Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a treasure of the Chinese nation. In the process of promoting the health culture of TCM, the Zhaoqing City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital has been actively involved!
The health science popularization column “Essence of Materia Medica” is presented by several herbalists from the hospital, using simple and understandable language to popularize knowledge about TCM health preservation and wellness, allowing the public to correctly understand TCM and integrate the TCM concept of “preventing disease before it occurs” into daily life, creating a good atmosphere of “trusting TCM, using TCM, and loving TCM”.
▲ Image of Poria Cocos
Poria Cocos (Fu Ling) is a commonly used medicinal and edible material, derived from the dried sclerotium of the fungus Poria cocos. It was first recorded in the “Shennong Bencao Jing” and classified as a superior herb. The wild variety is primarily found in Yunnan, known as “Yun Ling”. It is harvested mainly from July to September, after which it is cleaned of dirt, piled for “sweating”, and then spread out to dry until the surface is dry, followed by repeated “sweating” until it shows wrinkles and most of the internal moisture is lost, then it is air-dried, referred to as “Fu Ling Ge”; or the fresh Poria is cut into different parts and dried, referred to as “Fu Ling Kuai” and “Fu Ling Pian”. It is mainly produced in Yunnan, Anhui, and Hubei provinces.
Poria Cocos is neutral in nature, sweet and bland in flavor, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen, resolving dampness, and calming the mind. It is not only widely used in clinical practice but is also popular in dietary therapy, often used in soups, congee, and ground into powder for various pastries, with the Beijing-style Poria cakes being particularly notable.
Identification of Materia Medica
Fu Ling Ge is spherical, oval, flat, or irregular in shape, varying in size. The outer skin is thin and rough, brown to dark brown, with distinct wrinkled textures. It is heavy, firm in texture, with a granular fracture surface, some having cracks, the outer layer being light brown, the inside white, with a few being light red, and some containing pine roots. It has a faint aroma, a bland taste, and is sticky when chewed.
Fu Ling Kuai is made from peeled Fu Ling, cut into cubic or thick square pieces, varying in size. It is white, light red, or light brown.
Fu Ling Pian is made from peeled Fu Ling, cut into irregular thick slices, varying in thickness. It is white, light red, or light brown.
The best quality is characterized by being heavy, with a fine white fracture surface, and sticky when chewed.
▲ Image of Fu Ling Kuai
Classical Textual Records
1. “Bencao Jing”: “It is used for chest and flank counterflow qi, worry, anger, fright, palpitations, pain below the heart, cold and heat vexation, cough, dry mouth and tongue, and promotes urination. Long-term use calms the soul and nourishes the spirit, prolonging life without hunger.”
2. “Bielu”: “Stops thirst, promotes sleep, treats abdominal distension, resolves phlegm and water in the diaphragm, and edema. Opens the chest, regulates organ qi, eliminates kidney evil, nourishes yin, boosts energy, and protects the spirit.”
3. “Yaoxing Lun”: “Opens the appetite, stops vomiting, calms the mind, treats lung phlegm obstruction, and alleviates abdominal distension and fullness, as well as women’s heat-related urinary issues.”
4. “Rihua Zi”: “Nourishes the five labors and seven injuries, calms the fetus, warms the lower back and knees, opens the mind, and stops forgetfulness.”
5. “Shanghan Minglilun”: “Promotes diuresis and strengthens the spleen.”
6. “Zhenzhu Nang”: “Resolves dampness, stops thirst, and eliminates kidney evil. If urination is frequent, it can stop it; if it is scanty, it can promote it.”
▲ Image of Fu Ling Pian
Effects and Applications
This product is sweet, bland, and neutral. It enters the heart, lung, spleen, and kidney meridians. It promotes diuresis, resolves dampness, and calms the mind. It is used for edema, reduced urination, phlegm and dizziness, spleen deficiency with poor appetite, loose stools, and anxiety with insomnia.
Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Poria Cocos has diuretic, antibacterial, ulcer-preventing, immune-enhancing, anti-tumor, blood sugar-lowering, and liver-protective effects.
Accompanying Formulas
1. For frequent urination: Bai Fu Ling (white Poria, peeled), Gan Shan Yao (dried yam, peeled, soaked in alum water, and dried over low heat). Mix these two ingredients in equal parts into a fine powder. Take with thin rice gruel.
2. For edema: Bai Zhu (Atractylodes macrocephala, cleaned) 2 qian, Fu Ling 3 qian, Yu Li Ren (Prunus persica seed, crushed) 1.5 qian. Add ginger juice and decoct.
3. For sudden vomiting, chest fullness, water in the diaphragm, and dizziness: Ban Xia (Pinellia ternata) 1 sheng, fresh ginger 0.5 jin, Fu Ling 3 liang (or 4 liang for one method). Combine these three ingredients with 7 sheng of water, boil down to 1.5 sheng, and take warm.
4. For skin issues: Mix white honey with Fu Ling and apply, leave for seven days.
5. For head wind and dizziness, warming the lower back and knees, and treating the five labors and seven injuries: Mix Fu Ling powder with rice wine.
6. For heart deficiency and nocturnal emissions, or white discharge: Take 2 qian of Bai Fu Ling powder. Mix with rice soup and take twice daily.
Medicinal CuisineCitizens may try making delicious dishes at home using this medicinal material.
Fu Ling Chicken Soup
Ingredients: 500g chicken, 20g Poria, 20g fried white lentils, three slices of ginger.
Method: Clean the chicken and cut into small pieces; soak Poria and fried white lentils for half an hour; place all ingredients in a pot, add appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes, and season with salt.
Effects: Tonifies qi, strengthens the spleen, and dispels dampness. Used for spleen deficiency with poor appetite, loose stools, etc.
Fu Ling Soy Milk
Ingredients: 15g Poria, 15g yam slices, 100g soybeans.
Method: Soak soybeans, Poria, and yam slices separately; cut Poria and yam into small pieces, then place these ingredients with an appropriate amount of water in a soy milk maker, and start the soy milk program. Sugar can be added to taste.
Effects: Strengthens the spleen and resolves dampness. Suitable for spleen deficiency syndrome. For those with spleen deficiency, drinking soy milk can easily cause abdominal distension and loose stools; adding Poria and yam slices can alleviate this issue.
Four Gentlemen Steamed Meat Cake
Ingredients: 12g Poria, 15g Codonopsis, 12g Atractylodes macrocephala, 5g Licorice, 200g lean meat.
Method: Grind the Four Gentlemen herbs into fine powder in the above proportions. Mince the lean meat and mix with appropriate salt, oil, soy sauce, a little Four Gentlemen powder, and starch, then steam for 8-10 minutes.
Effects: Strengthens the spleen and tonifies the middle. Used for treating spleen and stomach deficiency, poor appetite, fatigue, etc. This formula can also be used for soup.
Precautions: Use with caution in cases of yin deficiency without damp-heat, and in cases of deficiency-cold with spermatorrhea or qi deficiency.
TCM emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment. TCM practitioners will adjust herbal prescriptions based on individual constitution, so it is best for readers to consult a professional TCM practitioner at our hospital for pulse diagnosis and syndrome differentiation to determine if this herb is suitable for them.
Contributed by: Peng Aina
Reviewed by: Fu Rongquan
Edited by: Li Guotang
Chief Editor: Xie Qijun
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