Poria cocos. Wolfiporia extensa  Hoelen, Tuckahoe, China root  Family: Polyporaceae    
Saprophytic fungus that grows in diverse species of Pine, primarily in decomposing wood. It is notable in the development of a large, long-lasting underground sclerotium that resembles a small coconut.

茯 苓 Fú líng   Hoelen, Tuckahoe, China root           
It is a wood-decay fungus that is notable in the development of a large, long-lasting underground sclerotium that resembles a small coconut which usually grows around the base of a tree.
PART USED: Sclerotium- harvested in Spring and Summer.
Nature: Neutral      FLAVOR: Sweet, tasteless, pleasant, light   CHANNELS: Heart, Lung, Spleen, Stomach
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Diuretic- breaks down Damp.
1. Promotes urination and leaches out dampness.[5] Strengthens the Spleen and transforms Phlegm.[5]
2. Strengthens Spleen/Stomach,[1] and harmonize the middle Heater.[3,5]
3. Settles nerves.[1] Slightly restless.[3]
4. Quites the Heart and calms the Spirit.[1,5]
INDICATIONS
1. Damp acummulation in middle Heater caused by Cold Spleen & Stomach: Flatulence, fullness due to weak condition, anorexia.[3] If in Stomach: Flatulence in upper stomach area, bubbling in upper abdomen, vomiting mucus.[3]Deficiency edema; pulmonary congestion, vomiting and diarrhea.[5] Sputum. Edema.[3] Moisture dominance in Kidney.[1] Loss of appetite diarrhea and epigastric distention.[5] Congested fluids moves upward; palpitations, headache, dizziness with a thick tongue coating.[5]
2. Damp in Lung: cough, Phlegm with bubbles, difficulty in breathing, chronic bronchial dilation.[3] 
3. Diminished urination due to Damp Heat.[5] Difficult urination.[1,3,5]
4. Apprehension and insomnia.[1] Palpitations, insomnia or forgetfulness.[5]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Frequent copious urine due to Cold from deficiency. Traditional source state this herb counteracts Sanguisorba officinalis- Di yu, Gentiana macrophylla- Qin jiao, Pelodiscus sinensis- Bie jia.[5] Taking this herb in large doses or long term is discouraged.[5]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Dry Kernel 9-15 g.[2,3] Up to 30 g.[3]
茯 神 Fú shén- Poria which has a stronger relaxing effect Poria with host wood, Sclerotium Poria cocos pararadicis 
Often used in combinations for treating Blood and insomnia.[3]
FUNCTIONS- better for calming the spirit.[5]
GROUP: Diuretic
1. Diuretic.
2. Tends to relieve apprehension and settle the nerves.[1] Calm Spirit.[3]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: It is contraindicated in case of difficult urination due to Kidney deficiency or spermatorrhea due to deficiency Cold.[4]
COMBINATIONS
- Disturbance of the Shen due to heat, Qi stagnation with accumulation in the Stomach and Intestines: Clear Heat and soothes irritability, calms the Shen and alleviates fright, regulates the Stomach and Intestines and promotes digestion Uncaria & Poria- Xiao er ning ye chong ji.
赤 茯 苓 Chì fú líng  Red fu ling   
FUNCTIONS
Tends to circulate moisture and to reduces Damp Heat.
INDICATIONS
1. Damp Heat-[3,5] Hot urine: Acute conditions.[3]

Fu li pi Outer covering    
FUNCTIONS
1. Tends to promote diuresis and reduce edema. Circulate moisture and reduce Damp Heat.[1] It is stronger diuretic and is more suitable for promoting urination than for tonifying.[5]
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents.
Research

