Product: Semi-wild Polyporus umbellatus

Origin: Yunnan, China

Net weight: 4oz-16oz

Dosage: 6-12g, less than 30 g; for external use, grind an appropriate amount into powder for application, or decoct and use for fumigation and washing.

Contraindications:qi deficiency with sinking, or urinary incontinence,Do not take if you have yin deficiency with excessive internal heat or insufficient body fluids;

Polyporus umbellatus is also known as Zhu Shi Lingalso known as Zhu Fu Ling and Zhu Ling, and is aa perennial species in the family Polyporaceae and genus Polyporusfungus,is a potenta medicinal herb that promotes urination and leaches out dampness.

sweet in nature, bland in flavor, and neutral. Enters the spleen, kidney, and bladder meridians.

hasPromotes urination and leaches out dampness,effects including strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, enhancing immune function, inhibiting tumors, protecting against liver damage, antibacterial and swelling-reducing effects, and detoxification.commonly used to treat edema and impaired urination (such asnephritis and cirrhosis), as well as diarrhea and loose stools caused by excessive dampness,Frequent urination and painful urination caused by damp-heat sinking to the lower burner, and excessive vaginal discharge in women,It may assist in fighting cancer; externally, it is used for eczema and scrotal eczema, among other conditions.Carbuncles, swollen sores, toxic skin lesions, traumatic bleeding, and similar conditions.

Tips

The Sage of Medicine Zhang Zhongjing recorded Zhu Ling in Shang Han Lun, including the formulas Zhu Ling Tang and Wu Ling San, and designated it as the key herb in renowned formulas for promoting urination and dispelling dampness, a role it has retained to this day.

Wu Ling San is the foremost traditional formula for treating “disordered fluid metabolism”: its core effects are “warming yang, transforming qi, promoting urination, and dispelling dampness.”Indications:

①Impaired urination (abnormal urination): such as scanty urine, inability to urinate, difficulty urinating, or frequent urination with only a few drops each time, accompanied by lower abdominal fullness and discomfort.

②Thirst and wasting thirst (the more one drinks, the thirstier one becomes):The patient is extremely thirsty and wants to drink water. This is because the body’s water has become “stagnant water” retained in the lower burner, unable to be transformed and rise as body fluids to moisten the mouth.

③Water reversal (vomiting after drinking water):Water has accumulated and is blocking the stomach; when new water is just drunk, the stomach qi becomes unsettled, and it is immediately vomited.

Use 12 g of Ze Xie, and 9 g each of Fu Ling, Zhu Ling, and Bai Zhu, with 6 g of Gui Zhi.Grind into powder,take approximately 3 g each time with plain rice water, and drink plenty of hot water so that the body sweats slightly to expel exterior pathogens.

In modern TCM clinical practice, it is mostly used as a decoction, with minor adjustments based on the patient’s individual presentation:

1. If the patient has severe edema: Ze Xie is increased to 15 g~30 g, and Zhu Ling and Fu Ling are increased to 12 g~15 g.

2. If the patient has spleen deficiency and severe diarrhea: Bai Zhu is used in a higher dose, increased to 12 g~15 g.

3. If the patient has upper-body edema with pronounced aversion to cold and fever: this indicates a severe exterior syndrome, so Gui Zhi is increased to 9 g.

Preparation and use: Place the 5 cleaned herbs in an earthenware or stainless-steel pot, add approximately 600 mL of water, and soak for 30 minutes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes to obtain approximately 400 mL of liquid. Take in 2 doses, half an hour after lunch and dinner, warm.

Modern TCM clinical practice also commonly uses it for:Edema caused by acute or chronic nephritis, cardiogenic edema, ascites due to cirrhosis, and malnutrition-related edema;Severe vomiting and diarrhea (watery stools) caused by acute gastroenteritis, especially autumn diarrhea in children;Otogenic vertigo (such as Ménière’s syndrome);Idiopathic excessive sweating or sweating of the head (mostly caused by water-dampness that cannot be discharged from the body);glaucoma, hydrocele (abnormal localized accumulation of fluid in the body)etc.

Contraindications：Do not take if you have yin deficiency with excessive internal heat or insufficient body fluids (such as frequent dry mouth and throat, hot palms and soles, afternoon hot flashes, night sweats, or a red tongue without a coating);Use with caution in people with urinary tract infections caused by damp-heat sinking to the lower burner (such as frequent urination, urinary urgency, and burning pain in the urethra).

Note: Once urination increases and becomes unobstructed, edema subsides, or thirst improves, you can gradually reduce the dose or stop taking it.

Zhu Ling Decoction is the classic formula par excellence in traditional Chinese medicine for treating “water and heat binding together with concurrent damage to yin fluids.” Its core effects are: “promoting urination, clearing heat, and nourishing yin.” Indications:

① Difficult urination (painful, stinging urination)For example, scanty urine or difficulty urinating, accompanied by urinary frequency and urgency, or a pronounced burning and stinging sensation in the urethra.

②Fever and thirst (exuberant yin-deficiency heat)For example, fever (or a subjective low-grade fever). Because the heat pathogen scorches the body's fluids, the patient experiences extreme thirst and a strong desire to drink water (but unlike with Wuling Powder, drinking does not cause vomiting).

③Restlessness and insomnia (heat disturbing the spirit)The heat pathogen rises with the blood to the heart and chest, causing inner restlessness and agitation and, at night, insomnia and inability to sleep.

Dosage: 9 g each of polyporus, poria, alisma, talc, and ejiao

Place the four washed herbs—polyporus, poria, alisma, and talc—in an earthenware or stainless-steel pot. Add about 800 ml of water and soak for 30 minutes.Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the crushed ejiao, stir until dissolved, then turn off the heat. Strain out about 400 ml of liquid. Take in two doses, half an hour after lunch and dinner, warm.

1. Urinary tract infections: Such as acute urinary tract infections, cystitis, and urethritis. Symptoms include urinary frequency, urgency, and pain (what traditional Chinese medicine calls “strangury syndrome”).

2. Kidney diseases: Hematuria (blood in the urine) or proteinuria caused by pyelonephritis, acute nephritis, or kidney stones.

3. Gynecological inflammation: Pelvic inflammatory disease or vaginitis caused by damp-heat descending to the lower burner, accompanied by abundant vaginal discharge that is yellow and has an unpleasant odor.

4. Postoperative urinary retention: Difficulty urinating after the catheter is removed, caused by localized damp-heat or impaired qi transformation.

5. Hematuria of unknown cause: Ejiao has excellent hemostatic properties and, when combined with diuretic herbs, is particularly suitable for treating blood in the urine caused by damp-heat damaging the vessels in the lower burner.

Contraindications:those with spleen and stomach deficiency-cold and loose stools (those who normally avoid cold foods, are prone to cold abdominal pain, frequently have diarrhea, have loose stools, and a pale tongue with a white coating) andthose with cold-damp edema (edema of the lower limbs, sensitivity to cold, a pale complexion, and no thirst)Do not take;People with qi deficiency and sinking, and urinary incontinence (Use with caution in cases of frequent urination with urine as clear as water, bed-wetting, or urinary leakage, accompanied by fatigue and lack of energy.

NoteIf, after taking it, urinary frequency, urgency, and pain (a burning sensation in the urethra) are significantly reduced, urine output increases, and restlessness and insomnia improve, this indicates that the medicine matches the condition and is taking effect, so you can gradually reduce the dose or stop taking it.