Poria

Poria cocos, also known as Yuling, Fuling, Wanlinggui, and Futu. It is the dried sclerotium of the fungus Poria cocos of the family Famillopodiaceae. It often parasitizes on the roots of pine trees. It is shaped like a sweet potato, spherical, with a light brown or dark brown outer skin and pink or white inside. After being refined, it is called white Poria cocos or Yunling. Poria cocos and wild smilax have similar names, so they are easily confused. Wild smilax cocos is the root of Smilax glabra, a plant of the family Smilaxaceae. It has a yellow-brown or gray-brown outer skin and is completely unrelated to Poria cocos.

The efficacy and function of Poria cocos

It calms the mind and soothes the nerves, eliminates toxins and fights cancer. It has a mild medicinal property and can eliminate dampness without damaging the body's vital energy. Taking it in moderation can be a good product for conditioning in the humid seasons of spring and summer.

It can cure symptoms such as difficulty urinating, edema, phlegm and cough, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, spermatorrhea, stranguria, palpitations, and forgetfulness.

The Pachycolic acid it contains has the effects of enhancing immunity, anti-tumor, sedation, and lowering blood sugar.

It can relax the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, inhibit gastric acid secretion, prevent liver cell necrosis, and has antibacterial effects.

Nutritional value of Poria cocos

Triterpenes: pachymic acid, 16α-hydroxytumulosic acid, 3-hydroxy-7.9 (11), 24-lanostadiene-21-oic acid [3-hydroxylanosta-7.9 (11), 24-TCMLIBien-21-oic acid], pachymic acid methyl ester, 16α-hydroxytumulosic acid methyl ester, 7,9 (11)-dehydropachymic acid methyl ester [7,9 (11)-dehydropachymic acid methyl ester], 3-16α-dihydroxy-7,9 (11), 24 (31)-lanostadiene-21-oic acid methyl ester [3-16α-dihydrox-ylanosta-7,9 (11), 24 (31)-TCMLIBien-21-oic acid methyl ester], polypenic acid C methyl ester, 3-hydrogenated pinolenic acid (TCMLIBametenloic acid), eburicoic acid, dehy-droeburicoic acid, poricoic acid A, B, C, D, DM, AM, 3-hydroxy-16α-acetylosy-lanosta-7, 9 (11), 24-TCMLIBien-21-oic acid and 7, 9 (11) dehydropachymic acid. Polysaccharides: pachyman, pachymaran and highly (1, 3), (1, 6), branched tail-D-glucan H11 (gluan H11). Other ingredients include ergosterol, caprylic aid, undecanoic acid, lauric acid, dodecenoic acid, palmitic acid, dodecenoate, caprylate and inorganic elements.

Medicinal value of Poria cocos

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Poria cocos is sweet, mild and flat in nature, and enters the heart, lung and spleen meridians. It has the effects of penetrating dampness and promoting diuresis, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and calming the mind.

Poria can treat urinary incontinence, edema, phlegm and cough, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, spermatorrhea, stranguria, palpitations, forgetfulness, etc. Poria can promote diuresis by strengthening the spleen and lungs, which is different from other Chinese medicines that directly promote diuresis. Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang, Si Jun Zi Tang, Si Ling Tang, etc. are all commonly used prescriptions with Poria.

1. Used for urinary problems, edema, etc. Poria cocos has the function of promoting water and eliminating dampness, and its medicinal properties are mild. It can promote water without hurting the vital energy, and is an important medicine for promoting water and eliminating dampness. 2. All symptoms of urinary problems and stagnant water and dampness, whether they are more cold and damp, or more damp and hot, or belong to spleen deficiency and dampness, can be used in combination. 3. If it is more cold and damp, it can be used with cinnamon twig, white atractylodes, etc.; if it is more damp and hot, it can be used with umbellate, oriental water chestnuts, etc.; if it is spleen deficiency, it can be used with codonopsis, astragalus, white atractylodes, etc.; if it is cold and weak, it can also be used with aconite, white atractylodes, etc.

2. For diarrhea and leukorrhea caused by spleen deficiency. Poria can both strengthen the spleen and drain dampness. For diarrhea and leukorrhea caused by spleen deficiency and dysfunction, the application of Poria has the effect of taking both the symptoms and the root causes into consideration. It is often used in combination with Codonopsis, Atractylodes macrocephala, Chinese yam, etc. It can be used as an adjuvant medicine for nourishing the lungs and spleen and treating qi deficiency.

3. For cough due to phlegm and dampness, phlegm and dampness entering the collaterals, and sore shoulders and backs. Poria can not only promote water and dampness, but also strengthen the spleen. It has a therapeutic effect on the symptoms of spleen deficiency that cannot transport and transform water and dampness, and stagnation and transformation of phlegm and dampness. It can be used with Pinellia and Tangerine Peel, or with Cinnamon Twig and Atractylodes. For the treatment of phlegm and dampness entering the collaterals, sore shoulders and backs, it can be used with Pinellia and Citrus Aurantium.

4. Used for palpitations, insomnia and other symptoms. Poria cocos can nourish the heart and calm the mind, so it can be used for symptoms such as restlessness, palpitations, insomnia, etc. It is often used in combination with ginseng, polygala, and spinach seeds.

5. Anti-cancer. It is commonly used in clinical treatment of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, tongue cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, ulcerative melanoma and other cancers that are caused by spleen deficiency and dampness, phlegm retention, and damp-heat accumulation.

Folding amount

About 10 grams each time.

Contraindications of using Poria

Patients with Yin deficiency without damp-heat, deficiency-cold and spermatorrhea, or Qi deficiency and sinking should take it with caution.

1. "Annotations to the Classic of Materia Medica" states: "Iris is the herb. It hates white atractylodes. It is afraid of ophiopogon, sanguisorba officinalis, realgar, qinjiao, and tortoise shell."

2. "Yao Xing Lun": "Avoid rice vinegar."

3. "Medical Origin" says: "If it causes urination or is taken frequently, it will damage the eyesight; if it causes excessive sweating, it will damage the vital energy and shorten the life span."

4. "Ben Cao Jing Shu": "Patients with kidney deficiency, spontaneous urination or inability to control urination, or cold and loose sperm should not take this medicine."

5. Depei Materia Medica: "It is forbidden to use in cases of qi deficiency, water depletion and dry mouth.