Understanding a Plant Each Day: Poria Cocos

Poria Cocos (Fuling) is a fungus belonging to the family Polyporaceae and the genus Poria.

01

Alias

Fuling ge, Fuling pi, Fuling kuai, Bai Fuling, Bu si mian

02

Morphological Characteristics

The mycelium is white and fluffy when young, turning light brown as it matures. The aerial mycelium is short and erect, often interwoven and densely penetrating the substrate. The sclerotium consists of an outer skin, inner skin, polysaccharide granule formation layer, and polysaccharide granule accumulation layer. The sclerotium serves as both a dormant and storage organ, which expands and grows upward, exposing itself above the soil surface, with mycelium growing and expanding on its surface, developing into fruiting bodies. The size of the fruiting bodies varies, lying flat on the surface of the sclerotium or mycelium, initially white and later light brown, with smooth, transparent spores.

03

Growth Environment

Propagated by mycelium, it is distributed in China, the Americas, Oceania, Japan, and some Southeast Asian countries. Major regions for artificial cultivation in China include Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Fujian, and Anhui provinces. Poria typically grows on the roots of pine trees, thriving in mid-altitude areas with cool, dry climates and sandy soils, on slopes of 10-35°.

04

Functions and Effects

1. Medicinal Value

• Source: Dry sclerotium
• Functions: Promotes diuresis, strengthens the spleen and stomach, calms the mind and spirit. Used for urinary difficulties, edema, phlegm cough, vomiting, diarrhea, nocturnal emissions, turbid urination, palpitations, forgetfulness.
• Contraindicated for those with deficiency cold and slippery essence or qi deficiency with sinking.

2. Processing

• Harvested from July to September, cleaned of soil, piled for “sweating,” then spread out to dry until the surface is dry, followed by repeated “sweating” until wrinkles appear and most internal moisture is lost, then dried in the shade, referred to as “Fuling ge”; or fresh Poria is cut according to different parts and dried in the shade, referred to as “Fuling kuai” and “Fuling pian.”Fuling ge: spherical, oval, flat, or irregular lumps of varying sizes. The outer skin is thin and rough, brown to black-brown, with distinct wrinkled textures. Heavy, solid, with a granular cross-section, some may have cracks, the outer layer is light brown, the interior is white, with some light red, and some may contain pine roots. Odorless, with a mild taste, sticky when chewed.Fuling pi: the outer skin of Poria, varying in shape and size. The outer surface is brown to black-brown, and the inner surface is white or light brown. Softer and slightly elastic.Fuling kuai: pieces of Poria cut after peeling, varying in size. White, light red, or light brown.Chi Fuling: cut into pieces or slices from the brown-red or light red parts.Bai Fuling: the white part after removing Chi Fuling.

05

Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulas

1. For frequent urination and incontinence: Bai Fuling (peeled), dried yam (peeled, soaked in alum water, dried over low heat). Mix both in equal parts into a fine powder. Take with rice water. (From “Rumen Shiqin”)
2. For heart deficiency and dream leakage, or turbid urination: Bai Fuling powder, 2 qian. Take with rice soup, twice daily. (From “Renzhai Zhizhi Fang”)
3. For edema: Bai water (clean) 2 qian, Fuling 3 qian, Yuli Ren (crushed) 1.5 qian. Add ginger juice and decoct. (From “Buzhi Yiniyao” Fuling Decoction)
4. For skin edema, swelling of limbs, and water retention in the skin: Fangji 3 liang, Huangqi (Astragalus) 3 liang, Guizhi 3 liang, Fuling 6 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang. Combine these five ingredients with 6 sheng of water, boil down to 2 sheng, divide into three warm doses. (From “Jinkui Yaolue” Fangji Fuling Decoction)
5. For damp diarrhea: Bai Zhu 1 liang, Fuling (peeled) 7.5 qian. Finely chop, decoct with 1 liang of water, take before meals. (From “Yuan Bingshi” Huo Ling Decoction)
6. For gastric reflux and thirst: Fuling 0.5 jin, Ze Xie 4 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Guizhi 2 liang, Bai Zhu 3 liang, ginger 4 liang. Combine these six ingredients with 1 dou of water, boil down to 3 sheng, then add Ze Xie and boil down to 2.5 sheng, take warm 8 he, three times daily. (From “Jinkui Yaolue” Fuling Ze Xie Decoction)
7. For edema: Fuling pi and Jiao Mu in any quantity. Decoct and drink. (From “Jingyan Liangfang”)
8. For male yang deficiency, weak essence, frequent nocturnal emissions, turbid urination, and for women with prolonged cold in the blood sea, white discharge, and dampness in the lower body: Huangla 4 liang, Bai Fuling 4 liang (peeled, cut into pieces, boiled with 1 fen of Zhu Ling for over 20 boils, then dried, without Zhu Ling). Grind Fuling into powder, melt Huangla into pills the size of a walnut. Chew slowly on an empty stomach until urination is clear. (From “Jufang” Weixi Pills)
9. For heart sweat, with no sweat elsewhere, only sweating at the heart hole, excessive thinking leads to more sweat, indicating a heart condition: Take Fuling powder mixed with mugwort decoction. (From “Zhengzhi Yaojue”)
10. For upper excess and lower deficiency, heart fire blazing, kidney water depleted, leading to thirst: Bai Fuling 1 jin, Huanglian 1 jin. Grind into powder, mix with tianhuafen to form a paste, and make pills the size of wutong seeds. Take 50 pills with warm water. (From “Desheng Tang Experience Formula”)
11. For head wind and dizziness, warming the lower back and knees, treating five labors and seven injuries: Fuling powder mixed with fermented rice wine. (From “Gangmu” Fuling Wine)

