Recently, with the typhoon weather, although the temperature is no longer as hot as before, the humidity has greatly increased. Many people say that this year’s hot days seem to have turned into “plum rain days,” and they feel that the dampness in their bodies is heavy, waking up without energy, heavy legs, oily skin, sticky stools, and thick tongue coating. Despite drinking a lot of mung bean soup daily, the effect of dispelling dampness is not obvious. Below, we introduce a great product for dispelling dampness, which not only has a strong effect in eliminating dampness but also has effects such as reducing swelling and promoting sleep. This product is known as the “divine medicine of all seasons” – Fu Ling (Poria).
Fu Ling has a wide range of effects and is suitable for consumption in all seasons. It can be combined with various foods and medicines, and regardless of cold, damp, wind, or heat, it can exert its unique effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that it has a sweet and bland taste, a neutral nature, and enters the heart, lung, spleen, and kidney meridians, with effects of promoting urination, dispelling dampness, strengthening the spleen, and calming the mind. Modern research shows that Fu Ling contains various nutrients such as polysaccharides, triterpenes, ergosterol, phosphatidylcholine, histidine, etc., which have pharmacological effects such as regulating immune function, anti-tumor, and anti-aging, making it an excellent product for longevity, cognitive enhancement, and anti-aging.
How to Choose Fu Ling
Fu Ling is widely used, and the market demand is high, so there are also inferior products. When purchasing, try to choose channels with guaranteed quality. You can identify its quality through the following methods.
01Look at the Color:
Fu Ling is not better the whiter it is; overly white may indicate it has been treated with sulfur. Normal Fu Ling is white, light red, or light brown; any of these three colors is normal.
02Look at the Cross-section:
High-quality Fu Ling has a uniform color on the cross-section and a delicate surface.
03Smell:
Normal Fu Ling has no particular smell. If it has a moldy or sour smell, it is not recommended for purchase.
04Taste:
Fu Ling has no strong flavor; if tasted carefully, it may have a slight sweetness and a sticky feeling. If it tastes bitter, sour, or astringent, it indicates poor quality.
Fu Ling Dietary Therapy RecipesModified Four Gods Soup
Ingredients:80g Huai Shan Yao (Chinese Yam), 30g Fu Ling (Poria), 30g Qian Shi (Fox Nut), 30 pieces of Lotus Seeds, 6g Chen Pi (Dried Tangerine Peel), 300g Pork Bones.
Effects:Strengthens the spleen and dispels dampness.
Method: Wash all ingredients and set aside. Chop the pork bones into small pieces and blanch them in boiling water. Place all ingredients in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 1.5 hours, adding salt before serving.
Goji Berry and Fu Ling Tea
Ingredients:10g Fu Ling (Poria), 5g Goji Berries, 5g Black Tea.
Effects:Strengthens the spleen and benefits the kidneys.
Ingredients: 10g Fu Ling (Poria), 5g Goji Berries, 5g Black Tea.
Method: Grind Fu Ling into a coarse powder, add black tea and goji berries, and brew with boiling water. Drink twice daily.
Fu Ling Cake
Ingredients:200g Flour, 15g Fu Ling (Poria), 3g Yeast, 3g Baking Powder, 20g Sugar, assorted nuts to taste.
Effects:Strengthens the spleen and dispels dampness.
Method: Grind Fu Ling into powder, mix with flour, baking powder, and sugar, then sift and set aside. Mix yeast with water and let sit for about 10 minutes, then pour into the reserved mixture and stir into a thick batter. Place the batter in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, take a larger baking container, grease the bottom and sides, pour in the risen batter, sprinkle with nuts as desired, and steam for 25 minutes after the water boils.
How to Distinguish Fu Ling from Tu Fu Ling
Fu Ling is the dried sclerotium of the fungus Poria cocos, with a sweet and bland taste, neutral nature, and enters the heart, lung, spleen, and kidney meridians, promoting urination, dispelling dampness, strengthening the spleen, and calming the mind. Tu Fu Ling, on the other hand, is the dried rhizome of the plant Smilax glabra, with a sweet and bland taste, neutral nature, and enters the liver and stomach meridians, with effects of detoxifying, dispelling dampness, and promoting joint mobility. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, it strengthens the spleen and stomach, strengthens tendons and bones, dispels wind-dampness, promotes joint mobility, and stops diarrhea; it treats muscle spasms and bone pain, sores, and swelling, and detoxifies mercury and silver poison.
Recommended Dietary Therapy for Tu Fu LingTu Fu Ling Pork Soup
Ingredients:200g Fresh Tu Fu Ling (available in markets), 500g Pork, ginger, and salt to taste.
Effects:Dispels dampness, benefits joints, strengthens the spleen and stomach.
Method:Wash fresh Tu Fu Ling and slice; wash pork and cut into large pieces; slice ginger. Place Tu Fu Ling, pork, and ginger into a soup pot, add water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for about 1.5 hours, adding salt to taste before serving.
Double Bean Tu Fu Ling Pork Soup
Ingredients:30g Tu Fu Ling, 50g Mung Beans, 30g Red Beans, 14g Chen Pi (Dried Tangerine Peel), 300g Lean Pork, 3 slices of Ginger.
Effects:Clears heat, dispels dampness, detoxifies.
Method: Soak and wash Tu Fu Ling, mung beans, and red beans; remove the pulp from Chen Pi; wash the lean pork and cut into pieces, then place with ginger into a clay pot, add 2500ml of water (about 10 bowls), bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for about 1.5 hours, adding salt to taste before serving.
Editor: Huang Yongxin
Source: China Traditional Chinese Medicine Network