Ranked by how strong the human evidence is — best supported first.
Best supportedDigestive comfortNot enough evidence· no source yetThen, in order
The dried sclerotium of a fungus that grows on pine roots, one of the most frequently used ingredients in Chinese herbal formulas. It is almost never taken alone in traditional practice.
Poria appears in an enormous number of traditional Chinese formulas, usually as a supporting ingredient described in terms of dampness and fluid balance, and it has been studied almost exclusively as part of those multi-ingredient preparations. That makes attribution impossible: a trial of a ten-herb decoction containing poria tells you about the decoction. Isolated pharmacology exists — triterpenes and polysaccharides with diuretic and sedative effects in rodents — but there is no controlled human trial of poria alone for any outcome. Products sold as single-ingredient poria capsules in the West are therefore selling a traditional supporting herb outside the formulas that give it its rationale, with no trial evidence for either the ingredient or the use.
Regulation: Sold as a dietary supplement in the US with no pre-market efficacy review, and used within licensed traditional medicine systems in China, Japan and Korea. Imported traditional preparations have a documented history of heavy metal and adulterant problems.
The amounts, forms and durations published trials of Poria actually administered.
These are the amounts published trials administered — not a recommendation, and not a dose to copy. Trial participants were screened, supervised and given a characterised preparation. What is in a retail bottle is frequently not what was studied, and the amount that suits one person is not general advice.
Studied for Traditional formula use
9–15 g
Dried sclerotium in a decoction with other herbs
The amount used in traditional practice as part of a multi-herb formula. It is not a dose for a single-ingredient supplement, and no trial has established one.
This is general information about food, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose, treat or replace guidance from a clinician who knows your history.
Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.
None of the timings below were directly compared in a trial. They reflect how the research happened to dose, or what the pharmacology implies — which is not the same as a timing being better.
No timing research exists. Traditional decoctions are typically taken twice daily, which is convention.
Timing was not directly compared. This reflects convention or how the compound behaves in the body, not a trial showing this window works better.
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how promising the supplement sounds. How we rate evidence.
Poria appears in traditional digestive formulas, and trials of those formulas cannot be attributed to one ingredient among many.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Diuretic effects have been described in rodents and are the basis of poria's traditional role. No controlled human trial has tested poria alone for fluid balance or kidney measures.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Sedative activity in animal models and use in traditional calming formulas are the whole basis of sleep claims. There is no human trial of poria alone.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Randomised controlled trial · Journal of ethnopharmacology · 2026 · PMID 41763617
Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.
Interactions, contraindications and dose limits, most serious first. Concentrated extracts interact with medication in ways the whole plant does not, so this section carries more weight here than it does on a food page.
Worth knowing
Essentially all human research on poria involves preparations containing many other herbs. A single-ingredient capsule has no trial evidence of its own, and the traditional rationale assumes the rest of the formula.
Worth knowing
Imported traditional preparations have repeatedly been found containing heavy metals or undeclared pharmaceuticals. Sourcing from a supplier that publishes contaminant testing is the practical safeguard.
Interaction
Interacts withLoop and thiazide diuretics
A traditional diuretic taken alongside prescribed diuretics raises the possibility of excess fluid and electrolyte loss, particularly potassium. This has not been quantified in people.
Avoid
There is no modern safety evaluation of poria in pregnancy or breastfeeding, which is reason enough to avoid concentrated extracts then.