Poria

Fushen is the sclerotium of Poria cocos Schw. Wolf, a plant of the Polyporaceae family. The original species is a lower plant, a fungus parasitic on pine trees. The medicinal part is the white part with pine roots in the middle of the dried sclerotium. It is sweet and mild in nature. It has the functions of dispelling dampness, strengthening the spleen, and calming the mind. It is used for phlegm, edema, urinary problems, diarrhea, palpitations, and dizziness. It is distributed all over the world.

Fushen is a traditional Chinese medicine product of the plant Poria cocos. The original plant is mostly parasitic on Masson pine or logs. Its growth and development can be divided into two stages: the hyphae (white filaments) stage and the sclerotium stage. In the hyphae growth stage, the hyphae mainly absorb water and nutrients from the surface of the wood, and at the same time secrete enzymes to decompose and transform the organic matter (cellulose) in the wood, so that the hyphae spread and grow vigorously in the wood. The second stage is that the hyphae gather into a mass in the middle and late stages, and gradually form sclerotia (also called knots).

The efficacy and function of Fu Shen

1. Sedative effect.

After the experimental animals were gavaged with 10-20 g/kg of Poria, they entered a quiet and sleepy state, but there was no sleep phenomenon; for mice excited by sodium benzoate and caffeine, intraperitoneal injection of 5 g/kg of Poria decoction can make them calm, with a sedation rate of 90% and a sedation index of 3.11; if 20 g/kg is used for gavage instead, the sedation rate is 85.7% and the sedation index is 1.64.

2. Inhibit tumor effect.

The structure of tuckahoe sugar is a side chain of tail (1-6) pyranoglucoside. When the side chain is cut off and becomes a simple tail-(1-3) glucan (i.e. tuckahoe polysaccharide), the inhibitory effect rate on sarcoma 180 reaches 98.88%.

3. Nourish the heart and calm the mind.

Poria has a sweet and mild taste, is mild and slightly warm in nature, enters the heart meridian, nourishes the heart and calms the mind. As stated in the "Pharmaceutical Chemistry": "Dai Ren said that the heart is hot in nature, but cold when it is weak. If the heart is weak and timid, the mind is not at home, there are palpitations, tremors, confusion, fatigue and forgetfulness, it is necessary to warm and nourish the mind, otherwise it will not work." This product is often used to treat insomnia, epilepsy, forgetfulness and other symptoms.

4. Diuretic and anti-edema.

Treat edema. The regulation of water metabolism in the human body is the responsibility of the lungs, spleen, kidneys and triple energizer. The lungs are responsible for regulating the water channels and distributing body fluids; the spleen is responsible for transporting and transforming water; the kidney yang is responsible for evaporating water; and the triple energizer is the road for regulating water. If one (or more) of the qi transformation functions are abnormal, water metabolism will be impaired, resulting in stagnation of water and edema. Poria is used for treatment. It tastes sweet and mild in nature. It is diuretic without hurting qi, so it is the main treatment. It also has the function of strengthening the spleen, so the spleen is weak and slow in function. It is used for those with water retention, which has the effect of taking both the symptoms and the root cause into consideration, so it is more suitable to choose it.

5. Replenish deficiency and cure fatigue.

This herb is sweet, mild and slightly warm in nature. It enters the heart and spleen meridians. It nourishes the heart and spleen and treats deficiency. Deficiency of the heart and spleen is mostly caused by long-term illness, fatigue, worry, or chronic bleeding. Symptoms include palpitations, insomnia, dizziness, forgetfulness, sallow complexion, loss of appetite, abdominal distension and loose stools, fatigue, or subcutaneous bleeding, pale and tender tongue, and weak pulse.

6. The treatment is to invigorate qi and strengthen the spleen, nourish blood and calm the mind. Poria has this effect, so it can be used.

Treats wind vertigo, wind deficiency, five kinds of fatigue, dry mouth. Stops palpitations, anger, forgetfulness. Makes you happy, improves your intelligence, and nourishes your spirit.

7. It can treat epilepsy, calm the mind, and replenish fatigue; it can treat acute pain and fullness under the heart, and intestinal dysfunction. It can treat shortness of breath due to heart deficiency, and strengthen the spleen and promote warmth.

Nutritional value of Poria

Poria contains pachymic acid, laminar acid, dehydrolaminar acid, 16-α-hydroxy laminar acid, pinolinic acid, dehydropachymic acid, etc., all of which are triterpenoid compounds. It contains a large amount of tail-pachymannan, accounting for about 93% of the dry product, and 98% of it turns into glucose after hydrolysis. It also contains ergosterol, choline, adenine, histidine, protein, chitin, lecithin, fat, enzyme, glucose, fructose, etc. It also contains trace elements: silicon dioxide, potassium, magnesium, iron, sodium, calcium, sulfur, manganese, etc.

Medicinal value of Poria

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet, mild, neutral.

"Bie Lu": "Ping."

"Medicine Properties": "It tastes sweet and is non-toxic."

"Pharmaceutical Chemistry": "It tastes sweet and mild, and is slightly warm in nature."

[return through meridians] enters the heart and spleen meridians.

"Pharmaceutical Chemistry": "It enters the heart and spleen meridians."

"Ben Cao Jing Jie": "It enters the Taiyin lung meridian of the hand and the Dayin spleen meridian of the foot."

"Essential Chinese Medicines" states: "It enters the heart meridian and also the liver meridian."

【Functions and indications】 Calming the mind, soothing the nerves, and promoting diuresis. Treats palpitations due to heart palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia, epilepsy, and difficulty urinating.

"Bie Lu": "It can treat wind vertigo, wind deficiency, five kinds of fatigue, and dry mouth. It can stop palpitations, anger, and forgetfulness. It can make people happy, improve intelligence, and nourish the spirit."

"Medicinal Properties": "It can treat epilepsy, calm the mind and relieve fatigue; it can treat acute pain and fullness under the heart and intestinal dysfunction."

"New Compendium of Materia Medica": "It treats heart deficiency and shortness of breath, strengthens the spleen and promotes warmth."

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 3-5 qian; or make into pills or powder.

Side effects of Fu Shen

Side effects are caused by poor drug selectivity and are inherent in the drug itself. Whether it is a prescription drug or an over-the-counter drug, it should be used under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist. If you feel uncomfortable while taking the drug, you must stop taking it in time and consult a doctor or pharmacist to avoid unnecessary damage.

Contraindications of using Poria

People with kidney deficiency, difficulty urinating or incontinence, or spermatorrhea due to deficiency and cold should not use Poria.