Poria, commonly known as Yunling or Songling, is a fungus that parasitizes the roots of pine trees. Its appearance resembles a sweet potato, with a dark brown outer skin and a white or pinkish interior. Poria is sweet and bland in flavor and neutral in nature. As a medicinal substance, it has the effects of promoting diuresis and draining dampness, tonifying the spleen and harmonizing the stomach, and calming the heart and soothing the mind. So when is the best season to eat Poria? What benefits and effects does it have? It is said that the ancients called Poria the “Divine Herb of All Seasons,” meaning it is a fine medicine that can be used throughout the year, because its effects are extremely broad and not limited to any season. When combined with various other medicinal substances, it can exert its unique effects regardless of whether the illness is cold, warm, wind, or damp in nature.

The Nutritional Value of Poria

Poria contains substances such as pachyman, pachymic acid, fatty acids, lecithin, adenine, protease, and triterpenoids, as well as minerals including potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, sulfur, and silicon dioxide.

The Dietary Effects of Poria

Diarrhea and leukorrhea due to spleen deficiency: Poria can both strengthen the spleen and drain dampness. For diarrhea and leukorrhea caused by impaired transportation and transformation due to spleen deficiency, the application of Poria addresses both the root cause and the symptoms, and it is often combined with Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Chinese yam. It can also be used as an auxiliary medicine to tonify the lungs and spleen and treat qi deficiency.

Phlegm-fluid cough: When phlegm-dampness enters the collaterals causing soreness and pain in the shoulders and back, Poria can both promote diuresis and drain dampness and also has a spleen-strengthening effect. It has a therapeutic effect on conditions where the spleen is deficient and unable to transform and transport water-dampness, which then accumulates and transforms into phlegm-fluid. It can be used together with Pinellia ternata and dried tangerine peel, or combined with cassia twig and Atractylodes macrocephala. To treat phlegm-dampness entering the collaterals with shoulder soreness and back pain, it can be used together with Pinellia ternata and bitter orange.

Palpitations, insomnia, and similar conditions: Poria can nourish the heart and calm the mind, so it can be used for restlessness of the heart-spirit, palpitations, insomnia, and similar conditions, often combined with ginseng, Polygala tenuifolia, and wild jujube seed.

Anti-cancer: It is commonly used clinically to treat esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, tongue cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, ulcerative melanoma, and other tumors that fall under the categories of spleen deficiency with exuberant dampness, internal accumulation of phlegm-fluid, or damp-heat congestion.

Difficult urination and edema: Poria functions to promote diuresis and drain dampness, and its medicinal nature is mild. It promotes diuresis without damaging healthy qi, making it an essential medicine for promoting diuresis and draining dampness. For all patterns of difficult urination and water-dampness stagnation, whether tending toward cold-dampness, tending toward damp-heat, or belonging to spleen deficiency with dampness accumulation, it can be used in combination. If tending toward cold-dampness, it can be combined with cassia twig and Atractylodes macrocephala; if tending toward damp-heat, it can be combined with Polyporus umbellatus and Alisma orientale; if due to spleen qi deficiency, it can be combined with Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, and Atractylodes macrocephala; if due to deficiency-cold, it can also be combined with prepared aconite and Atractylodes macrocephala.

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Poria as Tea

First: Diuresis

The first benefit of drinking Poria as tea is that it promotes diuresis. If the body experiences edema, difficult urination, or similar problems, Poria can be used to promote health. The main function of Poria is to promote diuresis and drain dampness, and its medicinal effect is mild. While promoting diuresis, it does not damage the healthy qi in the body, and it can effectively support health. When the body experiences water-dampness stagnation and difficult urination, whether the condition is classified as damp-heat or cold-dampness, Poria can be taken, and it can also rapidly promote health.

Second: Antibacterial

The second benefit of drinking Poria as tea is that it has antibacterial properties. When Poria is decocted or steeped in water, it has an inhibitory effect on various bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Proteus, with very good inhibitory results. Therefore, regularly drinking Poria as tea can provide a very good antibacterial effect and greatly improve physical constitution.

Third: Protecting Gastrointestinal and Liver Health

The third benefit of drinking Poria as tea is that it can help people protect gastrointestinal and liver health. Scientists conducted experiments on domestic rabbits and found that taking Poria can effectively prevent gastrointestinal ulcers, can also treat intestinal laxity, and has a certain lowering effect on gastric acid. In addition, some substances contained in Poria also have a certain protective effect on the liver, preventing and treating necrosis of liver cells. Therefore, in addition to its antibacterial and diuretic effects, the benefits of drinking Poria as tea also include protecting gastrointestinal and liver health.

Fourth: Lowering Blood Sugar

Drinking Poria as tea helps lower blood sugar. After Poria enters the body, it can effectively reduce blood sugar levels, making it suitable for patients with high blood sugar. These patients should regularly drink Poria as tea, as it can lower blood sugar levels in the body and promote health.

Fifth: Protecting the Heart

Drinking Poria as tea is very suitable for protecting the heart. Taking Poria can treat insomnia, palpitations, and similar symptoms, so Poria also has a heart-protective effect. Regularly drinking Poria as tea can calm the mind and nourish the heart, and it has good therapeutic effects on restlessness of the heart-spirit, insomnia with frequent dreams, and similar conditions. Poria can also be taken together with Chinese medicinal materials such as wild jujube seed, ginseng, and Polygala tenuifolia to enhance its heart-protective effect.

Can Poria Remove Freckles

Can Poria remove freckles? Yes, Poria can remove freckles. Poria can both strengthen the spleen and drain dampness, and it can also be used as an auxiliary medicine to tonify the lungs and spleen and treat qi deficiency. It can also be used for phlegm-fluid cough and for phlegm-dampness entering the collaterals with soreness and pain in the shoulders and back. It can be said that Poria has very significant benefits and effects. However, what women care about most is the question of whether Poria can remove freckles.

1. The “Bencao Pinhui Jingyao” states: “White Poria ground into powder, mixed with honey, applied to the face treats facial sores and dark spots in postpartum women resembling sparrow eggs.” White Poria can both remove dark spots and whiten the face, and it also strengthens teeth, blackens hair, and prolongs life. Poria is sweet and bland in flavor and neutral in nature. It can remove freckles, whiten the skin, and moisturize the skin. It can also enhance immune function and dilate blood vessels.

2. The beauty records of Poria can be said to have a long history and a distant origin. In addition to the famous Three-White Decoction, there are also many formulas with whitening and freckle-removing effects, such as the Qiongyu Ointment recorded in the “Hongshi Jiyan Fang,” which includes Poria and has the effects of tonifying qi, nourishing yin, moisturizing the skin, and whitening. The “Jingyan Houfang” records that if one eats Poria for a hundred days, the skin can become moist and lustrous, and one can prolong life and resist aging.

3. Poria is not only a health-care medicine; it also has beauty benefits such as removing freckles, removing acne, and whitening and moisturizing the skin, and it can also help with slimming. Mix honey with Poria powder into a paste, apply it to the face before going to sleep at night, and wash it off with clean water the next morning; it will have a freckle-removing effect.