Poria, Fu Ling 茯苓

Poria Rubra, Chi Fu Ling 赤茯苓

Poria Cutis, Fu Ling Pi 茯苓皮

Poria Pararadicis, Fu Shen Poria 茯神

Indian Bread, Tuckahoe, Hoelen, Poria
Fu Ling (TCM)
Phu Ling (Tibetan)
Picture A whole, wild Poria root (approx. 25cm across) (Chengdu Medicine Market, Adam, 2016)

Picture Picture
Fu Shen, Poria with tree root.
Left: Poria still attached to the root; Right: A slice of Poria with the root running through. (Adam, 2016)

Picture Members CLICK HERE for the PRO VERSION

Botanical name:


Poria cocos (syn. Wolfiporia cocos)

Parts used:


Sclerotium; Poria is a subterranean fungus that grows on the roots of Pine trees.

Temperature & Taste:


Neutral. Sweet-Bland

Classification:


C. Clears Damp, Promotes Urine

Uses:


1. Drains Damp, Promotes Urine:
-an important herb for Damp anywhere in the body
-urinary difficulty, edema, fluid retention
-scanty urination from Damp-heat

2. Benefits the Spleen and Stomach:
-fatigue and weakness, poor appetite and indigestion
-diarrhea and loose stool associated with Damp

3. Strengthens the Spleen, Resolves Phlegm:
-Phlegm-Damp obstruction with nausea, vomiting, fullness in the chest
-also for Headache, Dizziness and Vertigo from Phlegm-Damp obstruction

4. Calms the Heart and Spirit:
-palpitations, insomnia, amnesia caused by Damp-Phlegm.


Dose:


Decoction: 6–15 grams;
Powder: 2–5 grams

Substitute:


… available in PRO version

Preparation:


… available in PRO version
Picture

Main Combinations:


1. Nausea and vomiting from Cold-Damp-Phlegm, Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
2. To promote urine and clear Damp:
i. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
ii. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
3. Edema from Kidney Yang deficiency (marked Coldness),
i. Poria Fu Ling, … available in PRO version
ii. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
4. For Internal Dampness with a sense of heaviness, lethargy, Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
5. For fatigue and weakness, poor appetite, loose stool and indigestion, Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
6. Diarrhea from excess Damp:
i. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
ii. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
iii. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
7. Obesity, Poria Fu Ling, … available in PRO version
8. Palpitation and shortness of breath from Heart deficiency, Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
9. Palpitations, Insomnia, Restlessness, poor Memory, Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
10. Treatment of the Elderly:
i. Cognitive impairment in the elderly, Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
ii. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
iii. Heart weakness in the elderly, Poria Fu Ling, … available in PRO version
11. Depression, Anxiety:
i. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version.
ii. Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version
12. Cancer:
i. Pancreatic, Poria Fu Ling with … available in PRO version

Major Formula:


Er Chen Tang
Si Jun Zi Tang
Liu Jun Zi Tang
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
Shen Qi Wan
Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan
Xiao Yao San
Shi Quan Da Bu Tang
Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang
Ban Xia Hou Po Tang

Cautions:


Generally Safe.
1. Avoid in marked Yin deficiency unless corrected (as in Liu Wei Di Huang Wan)
2. Older TCM texts said it should not be used in dribbling urine or incontinence from Kidney weakness, or urinary difficulty from Yin deficiency.

Main Preparations used:



1. REVIEW / GENERAL:
–[Chemical constituents of Poria cocos]
–Mycology, cultivation, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Wolfiporia cocos (Schwein.) Ryvarden et Gilb.: a review.
–Chemical constituents and pharmacological properties of Poria cocos.

2. DIURETIC:
–Sclederma of Poria cocos exerts its diuretic effect via suppression of renal aquaporin-2 expression in rats with chronic heart failure.
–Diuretic activity of some fractions of the epidermis of Poria cocos.
–Diuretic activity of the ethanol and aqueous extracts of the surface layer of Poria cocos in rat.

3. KIDNEY DISEASE:
–Effect of Poria cocos hydroethanolic extract on treating adriamycin-induced rat model of nephrotic syndrome.
–Effect of Poria cocos on Puromycin Aminonucleoside-Induced Nephrotic Syndrome in Rats.

4. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
–Bioactivity-guided isolation of anti-inflammatory triterpenoids from the sclerotia of Poria cocos using LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells.

5. ANTIOXIDANT:
–Antioxidant property of water-soluble polysaccharides from Poria cocos Wolf using different extraction methods.
–Characterization and antioxidant activities of degraded polysaccharides from Poria cocos sclerotium.
–Rapid determination of polysaccharides and antioxidant activity of Poria cocos using near-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics.

6. IMMUNOSTIMULANT/IMMUNOMODULATORY:
–Regulatory T Cell Induced by Poria cocos Bark Exert Therapeutic Effects in Murine Models of Atopic Dermatitis and Food Allergy
–Immunomodulatory effects exerted by Poria Cocos polysaccharides via TLR4/TRAF6/NF-κB signaling in vitro and in vivo.
–The immunomodulatory effect of Poria cocos polysaccharides is mediated by the Ca(2+)/PKC/p38/NF-κB signaling pathway in macrophages.

7. HEPATOPROTECTIVE:
–Hepatoprotective effects exerted by Poria Cocos polysaccharides against acetaminophen-induced liver injury in mice.
–Antihepatotoxic benefits of Poria cocos polysaccharides on acetaminophen-lesioned livers in vivo and in vitro.
–Hepatoprotective Activity of an Herbal Composition, MAP, a Standardized Blend Comprising Myristica fragrans, Astragalus membranaceus, and Poria cocos.

8. OSTEOPOROSIS:
–Poria Cocos Ameliorates Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Mice and Inhibits Osteoclastogenesis In Vitro


 9. DEPRESSION, ANXIETY:
–The Antidepressive and Anxiolytic Effects of Formula Consisted of Poria cocos and Cordyceps militaris Waster Medium Extract in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Animal Model
–Antidepressant and immunosuppressive activities of two polysaccharides from Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf.

10. ANTI-EPILEPTIC:
–Antiepileptic activity of total triterpenes isolated from Poria cocos is mediated by suppression of aspartic and glutamic acids in the brain.

11. ANTI-HYPERGLYCEMIC:
–Anti-Hyperglycemic Properties of Crude Extract and Triterpenes from Poria cocos
–An insoluble polysaccharide from the sclerotium of Poria cocos improves hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis in ob/ob mice via modulation of gut microbiota.

12. ANTI-TUMOR / ANTI-CANCER:
–Molecular basis for Poria cocos mushroom polysaccharide used as an antitumour drug in China
–Anti-tumor-promoting effects of 25-methoxyporicoic acid A and other triterpene acids from Poria cocos.
–Triterpene acids from Poria cocos and their anti-tumor-promoting effects
BREAST:
–[Isolation of homogeneous polysaccharide from Poria cocos and effect of its sulfated derivatives on migration of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells].
–Co-delivery of Poria cocos extract and doxorubicin as an ‘all-in-one’ nanocarrier to combat breast cancer multidrug resistance during chemotherapy.
–Evaluation of anticancer activities of Poria cocos ethanol extract in breast cancer: In vivo and in vitro, identification and mechanism.
LEUKEMIA:
–Induction of apoptosis by an ethanol extract of Poria cocos Wolf. in human leukemia U937 cells.
LUNG:
–Cytotoxic Constituents from the Sclerotia of Poria cocos against Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells by Inducing Mitochondrial Apoptosis
–Pachymic acid induces apoptosis via activating ROS-dependent JNK and ER stress pathways in lung cancer cells
–Structural identification of a fucose-containing 1,3-β-mannoglucan from Poria cocos and its anti-lung cancer CL1-5 cells migration via inhibition of TGFβR-mediated signaling.
OVARIAN:
–Fuling Granule, a Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound, Suppresses Cell Proliferation and TGFβ-Induced EMT in Ovarian Cancer
PANCREAS:
–Pachymic Acid Inhibits Growth and Induces Apoptosis of Pancreatic Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo by Targeting ER Stress
–Triterpenes from Poria cocos suppress growth and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells through the downregulation of MMP-7.
–Triterpenes from Poria cocos suppress growth and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells through the downregulation of MMP-7