True Fu Ping
True Fu Ping
Published on August 13th, 2009 @ 11:17:09 am , using 143 words, 676 views
by Eric Brand
This photo is True Fu Ping (Spirodelae Herba). Note the very small leaves.
Frequently, the product sold as fú píng in the West is not the plant listed in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, but rather is Pistiae Herba (from Pistia stratioides), a common substitute in Southern China. Also known as dà fú píng, Pistiae Herba has the same nature and flavor as fú píng (Spirodelae Herba), but it has slightly different actions and indications.
Dà fú píng (Pistiae Herba) cools and quickens the blood, and also disinhibits urine and expels dampness. It treats dormant papules (urticaria), cinnabar toxin (erysipelas), water drum, damp sores, knocks and falls, and innominate toxin swellings (localized pain and swelling that suddenly appears on any part of the body). It is decocted at a dose range of 9–15 g, and may also be applied topically as a wash.
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When we ran a large clinic with a full dispensary of 600 herbs, we used to buy our herbs from a supplier in SF Chinatown. They were Cantonese, and now I realize they sold us Da Fu Ping. I remember once wondering why pond algae looked like large green leaves. 
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