Substance basis of warm nature of Poria cocos

OBJECTIVE: The research indicated that the nature of Chinese medicine is mainly related to body's substance and energy metabolism. The purpose of the study is to elucidate the substance basis for warm nature of Poria cocos (called Fuling (FL) in Chinese). METHODS: In terms of the effects of its separated fractions on the substance and energy metabolism in rat models of cold-deficiency with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (called Fuzi (FZ) in Chinese), with hot nature, as reference drug. Biochemical indexes in the material metabolism, energy metabolism, endocrine system, nervous system and nucleotide system were determined, then analyzed by additive, cluster and principal component analysis (PCA). RESULTS: The medicinal natures of oligosaccharides and amino acids fractions were attributable to plain and crude polysaccharides, volatile oils and triterpenoids fractions were attributable to mild warm. CONCLUSION: The nature of FL was regarded as mild warm based on the old records of Chinese medicine and fractions of crude polysaccharides, volatile oils and triterpenoids might be the main substance basis for the warm nature of FL. It is the first time that substance basis of FL was elucidated from view point of medicinal nature.