Abstract: Poria cocos, a medicinal and edible fungus, has great medicinal and edible value. P. cocos contains terpenoids, polysaccharides, sterols and other chemical components, endowing it with various biological functions such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and kidney protective activities as well as therapeutic effects on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease treatment, regulatory effect on lipid metabolism, immune modulatory effect, and regulatory effects on the intestinal and nervous systems. In this paper, recent studies on the biological activity of P. cocos are systematically summarized in order to provide a deep understanding of its medicinal and nutritional effects, offering a basis for future research, development and application of P. cocos.

Key words: Poria cocos; anti-inflammatory; anti-cancer; lipid metabolism