Fu Shen

Fu Shen - sclerotium Poria cocos
		Professional Data

Pin Yin
Fu Shen

Latin
Sclerotium Poria cocos

Introduction

Sclerotium Poria Cocos is officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as the dried sclerotium of the fungus, Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Fam. Polyporaceae).
The drug is collected mostly in July to September, removed from the soil, piled up, spread and airdried on the surface. This operation is repeated several times until wrinkles appear and the inside water is evaporated, then dried in the shade. It is known as "Fulingge". Or the fresh sclerotium is cut and dried in the air.
P. cocos grows underground on the roots of pine and other trees. It is often found infecting tree roots and stumps of hardwoods and conifers. There is a rather tough fruiting body onload="highlight();" arising from a sclerotium. The flesh of the fruiting body onload="highlight();" is often resupinate on wood, thin and white to tan with the stalk absent.
fu shen, is the part of the sclerotium of fu ling where surrounds the roots of pine.

Western medical

Edema with oliguria; dizziness and palpitation caused by fluid retention: diminished function of the spleen marked by anorexia, loose stools or diarrhea, restlessness and insomnia.

Eastern medical

Pattern: Benefits water, resolves dampness: reduces edema.
Properties: Sweet flavour, neutral property.
Channels Entered: Heart, Lung, Spleen, Stomach & Kidney Meridians.

Chemical constituents

The Sclerotium of Poria Cocos contains b-pachyman, pachymic acid, ergosterol, choline, histidine and potassium salts.

Pharmacological actions

Anti-tumor effect

As with many other medicinal fungi, the polysaccharides of P. cocos have been reported to inhibit tumors indirectly by stimulating immunological functions. One polysaccharide, named pachyman, showed no signifiucant anti-tumor activity, but it increased phagocytosis in the peritoneal macrophages and accelerated recovery from cyclophosphamide-induced leukopenia in rats. However, a protein-bound polysaccharide (Hll) isolated from the mycelia of P. cocos inhibited sarcoma 180 in mice, apparently through a host-mediated reaction. Hll was isolated when it was discovered that in large doses (22mg/KG) a crude fraction of the mycelium produced a tumor inhibition rate of 80% and complete remission of tumors of 10% of animals. Carboxymethylpachymaran (CMP), a chemically modified form of the polysaccharide pachyman in P. cocos, increased the effectiveness of interferon induction in vitro, enhanced phagocytic activity of macrophages and produced very high rates of tumor inhibition in mice. Pachyman was found to be effective against original-type, anti-GBM nephritis in rats. This may be due in part to the inhibitory action of pachyman on C3-deposition in the glomeruli.

Immuno-stimulating effect

Another compound from P. cocos is poriatin, which has immunostimulating activities, antiviral actitvities and the ability to activate peritoneal macrophages and increase pinocytosis And phagocytosis. It can also improve the production of colony stimulating activity by macrophages, lymphocytes and other cells, shortening the period of leukocytopenia and enhance lysosomal enzyme activity "with protein and RNA synthesis". Poriatin is especially interesting in that it has also demonstrated immunosuppressive activity and is an aldosterone antagonist.

Effect on the Digestive System

P. cocos has a direct stimulant effect on the isolated rabbit intestine, inhibiting gastric ulcer, decreasing gastric secretion and free acidity.

Sedative effect

Intraperitoneal injection of the decoction to mice markedly reduced the spontaneous activity of the animals; it also antagonized over-excitation due to caffeine. Significant synergism with pentabarbital sodium was demonstrated by intraperitoneal injection of the decoction to mice.

Clinical Studies

Neurasthenia, Insomnia

Poria Cocos, in decoction, usually in combination with a few other herbs has clinically proven its tranquilising effectiveness with neurasthenia, palpitations and insomnia in numerous clinical studies.

References

Except those noted, all references come from Weng Weiliang, et al., Clinical Chinese materia medica, Henan Science & Technology Press, 1998