Properties: Sweet, bland, neutral
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Heart, Spleen, and Kidney
Traditional Actions: Induce diuresis and drain damp-heat, invigorate spleen and induce tranquilization.
Traditional Indications: As the red outer layer of Fu Ling this has many of the same indiciations but with a greater focus on damp-heat and skin conditons.
Suggested Daily Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for spermatorrhea due to deficiency-cold.
Notable Constituents: Full composition available from
Rios, 2011.
- Pachymic acid
Triterpenoid with anti-inflammatory activity via phospholipase A2 inhibition.
- Dehydrotumulosic acid
Another triterpenoid phospholipase A2 inhibitor.
- β-D-Glucan
β-Glucan with antioxidant and immunostimulatory activities common to many mushrooms (Nakashima et al., 2018. It is thought they may work by activating microbial Pattern Recognition Receptors, training the immune system for when an actual pathogen invades (van Steenwijk et al., 2021) making them suitable for immune prevention rather than after infection.
- Poricoic acid G
Lanostane-type triterpene acid that is significantly cytotoxic to leukemia HL-60 cells (Lai et al., 2016). Other forms of Porporic acid may also be chemopreventive agents against chemical carcinogenesis (Rois et al., 2012).
- 3-Dehydrotrametenolic acid
Tetracyclic triterpenoid derived from lanosterol possibly acting as an insulin sensitiser (Sato et al., 2002) and anticancer compound like other lanostanoids.
Appears in 13 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, and A+ Medical Encyclopaedia have been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
