Tremella

Tremella fuciformis · Snow fungus

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Subjective memory complaints^{1, 2} Short-term memory¹ Glycemic control in prediabetes³ Waist circumference³	Pregnancy⁴ Children⁴

Tremella (Tremella fuciformis, snow fungus) is an edible mushroom long used in traditional Chinese medicine, with polysaccharides as its main bioactive constituents^{5, 6}. Those polysaccharides are described as acting through immune modulation and antioxidant activity⁶. Supplementation is used for subjective memory complaints and for glycemic control in prediabetes.

Human research is limited to about four small trials, covering subjective memory complaints, prediabetes, and Helicobacter pylori infection. A 2023 trial of a fish roe, snow fungus, and yeast beverage in adults with subjective cognitive complaints reported faster memory-task responses. Tremella products are marketed mostly as powders, tablets, and capsules; see Form comparison.

Health Canada lists a practitioner consultation before use in pregnancy or breastfeeding on most licensed single-ingredient products⁷. United States product labels most often print a general physician-consultation line for pregnancy, nursing, or medication use⁴.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

22 sources, 14 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources