zhu ling

猪苓·Polyporus

Polyporus

About zhu ling

Zhu Ling (猪苓) is a bracket fungus, recorded as Polyporus. It is sweet and bland in flavour, slightly cool, and enters the Spleen, Kidney and Bladder channels. The catalogue files it among the herbs that drain Dampness.

Names

Pinyin	zhu ling
Chinese	猪苓
Latin Name	Polyporus
English Name	Polyporus
Japanese	chorei
Korean	jeoryeong

Classification

Category: Drain Dampness
Channels: Spleen, Bladder, Kidney
Flavour: Sweet, Bland
Temperature: Slightly Cool
Family: Polyporaceae
Species: Polyporus umbellatus
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Promotes urination and leaches out Damp

Damp with fluid stagnation, causing edema, scanty or difficult urination, vaginal discharge, cloudy painful urination (Milky Lin), jaundice and diarrhea
Lin syndrome in pregnancy, where it may be given on its own

Clears Damp-Heat

Damp-Heat with Milky Lin and jaundice
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with vaginal discharge or spermatorrhea

Combinations

fu ling
Lin syndrome, edema, scanty urine, diarrhea or loose stools, vaginal discharge, jaundice and leg Qi
da fu pi
Abdominal distention, edema and difficult urination
mu tong + hua shi
Heat signs with Bloody Lin and abdominal distention
ze xie
Drains Damp and Heat from the Bladder and opens the urinary passages
fu ling + ze xie
Spleen Deficiency causing edema
hua shi + e jiao
Water and Heat accumulating with Yin Deficiency, causing fever, dysuria, thirst and irritability
mu tong + che qian zi + hua shi
Damp-Heat Lin syndrome.
rou dou kou + huang bai
Intestinal Cold-Damp causing diarrhea
bian xu + qu mai + mu tong + hua shi
Epigastric distention and fullness.
yin chen hao + zhi zi + huang bai + ze xie + da huang
Jaundice.

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 5-18g; Tincture; 2-4ml	5-18 g	—	—	—	—

Cautions

caution Use only where Damp is present; not for dry or purely deficient conditions
caution Not for long-term use: having no tonifying action, it drains and dries, which can injure Yin and deplete fluids
contraindication Dizziness or other Yin-deficiency patterns with no Damp, where it would worsen fluid loss

Interactions

Drug interactions

Diuretics (chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, bumetanide, torsemide) and other medicines affecting fluid balance: more water or electrolytes may be lost when combined