Main Health Benefit: Boosts immune system function 

Turkey tail improves immune function by stimulating cytokine production, increasing natural killer cells and other immune boosting function.

Any home cook or professional chef can tell you—Mushrooms come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some mushrooms grow in damp areas with the traditional stalk-and-cap style of fungus. Others only grow in dry areas and look more like rings of tree bark than squishy mushrooms.

The Coriolus mushroom resembles the latter. It is a crusty, thin, and hard type of fungus that can be found growing on the sides of hardwood trees. One of its many nicknames is Turkey Tail, thanks to its unique coloring and growing pattern. 

The next time you happen to take a walk through a well-wooded forest or park, keep an eye out for these mushrooms. They're incredibly common, which is excellent news for the medical community. While homeopathic practitioners and natural healers have been using Coriolus Versicolor fungus to treat disease for centuries, modern medicine is just now catching on.

These tree-friendly fungi might help fight the growth of tumors, as well as stimulate the immune system. Studies are ongoing, and only time will tell just how potent this ancient organism really is.

Other names: Trametes versicolor, Coriolus versicolor, Polyporus versicolor,  TYun Zhi (cloud fungus), Kawaratake (mushroom by the riverbank).

Location: Canada, UsA, Europe ...