The Poria cocos and white Poria cocos pieces we get in Chinese pharmacies are actually processed Poria cocos pieces cut into pieces. Its original appearance was ugly, like a lump of earth. Unlike rhizomes such as Polygonatum, Poria cocos is actually a fungus that lives on pine roots. In a way, it is similar to Ganoderma. Poria cocos is distributed in Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shanxi and other places in China.

Poria cocos is oval, oblate or spherical, with thin and rough skin, brown to dark brown, wrinkled texture, light weight, hard texture, and large cut surface particle size. The traditional Chinese medicine Poria cocos is beneficial to water penetration and moisturizing, strengthening the spleen and reassuring the mind. It is used for edema, less urine, phlegm, dizziness and palpitations, spleen deficiency, less food, loose stools, diarrhea, palpitations, and insomnia. Poria cocos cubes and poria cocos slices are cut from the peeled poria cocos. The shape is cube or square thick slice. They vary in size and are white, light red, or light brown in color.

Poria cocos is a fungus that lives on the roots of pine trees. It is shaped like a sweet potato, with dark brown skin and a white or pink interior. Its protozoan is the dry sclerotia of Poria cocos, which is mainly parasitic on the roots of Masson pine or Korean pine. Poria cocos is a common food in our daily life. It is also a commonly used drug in orthopedic clinical practice. The main function of Poria is to remove dampness and strengthen the spleen. It also has a certain calming effect on nerves and promotes sleep. Generally speaking, orthopedic clinics are commonly used to treat rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar disc herniation, cervical spondylosis, cervical disc herniation and other similar diseases.

Poria cocos is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis due to its ability to remove dampness and reduce swelling. Because wind, cold and moisture block the body's meridians, causing pain, swelling and other symptoms, especially low resistance and weak spleen. At the same time, it feels moisture invading the human body. The therapeutic effect of Poria cocos is better. Similarly, for cervical spondylosis, cervical disc herniation or lumbar disc herniation, Poria cocos can also be used to treat pain and numbness caused by dampness blocking the meridians, but it needs to be used together with other symptomatic Chinese medicines to produce more significant effects.