Nature: sweet, bland, neutral

Enters: Heart, Spleen, Kidney, Lung

Actions: Drains dampness and harmful body fluid by promoting urination; tonifies spleen Qi; calms the Shen; transforms phlegm; harmonizes the middle Jiao.

Indications:
• Spleen Qi deficiency with dampness: loose stool, fatigue, poor appetite.
• Stagnation of fluids or dampness: edema, scanty urination, difficult urination, diarrhea.
• Retention of harmful body fluid in the spleen: dizziness, palpitations, cough, headache (The spleen Qi is prevented from lifting to the head: dizziness, headache; from lifting to the heart: palpitations; and from lifting to the Lungs: cough.)
• Shen disturbance: insomnia, palpitations, forgetfulness (Fu shen may be preferable).
• Said to promote longevity.
• Reduces blood sugar.
• Drains without harming the Qi or Yin.
• Weight loss: can be powdered and mixed 50/50 with powdered rice, then dry fried into a “cookie” with small amount of sweetener, eaten as main food.
• Compared to Yi yi ren, Fu ling’s tonic effect is much stronger. But unlike Yi yi ren, Fu ling does not treat wind-dampness.
PFGC: Balances earth; transforms stomach phlegm-rheum into useful body fluids; can bank earth and engender metal – beneficial to both the stomach/spleen and Lungs; stops excessive sweat loss.
• “The Qi of the pine tree enters the earth, where, after a long time, it forms hoelen. the material quality of hoelen is formed by Yin Qi, while it has been conceived by Yang.”
• Purely benevolent, always tonifying.
• Key herb for excessive sweats causing palpitations causing insomnia.
• Hoelen settles kidney water rushing up to fill the void of depleted heart fluid (use a large dose in critical situations).
Li: Commonly uses up to 30g/day for severe dampness. Combines large doses of Fu ling with non-greasy Yin tonics (such as Huang jing) when there is both dampness and Yin deficiency.
MLT: High in potassium salts, which may be responsible for its fluid regulating properties.
Frees interstitial fluid for excretion and regulates intercellular fluid – unlike most diuretics, it does not cause thirst.
PCBDP: Contains several acids shown to be cytotoxic to hepatoma in vitro.
DY: With Bai zhu, the two herbs reinforce each other to effectively supplement the spleen and dry dampness, percolate dampness, and disinhibit urination. For such indications as:
– 1. Edema due to accumulation of dampness, due in turn to spleen deficiency. (Bai Zhu San)
– 2. Fatigue, weakness in the limbs, lack of appetite, loose stools or diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency with accumulation of dampness. (Shen Ling Bai Zhu San)
– 3. Vertigo, blurred vision, and/or heart palpitations due to phlegm-dampness. (Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang)
– 4. Chronic cough due to phlegm-dampness and spleen deficiency. (Liu Jun Zi Tang)
• With Yi zhi ren to fortify the spleen, secure the kidneys, reduce urination, and stop diarrhea. For indications such as:
– 1. Strangury with chyluria, milky, turbid urine, and dysuria due to deficiency cold in the kidneys or kidney Qi not securing with imbalance in the function of transformation of the bladder. (Use salt mix-fried Yi zhi ren)
– 2. Diarrhea due to deficiency cold of the spleen and kidneys. Particularly watery diarrhea. Use Yi zhi ren which has been stir-fried until scorched.

Dose: 9-15g (up to 60g for acute facial edema)

Fu Ling is the generic term for the entire mushroom, which consists of:
• Fu Ling Pi: the blackish “bark.”
– More diuretic, slightly tonic.
– Frees urination without affecting the Qi.
– Disperses swelling, treats edema and oliguria caused by severe accumulation of dampness due to spleen deficiency.
Dose: 15-30g.

• Chi Fu Ling: the pinkish flesh just beneath the blackish bark.
– Drains heat, frees urination.
– For strangury, oliguria, and red or dark urine due to damp-heat.
Dose: 5-15g

• (Bai) Fu Ling: the white flesh which comprises most of the mushroom.
– Tonic and moderately draining.
– Frees urination, tonifies the spleen, quiets the Shen.
– For edema, oliguria, and phlegm due to spleen deficiency.
– For nausea and vomiting due to damp stagnation in the middle Jiao.
– For loss of appetite due to spleen deficiency.
Dose: 5-15g

• Fu Shen: the flesh which surrounds the parasitized root.
– Stronger at quieting the Shen than Fu ling. Calms the heart, quiets the spirit.
– For insomnia, disturbed sleep, palpitations, loss of memory.
– HF: (Fu Shen) An An Shen (spirit calming) herb, important in Gu Zheng (Gu parasite) formulas because emotional disturbance is common in patients with Gu.
Dose: 5-15g

• Fu Shen Xin: the parasitized pine root at the heart of the mushroom.
– Strongest at quieting the Shen.
– Tranquilizes the heart, calms the liver, drains wind and dampness.
– For insomnia, cardiac pain, spasms of the sinews.
Dose: 5-10g