Hubei Eastern Poria

Hubei Eastern Poria

　　Poria, also known as Fuling, Futu, Songyu, or Busimian. The name "Fuling" comes from "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Diviners and Astrologers," which says: "The so-called Fuling is found beneath the pine roots, shaped like a flying bird." The "Huainanzi" also mentions: "Under a thousand-year-old pine, there is Poria, and beneath it, dodder." Li Shizhen stated: "Where there is Poria, there is a spiritual energy in the form of threads above, which mountain dwellers sometimes see—it is not the dodder plant referred to as 'Cuscuta.' Those who annotated the Huainanzi, explaining it as Cuscuta or female dodder, were mistaken."

　　Poria is the dried sclerotium of the fungus Poria cocos, belonging to the Polyporaceae family within the Basidiomycetes class. It grows by absorbing moisture and nutrients from pine trees. When young, it appears as a white, cottony fluff; when mature, it takes on a brownish, bark-like texture. Li Shizhen noted: "Some Poria can be as large as a bushel or as hard as stone—these are considered the best. The light and porous ones are inferior, likely because they are young and not yet firm." Wild Poria still exists, but most is now cultivated artificially.

　　According to "Compendium of Materia Medica," Poria "treats chest and rib qi rebellion, sorrow, anger, fright, fear, palpitations, epigastric pain, chills and fever, restlessness and fullness, coughing, dry mouth and tongue, and promotes urination. Long-term consumption calms the spirit, nourishes vitality, prevents hunger, and prolongs life." Some even claim it "communicates with the divine and opens the heart, regulates Ying and Wei, and is a superior immortal medicine." In the Song Dynasty, Su Song wrote in "Collection of Immortal Prescriptions" that Poria cake could "be eaten once a day to remain free from hunger all day." Empress Dowager Cixi once ordered the imperial kitchen to make "Poria cakes" for her meals and to present them as gifts to nobles and ministers.

　　The main components of Poria currently known include Poria polysaccharides, pachymic acid, ergosterol, choline, histamine, phospholipids, proteins, enzymes, etc. It is a highly nutritious and health-beneficial medicine. As a result, long-lost Poria-based foods have recently re-entered the market, and Jiuzhihe Poria candy from Luotian County will soon be launched.

　　Hubei Eastern Poria is renowned nationwide, with major production areas in Luotian, Yingshan, and Macheng. Luotian has a history of cultivating Poria for over 500 years and was once honored as the "Hometown of Poria." In 1930, the county's total output reached over 3 million jin; in 1956, it peaked at 4.25 million jin; by 1983, it had dropped to 610,000 jin. The combined output of Luotian, Yingshan, and Macheng was just over 1.12 million jin. Each region has its own distinctive commercial grades for Poria. Yingshan exports sliced varieties, known for their clean, white, and uniform appearance; Macheng excels in square and neatly cut block types; Luotian is famed for its firm, thin-skinned individual Poria with excellent medicinal properties. A 96-jin "Poria King" once exhibited at the Guangzhou Expo amazed many foreign merchants.