Poria/Fú Líng 茯苓

A 2022 meta-analysis pooled 73 randomised trials (6,489 participants) of multi-herb formulae containing Poria added to standard glucose-lowering drugs. The combination was associated with modest extra reductions in fasting and post-meal glucose and HbA1c, with no increase in adverse events, though the authors rated most trials as low-to-moderate quality.

A 2020 review compiled chemistry and pharmacology data on Poria, identifying triterpenes and polysaccharides as its two main active groups. Research summarised there suggests anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulating and liver- and kidney-protective activity, largely in cell and animal models; the authors called for more drug-development-oriented work.

A 2025 review focused on the lanostane-type triterpenoids of Poria and its outer peel (Fulingpi). In animal models these compounds showed diuretic effects and protected against acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease and renal fibrosis, apparently via TGF-β1/Smad, Wnt/β-catenin, NF-κB and Nrf2 pathways. Human data remain limited.

A 2011 review noted that Poria extracts showed marked anti-inflammatory activity in experimental models, with triterpenes inhibiting phospholipase A2 and cytokine release, while polysaccharides appeared to potentiate immune responses and showed antitumour activity in cell lines. The author stressed that clinical studies were too few to establish efficacy or safety.