Immune boosting Turkey Tail, Ginger and Turmeric Tea

Trametes Versicolour

Turkey tail mushrooms, identifiable by their layered, fan-shaped caps with concentric circles of various colours, are found on decaying wood. They have a tough texture, lack gills, and release spores through tiny pores on the cap's underside. True Turkey Tails will have a white underside with lots of tiny visible pores where as their lookalike, the false Turkey Tail, is more orangey brown underneath. These mushrooms are studied for potential health benefits, containing compounds like Polysaccharide Peptide (PSP) and beta-glucans. Believed to boost the immune system by contributing to immune modulation to enhance the body's defences against infections. Studies have shown that they can also potentially support some cancer treatments. Turkey tail mushrooms can be a great addition to your seasonal medicine cabinet. Below is a recipe for an immune boosting, warming, winter tea with turkey tail, ginger and turmeric.

Ingredients

1 tsp raw ginger, diced

4 Turkey tail mushrooms

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of ground black pepper

Optional

½ tsp raw honey

Method

Chop the Turkey tail mushrooms into small pieces, add two cups of water and bring to the boil in a pan.

Turn the heat down and leave it to simmer gently for 1.5 hours. Add diced raw ginger and allow to steep in the water for 10 minutes.

Remove steeped ginger and Turkey Tail by straining.

Stir in turmeric powder and black pepper.

Add raw honey to sweeten if desired.

Enjoy!