Poria
Ling
Family: Polyporaceae
Scientific Name:Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf
Common Names:Also known as:Fu Tu, Fu Ling, Fu Ren, Fu Tu, Song Yu, Jiang Chen Fu Tai, Yun Ling, Song Ling
Morphological Characteristics:The typical form is its sclerotium. It is often irregularly shaped, spherical, flat, elongated, or oval, varying in size from as small as a fist to a diameter of 20-30 cm or larger. The surface is light gray-brown or black-brown, with a lumpy, wrinkled appearance, while the interior is white with a slight pink hue, composed of countless hyphae. The fruiting body is umbrella-shaped, with a diameter of 0.5-2 mm, and the edge has slight teeth; the sexual generation is rarely seen, honeycomb-like, usually growing on the outer skin of the sclerotium, initially white, gradually turning light brown, with pores that are polygonal, the basidia are rod-shaped, and the basidiospores are oval to cylindrical, slightly curved, with one end pointed, smooth, and colorless. It has a distinctive odor.
Habitat Distribution::Parasitic on the roots of pine family plants such as red pine or masson pine, growing 20-30 cm underground. It is distributed in Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Shanxi.
Chemical Composition::The sclerotium contains β-Poria polysaccharides, accounting for about 93% of the dry weight, and triterpenoid compounds such as acetyl poria acid, poria acid, and 3β-hydroxy lanosterol acid.
Properties and Channels::Sweet and bland, neutral. Enters the Heart, Spleen, and Lung channels.
Functions and Indications::Promotes urination and reduces edema, benefits the Spleen and harmonizes the Stomach, calms the mind and settles the spirit. Used for urinary difficulties, edema and fullness, phlegm cough, vomiting, diarrhea, nocturnal emissions, turbid urination, palpitations, and forgetfulness. Contraindicated in cases of deficiency cold with slippery essence or qi deficiency with sinking.
The Story of Poria
Once there was a wealthy man who had only one daughter named Xiao Ling. The wealthy man hired a strong young man named Xiao Fu to manage the household. Xiao Fu was very diligent, and the wealthy man’s daughter secretly fell in love with him. However, the wealthy man was very unhappy when he found out, believing that the two were not a good match and that their social statuses were too different for a marriage. He planned to send Xiao Fu away and arranged for his daughter to marry a rich young man. Upon learning of this, Xiao Fu and Xiao Ling escaped together and lived in a small village.Later, Xiao Ling fell ill with rheumatism and often could not get out of bed. Xiao Fu took care of her day and night, and they supported each other through hardships. One day, Xiao Fu went into the mountains to gather herbs for Xiao Ling. Suddenly, he saw a wild rabbit and shot it with an arrow, hitting its hind leg. The rabbit, injured, ran away, and Xiao Fu chased after it until he reached a cut-down pine forest, where the rabbit suddenly disappeared. He searched everywhere and found an orb-like object next to a pine tree with his arrow stuck in it. He pulled out the arrow and discovered that the brown-black orb had a crack revealing a white substance inside. He dug this substance out and cooked it for Xiao Ling to eat.
The next day, Xiao Ling felt much better, and Xiao Fu was very happy. He often dug up these substances for Xiao Ling to eat, and her rheumatism gradually healed. This medicine was discovered by Xiao Ling and Xiao Fu, and people began to call it “Poria.”
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