• Internal use: Decoct, 10-15g; or use in pills or powders.

06

Dietary Therapy

1. Grass Fruit and Cardamom Bun

Ingredients: Fuling powder 30g, grass fruit powder 5g, white cardamom 10g, flour 750g, mung beans 200g, white lentils 200g, tofu 100g.Method: Ferment the flour as usual, add the three medicinal powders, and knead well. Cook the mung beans and white lentils until soft, mash, add tofu and seasonings to make the filling, wrap in the flour to make buns, and steam until cooked, then serve warm.Function: Strengthens the spleen, transforms dampness, sweet and cold, clears heat.2. Eight Treasure ChickenIngredients: Dangshen, Fuling, fried Bai Zhu, Bai Shao each 5g, Shu Di Huang, Dang Gui each 7.5g, Chuan Xiong, Gan Cao each 3g, one hen (2500g), lard, pig bones each 750g, ginger, scallions, cooking wine, MSG, and salt to taste.Method: Place the above Chinese herbs in a clean cloth bag, after slaughtering the hen, clean it; wash the pork; crush the bones; smash the ginger; cut the scallions. Put the chicken, lard, herb bag, and crushed bones in an aluminum pot, add appropriate water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, add scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, then simmer on low heat until tender, remove the herb bag, take out the chicken, cut the pork, return to the pot, add a little salt and MSG to finish, serve as desired.Function: Tonifies qi and blood.3. Fuling Powder PorridgeIngredients: Fuling powder 30g, glutinous rice 30g, red dates (pitted) 7 pieces.Method: Rinse the rice, boil in a pot for several boils, add red dates, and when the porridge is ready, stir in Fuling powder, serve warm.Function: Clears heat, moistens dryness, transforms phlegm, and harmonizes the stomach.4. Goji Berry and Fuling TeaIngredients: Goji berries 50g, Fuling 100g, black tea as needed.Method: Grind goji berries and Fuling into a coarse powder, take 10g each time, add black tea as needed, and brew with boiling water as a tea substitute.Function: Strengthens the spleen, benefits the kidneys, promotes diuresis, and relieves dysuria. (Items 1-4 are cited from “Chinese Clinical Medicinal Diet Therapy”)5. Cuscuta Seed PillsCuscuta seeds 150g, Fuling 100g, stone lotus seeds 60g. Grind the three herbs into fine powder, mix with yellow wine to form pills the size of a walnut, store in a bottle. Take 9-12g each time, once in the morning and once in the evening.Function: Benefits the kidneys and secures the bladder. Indicated for enuresis due to insufficient kidney qi, with accompanying lower back pain, frequent urination in cold weather, and urinary tract pain.6. Fuling DumplingsRefined flour 1000g, refined pork 500g, Fuling powder 50g. Chop the meat into filling, add Fuling powder, salt, MSG, cooking wine, and sesame oil to season. Prepare the dough, wrap the meat filling, form decorative dumplings, and steam for eight minutes.Function: Nourishes the heart, calms the spirit, strengthens the spleen, opens the appetite, transforms dampness, reduces phlegm, promotes diuresis, and reduces swelling.7. Dried Tangerine Peel and Fuling PorridgeDried tangerine peel 20g (or fresh 30g), Fuling 30g, glutinous rice 100g. First, decoct the tangerine peel and Fuling to extract the medicinal juice, then add glutinous rice to cook porridge, or dry the tangerine peel and grind it with Fuling into fine powder, take 3-5g each time, mix into boiled rice porridge, and cook together. Take 1-2 times daily for 10-15 days.Function: Regulates qi, strengthens the spleen, transforms phlegm, and calms the spirit.Note: The above suggestions are for reference only.Article illustrations are sourced from the internet, shared from博物广闻

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