Chemical constituents and pharmacological properties of Poria cocos.
Ríos JL.
Abstract
Poria cocos (Polyporaceae) is a saprophytic fungus that grows in diverse species of Pinus. Its sclerotium, called fu-ling or hoelen, is used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for its diuretic, sedative, and tonic effects. Various studies of this fungus have demonstrated its marked anti-inflammatory activity in different experimental models of acute and chronic inflammation. It is widely used as a constituent of many preparations in Asian medicine, but the number of research papers on its clinical properties is insufficient for establishing its efficacy and safety from a scientific point of view. In this review, we have compiled all the published data concerning the chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical uses of this drug in order to evaluate its clinical interest for future use against various pathologies in which inflammation and immunodepression are implicated. We selected the papers for review on the basis of their ethnopharmacological relevance, using the most relevant databases for the biomedical sciences. Studies on various fungus extracts as well as on the major phytochemical compounds (polysaccharides and triterpenoids) present in Poria cocos comprised the principal objectives of this review. In several of the studies reviewed, the inhibitory effects of triterpenes on phospholipase A (2) (PLA (2)) have been clearly demonstrated. In addition, the inhibitory effects of Poria cocoson the secretion of different cytokines from human peripheral blood monocytes have also been described. Triterpenoids are known to have a pivotal influence on certain diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, autoimmune uveitis, septic shock, and possibly bronchial asthma, while polysaccharides can potentiate the immune response. Reviewing the literature, we found that polysaccharides from Poria cocos enhanced the secretion of immune stimulators and suppressed the secretion of immune suppressors, thus potentiating the immune response. In addition, they showed antitumor activity against different cancer cell lines. This activity is associated with their capacity to inhibit angiogenesis by downregulating both NF- κB and the induction of NF- κB/Rel translocation.
PMID: 21347995 DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1270823  Planta Med. 2011 May;77(7):681-91. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1270823. Epub 2011 Feb 23.  ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessment of anti-inflammatory activity of Poria cocos in sodium lauryl sulphate-induced irritant contact dermatitis.
Fuchs SM, Heinemann C, Schliemann-Willers S, Härtl H, Fluhr JW, Elsner P.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
In the present study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of Poria cocos (PoCo) on experimentally induced irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) in a repeated sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) irritation model.
METHODS:
The anti-irritative effect of PoCo was evaluated with a visual score and quantified by non-invasive bioengineering methods, namely chromametry and transepidermal water loss. Three concentrations of PoCo in base cream DAC (amphiphilic emollient; German pharmacopoeia) were tested in a 4-day repetitive irritation test using SLS.
RESULTS:
A statistically significant anti-inflammatory activity was observed for PoCo by all three methods when applied in parallel to the induction period of ICD. Application of PoCo after induction of ICD once a day for 5 days, starting just at the end of 4 days, was without any effect.
CONCLUSION:
An anti-inflammatory efficacy of PoCo on the elicitation phase of the ICD induced by repeated SLS test could be observed and quantified by three independent, non-invasive biophysical assessment parameters. This effect can be explained by its influence on pro-inflammatory enzymes, namely phospholipase A2.
PMID: 17026651 DOI: 10.1111/j.0909-752X.2006.00168.x   Skin Res Technol. 2006 Nov;12(4):223-7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Biological activities and potential health benefits of polysaccharides from Poria cocos and their derivatives.
Sun Y.
Abstract
Poria cocos has a long history of medicinal use in Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. It is a kind of edible and pharmaceutical mushroom. The chemical compositions of Poria cocos mainly include triterpenes, polysaccharides, steroids, amino acids, choline, histidine, etc. Great advances have been made in chemical and bioactive studies on Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) and their derivatives in recent decades. These PCP and their derivatives exhibit many beneficial biological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiviral activities. Therefore, PCP and their derivatives have great potential for further development as therapy or adjuvant therapy for cancer, immune-modulatory and antiviral drugs. This paper presents an overview of biological activities and potential health benefits of PCP and their derivatives.
PMID: 24751506 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.04.010  Int J Biol Macromol. 2014 Jul;68:131-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.04.010. Epub 2014 Apr 18. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Triterpenes from Poria cocos suppress growth and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells through the downregulation of MMP-7
Shujie Cheng, Isaac Eliaz, Junfang Lin, and Daniel Sliva
Abstract
Poria cocos is a medicinal mushroom that is widely used in traditional Asian medicine. Here, we show that a characterized mixture of triterpenes extracted from P. cocos (PTE) and three purified triterpenes: pachymic acid (PA), dehydropachymic acid (DPA) and polyporenic acid C (PPAC) suppress the proliferation of the human pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1, MiaPaca-2, AsPc-1 and BxPc-3. Moreover, the most effective compound, PA, only slightly affects the proliferation of HPDE-6 normal pancreatic duct epithelial cells. The anti-proliferative effects of PTE on BxPc-3 cells are mediated by the cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. DNA microarray analysis demonstrated that PTE significantly downregulates the expression of KRAS and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) in BxPc-3 cells. In addition, PTE and PA suppress the invasive behavior of BxPc-3 cells. The inhibition of invasiveness by PTE and PA was associated with the reduction of MMP-7 at the protein level and the role of MMP-7 further confirmed by the gene silencing of MMP-7 which also suppressed the invasiveness of BxPc-3 cells. In conclusion, triterpenes from P. cocos demonstrate anticancer and anti-invasive effects on human pancreatic cancer cells and can be considered as new therapeutic agents in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Int J Oncol. 2013 Jun; 42(6): 1869–1874.
Published online 2013 Apr 16. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2013.1902
PMCID: PMC3699575 PMID: 23588713 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cytotoxic Constituents from the Sclerotia of Poria cocos against Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells by Inducing Mitochondrial Apoptosis
Seulah Lee,, Seul Lee,, Hyun-Soo Roh, Seong-Soo Song, Rhim Ryoo, Changhyun Pang, Kwan-Hyuck Baek, and Ki Hyun Kim
Abstract
Previous studies have revealed the antitumor potential of Poria cocos Wolf against a broad spectrum of cancers. However, the biological activity of P. cocos against lung cancer, which is known as the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and its underlying chemical and molecular basis, remain to be investigated. We aimed to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of P. cocos toward human lung adenocarcinoma cells with different p53 statuses, to identify the bioactive constituents of P. cocos, and explicate the molecular mechanisms underlying the cytotoxicity of these constituents in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. An EtOH extract of the sclerotia of P. cocos exhibited cytotoxicity toward four human lung cancer cell lines: A549, H1264, H1299, and Calu-6, regardless of their p53 status. Chemical investigation of the extract resulted in the isolation of two triterpenoids, dehydroeburicoic acid monoacetate (1) and acetyl eburicoic acid (4); a sterol, 9,11-dehydroergosterol peroxide (2); and a diterpenoid, dehydroabietic acid (3). All of the isolated compounds were cytotoxic to the lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, exhibiting IC50 values ranging from 63.6 µM to 171.0 µM at 48 h of treatment. The cytotoxicity of the extract and the isolated compounds were found to be mediated by apoptosis, and accompanied by elevated Bax expression and/or Bcl-2 phosphorylation along with caspase-3 activation. Our data demonstrate that the sclerotium of P. cocos and its four bioactive constituents (1–4) exert cytotoxicity against human lung adenocarcinoma cells, regardless of their p53 status, by inducing apoptosis associated with mitochondrial perturbation, and proposing the potential to employ P. cocos in the treatment of lung cancer.
Cells MDPI Published: 24 August 2018 mdpi.com