Poria
茯苓 · Fú Líng
Calms a busy mind and steadies digestion
What it does
Poria calms a busy mind and supports sleep, especially the kind of restless sleep that comes with anxiety and palpitations. It also strengthens digestion when you have loose stools or fluid retention. In TCM, it works on dampness, the heavy waterlogged pattern behind both gut weakness and a foggy mind. One of the most-prescribed TCM herbs.
Safety
- Generally very safe and well tolerated
- Mild diuretic effect. Drink plenty of water alongside
- Skip during pregnancy unless directed by a practitioner
- May lower blood sugar. Monitor if you have diabetes
- Talk to your doctor before starting, especially if you take medication
How to take it
Cook 9–15g of dried sliced poria in soups or congees for 30+ minutes. It's nearly tasteless. Common in Si Shen porridge with coix, lotus seed, and yam.
Add poria slices to weekly soup recipes for steady digestion support
Formulas it's in
Cinnamon Twig & Poria
桂枝茯苓丸 · guì zhī fú líng wán
A classical TCM formula for period pain and blood stagnation in the lower abdomen.
Dong Quai & Peony
當歸芍藥散 · dāng guī sháo yào sǎn
For steady cramping period pain that comes with puffiness and low energy.
Eight-Flavor Rehmannia
知柏地黃丸 · zhī bǎi dì huáng wán
Six-Ingredient Rehmannia with two added cooling herbs for internal heat, night sweats, and hot flashes from yin deficiency.
Eight Treasure
八珍湯 · bā zhēn tāng
The classic TCM double-tonic for when your energy and blood are both running low at the same time.
Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria
五苓散 · wǔ líng sǎn
For puffiness, bloating, and trouble peeing when fluid isn't moving through.
Four Gentlemen
四君子湯 · sì jūn zǐ tāng
TCM's most foundational qi tonic. The starting point for rebuilding energy and digestion.
Free and Easy Wanderer
逍遙散 · xiāo yáo sǎn
One of the most-prescribed TCM formulas in the world, used for stress, PMS, and the feeling of being emotionally stuck.
Ginseng, Poria, and Atractylodes
參苓白朮散 · shēn líng bái zhú sǎn
For loose stools, fatigue, and poor appetite when dampness has settled into the gut
Modified Free & Easy Wanderer
加味逍遙散 · jiā wèi xiāo yáo sǎn
The variant of Free and Easy Wanderer for when liver tension has tipped into irritability and heat.
Pinellia & Magnolia Bark
半夏厚朴湯 · bàn xià hòu pò tāng
TCM's classical formula for the 'lump in the throat' feeling that comes with stress and emotional tightness.
Preserve Harmony
保和丸 · bǎo hé wán
TCM's after-the-feast formula for when food just sits there and won't move.
Restore the Spleen
歸脾湯 · guī pí tāng
TCM's classical formula for the trifecta of anxious overthinking, exhaustion, and poor sleep.
Six Gentlemen
六君子湯 · liù jūn zǐ tāng
The qi tonic when poor appetite and fatigue are joined by nausea and a wet cough
Six-Ingredient Rehmannia
六味地黃丸 · liù wèi dì huáng wán
Probably the most-prescribed TCM formula in the world. The classical Kidney yin tonic.
Sour Jujube Decoction
酸棗仁湯 · suān zǎo rén tāng
The classical TCM formula for the kind of insomnia where your mind won't stop and your body feels parched.
Tonify the Heart
天王補心丹 · tiān wáng bǔ xīn dān
For insomnia, palpitations, and anxiety when Heart yin and blood are running dry
Two-Aged Decoction
二陳湯 · èr chén tāng
TCM's classical base formula for what it calls 'phlegm-damp,' the heavy, sluggish quality that builds up from poor digestion.
Warm Gallbladder Decoction
溫膽湯 · wēn dǎn tāng
For anxious, restless nights that come with nausea and a churning stomach.
Where it comes from
Poria (Wolfiporia cocos) is a fungus that grows underground on pine tree roots, typically as a hard white mass. It's been one of TCM's foundational herbs for over 2,000 years and appears in dozens of classical formulas, including the famous Si Jun Zi Tang for qi tonification. The Chinese name Fú Líng has poetic associations with quiet stability. Poria is mild, non-toxic, and one of the most-prescribed herbs in modern Chinese pharmacy.