Exploring the efficacy of poria mushrooms in regulating energy metabolism

In this study, researchers from Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China evaluated the effects of Poria, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), on the substance and energy metabolism of rats with cold deficiency and heat deficiency syndromes. Their results, which included comparisons between Poria and two other TCMs, were published in the Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines.

• Researchers compared the efficacy of Poria (also known as fu ling, FL) as a medicine with that of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (also known as fu zi, FZ) and Rhizoma Anemarrhenae (also known as zhi mu, ZM).
• They used rats for their experiments and assessed their appearance score and toe and rectal temperatures at different time points.
• They found that several indices in vivo correlated with substance and energy metabolism (glucokinase, phosphoglycerate kinase, cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome c oxidase, and Na+/K+-ATPase), endocrine system (triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and 17-hydroxycorticosteroid), nervous system (acetylcholine esterase), and cyclic nucleotide system.
• They confirmed the successful establishment of cold deficiency and heat deficiency syndrome models from the changes in appearance score and indices in vivo.
• The researchers reported that FZ reversed the decreased levels of certain indices, such as substance and energy metabolism and endocrine system, and alleviated cold deficiency in the rat model.
• Meanwhile, ZM showed a therapeutic effect on the heat deficiency syndrome model (appearance score, substance and energy metabolism, and endocrine system).
• The researchers also found that FL could alleviate cold deficiency syndrome and raise the decreased levels of glucokinase, phosphoglycerate kinase, cytochrome c reductase, and triiodothyronine in the cold deficiency model. However, it had no significant effect on heat deficiency syndrome.

Based on these results, the researchers concluded that the therapeutic property of poria is “flat and warm,” and further studies involving cold deficiency and heat deficiency models need to be done to better understand its potential.

Journal Reference:

Han XY, Wang YN, Dou DQ. REGULATORY EFFECTS OF PORIA ON SUBSTANCE AND ENERGY METABOLISM IN COLD-DEFICIENCY SYNDROME COMPARED WITH HEAT-DEFICIENCY SYNDROME IN RATS. Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines. December 2018;16(12):936–945. DOI: 10.1016/s1875-5364(18)30135-3