Poria cocos has been used in TCM for 2,000 years. It’s showing promise as a treatment for numerous health conditions, especially Alzheimer’s, cancer, and diabetes. It may also have benefits for digestion, insomnia, depression, osteoporosis, and skin aging.

Fuling is a traditional Chinese medicine for strengthening spleen and kidney, benefiting water and dampness. It can be used for a variety of metabolic diseases, such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, DN, etc.

Abstract. Ethnopharmacological relevance: Poria cocos is a medicinal mushroom of the Polyporaceae family with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which has been used for its sedative, diuretic and tonic effects in traditional medicine for several hundred years.

Examples of fungi that form sclerotia are ergot (Claviceps purpurea), Polyporus tuberaster, Psilocybe mexicana, Sclerotium delphinii and many species in Sclerotiniaceae. Although not fungal, the plasmodium of slime molds can form sclerotia in adverse environmental conditions.

In traditional medicine, poria mushroom filaments have been used for loss of memory (amnesia), anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, tension, nervousness, dizziness, urination problems, fluid retention, sleep problems (insomnia), an enlarged spleen, stomach problems, diarrhea, tumors, and to control coughing.

Poria is a wood decaying fungus and looks like a small coconut, mushroom or potato. In Chinese the sclerotium is called Tuckahoe or Fu ling. The Tuckahoe should not be confused with that used in Indian bread which is arrow arum. In view of this, Poria is one of the most sought after traditional medicinals in China.

What is it used for? Poria is a type of fungus related to polyporus, which usually grows on pine trees. Although it can range in color from white to pale red, the typical color of poria is light brown, with striations on the outer skin.

A fungus that grows on the roots of various conifers; it is diuretic, sedative and tonic, and used for anorexia, bloating, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension, indigestion, insomnia and oliguria.

Poria mushroom is a fungus. The spores, which store food for the fungus, are used to make medicine. Poria mushroom is used for memory, anxiety, fatigue, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Tuckahoe is a neutral herb that works as a diuretic, dispels pathogenic damp, benefits the spleen and stomach, and soothes nerves. It works with other herbs to tackle all kinds of ailments in all seasons.

Sclerotia are formed primarily from compact masses of monilioid cells, but they may be formed from undifferentiated hyphae. The barrel-shaped cells average 20–22μm wide, and 30–35μm long, and are thicker than the ordinary hyphae.

Scientific Name(s): Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf. Common Name(s): Fu-ling, Hoelen, Indian bread, Poria, Tuckahoe. Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

Poria cocos has been used in TCM for 2,000 years. It’s showing promise as a treatment for numerous health conditions, especially Alzheimer’s, cancer, and diabetes. It may also have benefits for digestion, insomnia, depression, osteoporosis, and skin aging. The safety profile of poria isn’t yet established.

Mycelia of Poria cocos were obtained from a pilot-scale 50-L fermenter by submerged cultivation biotechnology. Six polysaccharide fractions were extracted sequentially from the P. cocos mycelia.

Although 58 different herbs and/or extracts were used, Poria cocos was the 6th most common herb found in treatment preparations (n = 4 in studies).