• PSP and PSK

    Turkey Tail contains two important bioactive compounds: polysacharopeptide Krestin (PSK) and Polysaccharopeptide (PSP). Both compounds are polysaccharides that are bound up in the cell walls of the mushroom.

  • The Effects

    PSP and PSK are reported to improve appetite, gut health, calm the central nervous system, have anti-tumor properties, stimulate immune response, mitigate oxidative damage, and reduce the negative side effects of cancer treatments.

  • Why fruit body matters

    Of the total PSP and PSK isolated from Turkey Tail, most is concentrated in the fruit body as opposed to the mycelium.

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The Effects of PSP and PSK

The physiological effects of PSP and PSK are broad ranging, but the one that stands out the most is it's immunomodulatory capacity. Immunomodulators change your immune system so it works more effectively. PSP and PSK do this by stimulating the production of cytokines, inflammatory inhibitors, immune cells, and the expression of genes associated with critical and fundamental immune function.

Alongside these immune-boosting effects, PSP and PSK have been seen to act as antioxidants by triggering the production of enzymes that scavenge the body for free radicals, thus reducing oxidative damage. PSP and PSK both demonstrated their ability to improve liver function, appetite, and calm the central nervous system.

A focus on cancer

A function of the immune system is to deal with cancer, and when it's compromised, the fight against cancer becomes lopsided. Both PSP and PSK have shown promise as a cancer treatment, directly and adjunctly with traditional treatments. In vitro studies suggest that PSP can halt the production of Leukemia cells by interrupting the cell cycle, prevent breast cancer cells from synthesizing through inhibiting the DNA synthesis in cancer cell lines, and slow the progression of certain kinds of tumor. PSP has also been found to enhance the transcription of the tumor necrosis factor gene in mouse macrophages, which are immune cells that recognize, engulf, and destroy infecting or damaged cells. Evidence suggests that both compounds are non-toxic, even when taken far beyond traditional dosage recommendations.

The Future of Cancer

The understanding of disease and how to treat is going through a renaissance. Recent theories on cancer as a metabolic disease are of particular interest, as they look at the existence of the cancer cell from the perspective of evolution.

The cells in our body all cooperate with one another - they tend to act for the benefit of the ‘greater good,’ or the body. According to these new theories, stress (bad diet, smoking, etc.), may cause healthy cells to revert back to a pre-cooperative state. This means they are no longer acting in the benefit of the whole and instead act only for the benefit of the individual cell. This results in individual cells replicating as much as possible, even if doing so harms the body. When one cell replicates itself without any checks or balances, a tumor is formed.

If PSP and PSK can reduce the effects of these stresses by strengthening the innate and adaptive immune system without any notable side effects, then they may be a significant player in the treatment of cancer and other diseases as our understanding evolves.

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