What is poria cocos Chinese herb

Defination of  Poria cocos Chinese Herb

Poria cocos Chinese Herb is the dried sclerotia of Pseudomonas family fungus Poria, often parasitic on pine roots, shaped like sweet potato, spherical, light brown or dark brown outer skin, pink or white interior. Poria cocos is mostly excavated from July to September. After excavation, the sediment is removed. After being piled up to "sweate", it is spread out to dry until the surface is dry, and then "sweated", repeated several times until wrinkles appear and most of the internal moisture is lost. Dry in the shade, called "Poria". Or cut fresh Poria according to different parts and dry in the shade, which are called "Poria block" and "Poria tablet" respectively.

Contraindicated for those with yin deficiency and fire.

Poria cocos Chinese Herb processing method

Take a piece of Poria, soak it, wash it, steam it for a while, peel off the outer skin in time, cut it into blocks or thick slices, and dry it in the sun.

Physiological properties of Poria cocos Chinese Herb

1. Poria: It is spherical, elliptical, oblate or irregular clumps of different sizes. The outer skin is thin and rough, tan to dark brown, with a distinct shrunken texture. Weight, solid quality, granular section, some with cracks, light brown outer layer, white inside, a few light red, and some with pine roots in the middle. The gas is weak, the taste is light, and the chewing sticks to the teeth.

2. Poria block: Poria is cut after peeling, in cube-shaped or cube-shaped thick slices, with different sizes. White, reddish or light brown.

3. Poria slices: Poria is cut after peeling, with irregular thick slices and different thicknesses. White, reddish or light brown.

Poria Cocos Chinese Herb origin

Distributed in Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shanxi and other places. Mainly produced in Anhui, Yunnan and Hubei.

The fuction of Poria Cocos Chinese Herb

Diuretic effect

Poria is used for dysuria and edema. The function of Poria is to divert water and dampness, and the medicinal properties are gentle, which can dilute water without harming righteousness. All the symptoms of dysuria and stagnation of water and dampness, whether it is cold-dampness, damp-heat, or spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation, can be used together. For those with cold-dampness, it can be combined with Guizhi and Atractylodes; for those with dampness and heat, it can be combined with Polyporus, Alisma, etc.; for those with spleen deficiency, it can be combined with Codonopsis, Astragalus, Atractylodes, etc.; It can also be used with aconite and Atractylodes.

Antibacterial effect

Poria's 100% decoction has inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus, etc.

Effects on the digestive system

Poria cocos has a direct relaxation effect on the isolated intestinal canal of rabbits, has a preventive effect on ulcers formed by pyloric ligation in rats, and can reduce gastric acid. In addition, it has obvious protective effect on CCl4-induced liver injury in rats, significantly reduces the activity of alanine aminotransferase, and prevents liver cell necrosis.

Morphological characteristics of Chinese medicine Poria Cocos:

Tuckahoe is a climbing shrub, 1-4mm long. Smooth and thornless. Rhizomes thick, massive, often connected by stolons, 2-5cm thick. The leaves are alternate; the petiole is 5-15(-20) mm long, accounting for about 3/5-1/4 of the total length, with narrow sheaths, often with 2 slender tendrils, and the shedding point is located near the top; the leaves are thin and leathery, Narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 612(-15)cm long, 1-4(-7)cm wide, apex acuminate, base rounded or obtuse, usually pale green below. Umbels solitary in leaf axils, usually with more than 10 male flowers. The peduncle is 2-5mm long, usually significantly shorter than the petioles, rarely nearly as long as the petioles, and there is a bud between the peduncle and the petioles; inflorescence receptacles Enlarged, even the most persistent bracteoles are small enough to be rosette-like, 2-5mm wide, greenish-white flowers, hexagonal spherical, about 3mm in diameter; male flower outer tepals nearly oblate, about 2mm wide, pocket-shaped, The center has a longitudinal groove, the inner tepals are nearly round, about 1mm wide, and the margins have irregular teeth; the male flowers are close together, nearly as long as the inner tepals, and the filaments are extremely short; the peduncle of the female inflorescence is about 1cm long, The female flowers are similar in appearance to the male flowers, but the inner tepals are toothless and have 3 staminodes. The berries are 6-8mm in diameter, bright when ripe, with powder frost. The flowering period is May-November, and the fruiting period is November to the following April. The thick rhizome of this species is used as medicine, called tuckahoe, which is sweet in nature, detoxifies dampness and heat, invigorates the spleen and stomach, and is rich in starch, which can be used to make cakes or wine.