The difference between Yunling and Fuling

Nowadays, there is more rain and humidity. We need to help the human body eliminate moisture. If the moisture in the body is not discharged, it will cause illness in winter, allergies in spring, and even cause a series of complications. When the dampness and heat in the body are more serious, it will affect gastrointestinal health and require medication. So let us introduce to you the difference between Yunling and Fuling.

Different sources: Poria cocos is the dried sclerotium of the Polyporaceae fungus Poria cocos. The wild yam is the dried rhizome of the lily family plant Smilax glabra.

Different properties: The common Poria cocos on the market is the one that has been peeled, cut, dried in the shade or in the sun. It is in the shape of cubes or thick square slices, white, light red or light brown, and the powder is off-white. The wild Poria cocos is cylindrical, with a yellow-brown or gray-brown surface, which is uneven and hard. In the vegetable market, it is common to see fresh peeled and sliced ​​Smilax glabra. In the medicinal material market, drugstores, and hospital pharmacies, you can see sliced ​​and dried Smilax glabra slices. The cut surface is off-white to light reddish brown. Dust flies when it is broken. It feels sticky when moistened with water. The powder is light brown.

Different taste: Poria cocos has a light taste and sticks to teeth when chewed; wild yam has a light taste, is sweet and astringent, and tends to be bitter.

Different effects: Poria cocos is sweet, mild and flat in nature, and enters the heart, lung, spleen and kidney meridians. It has the effects of promoting diuresis and eliminating dampness, strengthening the spleen and calming the mind. It is mainly used for edema, oliguria, phlegm and fluid, dizziness and palpitations, spleen deficiency and poor appetite, loose stools and diarrhea, restlessness, palpitations and insomnia. Chinese yam is mild in nature and sweet in taste. It enters the liver and stomach meridians and has the effects of detoxification, removing dampness and unblocking joints. It is mainly used for limb cramps and muscle and bone pain caused by syphilis and mercury poisoning; damp-heat stranguria, carbuncle, scrofula and scabies.

The best Poria cocos is one with a white and delicate cross-section and strong stickiness to teeth. The best wild yam is reddish-brown on the outside, slightly red on the inside, firm in texture, with less gluten and more powder in the cross section. If it is Chinese yam slices, the best ones are those that are thin, neat, with less stringiness and more powder.

Storage method: Store in a dry place away from moisture.

How to eat?

In clinical practice, Poria cocos is mainly used to strengthen the spleen, while wild yam is mainly used to detoxify. Here are two soup recipes.

Poria Cocos Walnut Soup

Ingredients: 10 grams of Poria cocos, 5 walnuts, 300 grams of lean meat, and 6 chicken feet.

Method: Wash the dried products and soak them for 15 minutes; wash the walnuts, remove the shells and set aside the meat; wash the lean meat and chicken feet and blanch them for later use; fill the pot with water, bring to a boil, put all the ingredients into the pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 1.5 hours.

Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen and brain, whitens and nourishes the skin.

Pork Ribs, Barley and Crucian Carp Soup with Chinese Smilax

Ingredients: 10 grams of wild yam (250 grams of fresh wild yam), 350 grams of spare ribs, 30 grams of coix seeds, 1 crucian carp (about 250 grams), 2 candied dates, and 2 slices of ginger.

Preparation method: Wash the crucian carp and fry until slightly golden brown, set aside; wash the wild yam and coix seed, soak them for 15 minutes and set aside. If it is fresh wild yam, wash it and slice it for set aside; wash the ribs and blanch them for set aside; fill the pot with water, bring to a boil, put all the ingredients into the pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 2 hours.