fu ling pi

Name: fu ling pi
Creator: Bencao Index

茯苓皮·Cutis Poriae

Indian bread exodermis

About fu ling pi

Fu Ling Pi (茹苓皮) is the outer skin of poria, recorded as Cutis Poriae. It enters the Heart, Spleen, Kidney and Lung channels, and the catalogue files it among the herbs that drain Dampness.

Names

Pinyin	fu ling pi
Chinese	茯苓皮
Latin Name	Cutis Poriae·Poriae Cutis
English Name	Indian bread exodermis·Poria Cutis·poria exodermis·poria exodermis; Indian bread exodermis
Japanese	bukuryo
Korean	bokryeong

Classification

Category: Drain Dampness
Channels: Lung, Spleen, Heart, Kidney
Family: Polyporaceae
Species: Poria Cocos
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Promotes urination and reduces edema

Edema at the level of the skin
Damp and edema where a purely draining herb is wanted, with no tonifying effect

Cautions

caution Yin deficiency; moving fluid out through the urine can deplete it further
caution Spermatorrhea, where a draining herb adds to the leakage instead of restraining it
caution With the inner flesh removed it lacks the Spleen support that tempers Fu Ling's draining, which matters in long courses or in a depleted patient
contraindication Copious urination that reflects Deficiency Cold rather than retained fluid

Interactions

Drug interactions

Prescription diuretics and lithium, or other drugs whose elimination depends on fluid and electrolyte status: its diuretic action makes practitioner awareness reasonable; an inference from its pharmacology, not a demonstrated interaction