Introduction of Fu Shen:Fu-shen or Poria cum Radice Pino.
✵The article gives records of the herb Fu-shen, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one fungus species, ①.Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this fungus species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this fungus species, the features of the herb Fu-shen, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Poria cum Radice Pino(Fu-shen).
Pin Yin Name: Fú Shén.
English Name: Fu-shen.
Latin Name: Poria cum Radice Pino.
Property and flavor: neutral in nature, tastes sweet and tasteless.
Brief introduction: The herb Poria cum Radice Pino is the herb consists of poria with a piece of pine root embedded in it, used as a tranquilizer for treating palpitations and insomnia. The herb is commonly known as Poria cum Radice Pino, Tuckahoe with pine, Fú Shén.
Botanical source: Herbal classic book defined the herb Poria cum Radice Pino (Fu-Shen) as the Tuckahoe scleral nucleus holds the part of pine root or fine pine core. The fungus species (1).Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf. is a fungus of the Wolfiporia genus, the Polyporaceae family (Poroid fungi family) of the Polyporales order. This commonly used species is introduced:
(1).Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf.
Botanical description: Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf is a fungus of the Polyporaceae family (Polyporaceae, bracket fungus family) and Wolfiporia genus, it is also known as Pachyma cocos Fr., Wolfiporia extensa, Wolfiporia extensa (Peck) Ginns (syn. Poria cocos F.A.Wolf), the fungus is also known as hoelen, poria, tuckahoe, China root, Fu ling., and classified into Fomitopsidaceae family in some latest classification system. Sclerotium is spherical, oval, elliptic to an irregular shape, 10~30 cm long, or longer, and differs in weight, usually 500~5,000 grams. Its outside has a thick and wrinkled skin shell, bistre (dark brown), it is soft when fresh, and hardened when it is dried; the inside is white or rose pink, powdered granular. Encarpium (fruiting body) grows on the surface of the sclerotium, procumbent (flat-lying), thickness is 3~8 cm, white, succulent, turns sandy beige (pale brown) when it is aged or dried. The bacteria tube is dense, 2~3 mm long, the tube wall is thin, the tube opening is circular, polygonal or irregular shape, 0.5~1.5 cm in diameter, peristome is toothed. Spores are rectangular to subcylindrical (nearly cylindrical), smooth, has a crooked tip, and size is (7.5~9) μm × (3~3.5) μm.
Poria shows three different morphological characteristics at different stages of growth, namely mycelium, sclerotium, and fruiting body.
(1).Mycelium, including mononuclear and dual-core two mycelia. Monomer nuclear mycelium, also known as primary mycelium, is made by the Poria spores germination, only in the early germination. Binuclear mycelium, also known as secondary mycelium, is the main form of mycelium. Mycelium has a white fluffy appearance, with a unique multi-concentric ring-shaped colony.
(2).Sclerotium, by numerous hyphae and nutrients, is gathered from the dormant body. Also known as "Tuckahoe or fu-ling". Spherical, ellipsoid, oblate or irregular lumps; two small, the largest reaches tens of pounds; fresh matter soft quality, easy to open, hard to break after it is dried. Sclerotium is shell-like, rough surface, with nodular shrinkage, light brown or tan (chocolate brown) when it is fresh, and turns to dark brown when it is dried; skin is white and light brown.
(3).The fruiting body, usually produces on the surface of sclerotia, occasionally in the older mycelium. Honeycomb, different sizes, sessile and supine, about 0.3~1 cm thick. At first, it is white, and the old xylem (wood part) turns into light yellow. The stratum grows on the surface of the inner wall of the tube. Poria spores are ash gray (greyish-white), oblong or nearly cylindrical, has a crooked tip, 6×2.5 ~ 11×3.5 microns.
Ecological Environment: Poria cocos are parasitic on the pine family of plants such as red pine or Masson pine roots, 20 to 30 cm underground. The herb is distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Zhujiang river area, the north and northwest areas, and other areas of China.
