After a series of tests, ultrasounds and CT scans, I was eventually diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This sucked. My pancreas was not working properly anymore, and they told me it was terminal. They said there was nothing they could do for me. I became pretty depressed and was ready just to give up. Then I thought, what the hell was wrong with me? Did my dad not teach me to use natural medicines and how to make them? When I was young and out in the forest with my dad, he would talk about different plants and mushrooms and how they could be used. One of the fungi he talked about more than all the others was turkey tail fungi and its ability to fight can. He talked about the benefits of this medicine every time we came across it. He had a deep respect for turkey tail fungi. Harvesting and creating the medicine gave me the drive to get better.
Turkey tail fungi can be found all through the year, but are more easily found and of higher quality during the cold months. You can find it on deciduous trees. It grows in profusion here on Vancouver Island, and it is a very pretty fungus. Dad had said it could stop any cancer, first you need to create a Turkey Tail Tincture. So I went on a hunt for it and found a big patch.
A dual extract tincture of this fungus is fairly easy to produce. First, you need to clean and dry them. I use a brush to remove all debris, then a dehydrator to dry them. After drying, I use a big blender to break the dried mushrooms into small bits and then a small coffee grinder to finish. Do not take it down to a powder, though, as this makes it hard to filter it. Grind it just so it’s in very small particles.
It can at this point be used for tea or cooked with food, but never take the powdered form without processing it by cooking or brewing in hot water.
From here on in, it is a fairly straightforward process. First, you will fill a mason jar about 1/2 full of the dried fungi, then add alcohol to fill the jar, use at least 100 proof, as this works well, or you can use an organic cane or grape alcohol. I use a 151-proof “Everclear Brand” alcohol, which is a grain alcohol. Let this sit for about 6 weeks, shaking it up often. I do this once a day, then, using a cheesecloth filter, strain the fluid out. I run it through the cheesecloth several times, then use a small basket strainer with a coffee filter in the basket until clear. I will go through quite a few filters to do this. Put the mash that was left in a pot of water and bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 3 hours, adding water as needed to get the same volume as the original strained fluid. Remove from heat and cool. Then filter this in the same process as the first batch. Filter until clear, mix with the first batch and place in a cool dark space.
Medicinal uses of turkey tail include the treatment of many kinds of internal organ infections. In China, turkey tail has been used as a preventive and curative agent for liver infections and liver cancer. In Japan, it is considered a panacea for a variety of cancers. Overall, the mycelium and fruiting body of the mushroom are considered to have immune-simulator and anti-carcinogenic activities. Clinical research with PSK began around 1970 and has focused on its immunotherapeutic efficacy in stomach, colorectal, esophageal, nasopharyngeal, lung, and breast cancers. In Japan, it has been approved as a pharmaceutical-grade medicine for cancer treatment and has been used for more than 30 years with consistent clinical efficacy. The average dose is 10 drops twice a day.
I was walking into the doctor’s office after being on this medicine for 3 months when I felt something funny in the area of my pancreas. It was like something came loose.
Soon, I began to feel better. After some more tests, it was determined that my pancreatic tube had had a blockage that came free. My blood sugars became normal. So, was it cancer? Or just a blockage? All I know is that a third of my pancreas has shrivelled up from whatever it was, and this would affect me later in life. But my health, for now, had returned, and life was good.