Pinyin: Zhuling
Aliases
Diwutao, Yezhushi, Zhufuling, Yezhufen.
Source
Polyporaceae fungus *Polyporus umbellatus*Polyporus umbellatusThe dried sclerotium of (Pers.) Fries.
Botanical Description
The sclerotium is irregular in shape, appearing as clumps of varying sizes, firm in texture, with a purplish-black surface marked by numerous uneven wrinkles and a white interior, generally measuring (3-5) cm × (3-20) cm. The fruiting body emerges from the sclerotium buried underground, with a stalk that branches multiple times, forming a cluster of caps with a total diameter of up to 20 cm. The cap is round, 1-4 cm in diameter, with a navel-like depression in the center. It has pale yellow fibrous scales, near-white to light brown in color, lacks ring patterns, has a thin and sharp margin that often curls inward, is fleshy when fresh, and becomes hard and brittle after drying. The flesh is thin and white. The tubes are approximately 2 mm long, the same color as the flesh, and decurrent.
Habitat and Distribution
Grows on the ground beside tree roots or on rotten tree stumps in forests. Distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in spring and autumn, remove sediment and sand, then dry.
Medicinal Properties
This product is strip-shaped, subrounded or flat-lumpy, some with branches, 5-25 cm long, 2-6 cm in diameter. The surface is black, gray-black or brown-black, wrinkled or with nodular protrusions. Light in weight, hard in texture, the cross-section is off-white or yellowish-white, slightly granular. Odor: faint; Taste: mild.
Chemical Constituents
This product mainly contains polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B, polyporusterone C, polyporusterone D, polyporusterone E, polyporusterone F, polyporusterone G, polyporus polysaccharide I, 25-deoxy-24(28)-dehydromakisterone, 25-deoxymakisterone, and other components.
Pharmacology
Has diuretic, anticancer, hepatoprotective, and antibacterial effects, and also has the effect of promoting immune function.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet and bland, neutral in nature. Enters the Kidney and Urinary Bladder channels.
Functions and Indications
Promotes diuresis and exudes Dampness. Used for urinary difficulty, edema, diarrhea, strangury, turbid urine, and leukorrhea.
Dosage and Administration
Internal: decoct 10-15 g; or prepare into pills or powder.
Precautions and Contraindications
Contraindicated in cases without water-dampness to avoid damaging Yin.
Prescriptions
1. For pregnancy-induced edema extending from the feet to the abdomen, with scanty urine, mild thirst, and desire to drink: 150 g of Zhuling (Polyporus umbellatus), ground into powder. Take one *fangcunbi* (approx. 1-2 g) with boiled water, three times daily. (From *Zimu Milu*) 2. For heat stranguria with urgent, frequent, and painful urination: 9 g each of Zhuling, Bianxu (Polygonum aviculare), and Cheqianzi (Plantago asiatica), 6 g of Mutong (Akebia quinata). Decoct in water and take orally, two times daily. (From *Zhongguo Yaoyong Zhenjun*) 3. For pregnancy-induced urinary obstruction with hard pain below the navel: 30 g each of Zhuling, Mutong, and Sangbaipi (Morus alba root bark, sliced). Coarsely grind and sieve. Take 9 g per dose with one cup of water. Add Dengxincao (Juncus effusus) and decoct until 70% remains, then strain. Take warm before meals. (From *Puji Fang*, Zhuling Decoction) 4. For cirrhotic ascites: One carp (500-2000 g), 9 g each of Zhuling, Dafupi (Areca catechu peel), Fangji (Stephania tetrandra), and Zexie (Alisma orientale). Split the fish open, remove the internal organs, and wash clean. Grind the four herbs into powder, place inside the fish belly, and cook thoroughly. Discard the herb residue and eat the fish while drinking the soup. (From *Zhongguo Yaoyong Zhenjun*) 5. For gastrointestinal cold-dampness causing incessant watery diarrhea, lethargy, and lack of appetite: 15 g of Zhuling (black skin removed), two pieces of Roudoukou (Myristica fragrans, shelled and roasted), 0.3 g of Huangbai (Phellodendron amurense, coarse bark removed and roasted). Grind the three ingredients into powder, mix with rice water to form pills the size of mung beans. Take ten pills before meals with hot water. (From *Shengji Zonglu*, Zhuling Pill) 6. For floating pulse, fever, thirst with desire to drink, and scanty urine: 30 g each of Zhuling (peeled), Fuling (Poria cocos), Zexie, Ejiao (Colla Corii Asini), and Huashi (talcum, crushed). Decoct the first four ingredients in four *sheng* of water (approx. 800 mL) until reduced to two *sheng* (approx. 400 mL), then strain. Add Ejiao and stir to dissolve. Take one *ge* (approx. 200 mL) warm, three times daily. (From *Shanghan Lun*, Zhuling Decoction) 7. For malaria, regardless of duration: 30 g of Zhuling, 15 g of Fuling, 12 g of Chaihu (Bupleurum chinense), 9 g of Banxia (Pinellia ternata), 3 g of Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), three slices of Shengjiang (Zingiber officinale), and two pieces of Dazao (Ziziphus jujuba). Decoct in three bowls of water until reduced to one bowl. Take before the onset of malaria; re-decoct the dregs and take after the attack. (From *Bencao Huiyan*, citing *Fangmai Jiabao*)
