!), divide the fresh weight by roughly two, i.e. use only 20g dried per litre of boiling water.

Whole, Red Reishi/Lingzhi, ready for chopping.

Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) growing on Birch log, ready to harvest.

Reishi comes in several varieties, with some distinction being made in Traditional Chinese Medicine ("TCM") and Japanese historical usage (Kanpo). The most widely-known and scientifically-studied form is technically considered Red Reishi (Lingzhi), but in modern usage, Turkey Tail (Yunzhi in TCM) is considered 'Blue Reishi'. In addition, we're cultivating other Ganoderma species and traditional medicinal mushrooms, such as Zizhi/Purple Reishi, Black Reishi, White Reishi (Agarikon), Hemlock Reishi and Shu She Lingzhi, which contain different suites of compounds with different health treatment applications. We're still researching how to add Yellow Reishi (Sanghuangporus sanghuang) to our lineup, as it's best grown on Mulberry trees, but we'll keep you posted!