Growth characteristics: Poria cocos is a facultative parasitic fungus, it grows wild in the rhizosphere of Pinus massoniana, Pinus yellow-mountain, Pinus red, Pinus yunnanensis, Pinus lodgepole, and other tree species, on dry and sunny slopes in mountainous areas at altitudes of 600~1,000 meters above sea level. Spores grow out at 22~28 °C (Celsius, or 71.6~82.4 degrees Fahrenheit), mycelium (hypha) grows at 18~35 °C (Celsius, or 64.4~95 degrees Fahrenheit), and grows quickly at 25~30 °C (Celsius, or 77~86 degrees Fahrenheit), encarpium (fruiting body) is differentiated and grow at 18~26 °C (Celsius, or 64.4~78.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and bearing spores. It is suitable for growth in wood segments with a 50~60% water ratio, and soil with a 20% water ratio, pH (pH scale:acidity-basicity) 3~7, 10°~35° degree of slope mountainous sandy soil are more suitable for its growth. It is favorable for growth in the condition of a large temperature difference between day and night.
Poria cocos is not the same species as the "Indian bread" of Native Americans, the "Indian bread" is the arrow arum, Peltandra virginica, a flowering tuberous plant in the arum family.
Characters of herbs: The herb, Poria cum Radice Pino (Fu-Shen) is the same shape as the block of Poria cocos, but there is a farctate and thin pine root in the core part. Most of the commodities are square slices; the texture of the herb is solid and firm, powdery; the cut pine roots are brown and yellow, and the annual texture is visible in the fracture surface. The herb has a slight odor and a mild taste. The herb of a better grade is thick, with a thin and small pine root.
Pharmacological actions: ①.sedative effect.
Medicinal efficacy: Peace the heart, calm the nerve (relieve uneasiness of mind and body tranquilization) and alleviate water retention. It is indicated for heart deficiency and palpitation, amnesia (poor memory), amnesia and insomnia (bad memory and lose sleep), frightened epilepsy, dysuria (difficulty in micturition), etc.
Administration of Poria cum Radice Pino (Fú Shén):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Poria cum Radice Pino (Fú Shén)
TCM Books:
①.Internally:water decoction, 3~5 qian (about 9~15 grams), or prepare to pill, powder; ②.Internally:water decoction, 9~15 grams, or prepared to pill, powder.
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1.Introduction of Fu Shen:Fu-shen or Poria cum Radice Pino.
✵The article gives records of the herb Fu-shen, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one fungus species, ①.Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this fungus species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this fungus species, the features of the herb Fu-shen, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Pin Yin Name: Fú Shén.
Botanical description: Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf is a fungus of the Polyporaceae family (Polyporaceae, bracket fungus family) and Wolfiporia genus, it is also known as Pachyma cocos Fr., Wolfiporia extensa, Wolfiporia extensa (Peck) Ginns (syn. Poria cocos F.A.Wolf), the fungus is also known as hoelen, poria, tuckahoe, China root, Fu ling., and classified into Fomitopsidaceae family in some latest classification system. Sclerotium is spherical, oval, elliptic to an irregular shape, 10~30 cm long, or longer, and differs in weight, usually 500~5,000 grams. Its outside has a thick and wrinkled skin shell, bistre (dark brown), it is soft when fresh, and hardened when it is dried; the inside is white or rose pink, powdered granular. Encarpium (fruiting body) grows on the surface of the sclerotium, procumbent (flat-lying), thickness is 3~8 cm, white, succulent, turns sandy beige (pale brown) when it is aged or dried. The bacteria tube is dense, 2~3 mm long, the tube wall is thin, the tube opening is circular, polygonal or irregular shape, 0.5~1.5 cm in diameter, peristome is toothed. Spores are rectangular to subcylindrical (nearly cylindrical), smooth, has a crooked tip, and size is (7.5~9) μm × (3~3.5) μm.
(1).Mycelium, including mononuclear and dual-core two mycelia. Monomer nuclear mycelium, also known as primary mycelium, is made by the Poria spores germination, only in the early germination. Binuclear mycelium, also known as secondary mycelium, is the main form of mycelium. Mycelium has a white fluffy appearance, with a unique multi-concentric ring-shaped colony.
Ecological Environment: Poria cocos are parasitic on the pine family of plants such as red pine or Masson pine roots, 20 to 30 cm underground. The herb is distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Zhujiang river area, the north and northwest areas, and other areas of China.
Characters of herbs: The herb, Poria cum Radice Pino (Fu-Shen) is the same shape as the block of Poria cocos, but there is a farctate and thin pine root in the core part. Most of the commodities are square slices; the texture of the herb is solid and firm, powdery; the cut pine roots are brown and yellow, and the annual texture is visible in the fracture surface. The herb has a slight odor and a mild taste. The herb of a better grade is thick, with a thin and small pine root.
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