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Tonify the Heart
The indications are roughly similar to those of Poria (Fuling), but while Poria acts more on the Spleen and Kidney, Fu Shen acts more on the Heart. It opens the orifices of the Heart, enhances intelligence, calms the soul, and nourishes the spirit. It treats wind-induced vertigo, forgetfulness due to Heart deficiency, and irritability.
(Fu Shen is) the part of Poria that grows wrapped around the root. (Wang Ang's note: Because it embraces the heartwood, it can tonify the Heart.) Use after removing the outer skin and the central woody core.
The heartwood of Fu Shen is called Huang Song Jie (Yellow Pine Joint). It treats various tendon spasms and contractures, hemiplegia (Pian Feng), facial paralysis (Xie Mu), cardiac palpitations with pulling pain, and forgetfulness. (Formula: One qian of heartwood and one liang of Frankincense (Ruxiang), stir-fried in a stone mortar and ground into powder, named Song Jie San. Take two qian per dose, washed down with Quince (Mugua) decoction, to treat all types of tendon spasm and pain. This is because Frankincense extends the tendons, and Quince relaxes them.)

Promote water metabolism, move blood and dissipate stasis, calm the spirit
Sweet and neutral in nature. Because pine resin penetrates the soil to form the solid Poria, it can soothe the Heart by unblocking obstructions. It calms the soul and treats mania and madness (when combined with heavy sedatives, it calms the Heart spirit).
Its red color enters the Blood aspect of the Hand-Shaoyin Heart Meridian and Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian; therefore, it can eliminate blood stasis, break up masses (Zheng Jia), generate flesh, and heal metal wounds (when combined with acrid-warm herbs, it breaks blood stasis and generates tissue). Its sweet and bland flavor ascends, enabling Lung Qi to descend and thus promoting bladder function (The Classic says: Food enters the Stomach, its essence floats and overflows. It is transported upward to the Spleen, where Spleen Qi scatters the essence, which returns upward to the Lung. The Lung regulates water passages, transporting them downward to the Bladder. All diuretic herbs act by ascending first and then descending). Therefore, it treats the five types of strangury (Wu Lin), promotes urination, and dries dampness in the Spleen Earth (when combined with bland-draining herbs, it opens orifices and promotes water movement. However, mineral drugs are ultimately drying; if there is blood deficiency with difficult urination, it may only cause the suffering of dryness and urgency). It also brightens the eyes and grinds away corneal opacities.
Pine resin penetrates the soil and hardens over many years; some say it is formed from Maple resin. The genuine product is identified by the ability to attract mustard seeds when rubbed until warm (Market vendors often fake it by boiling chicken eggshells and green fish otoliths. Rubbing and exhaling can also attract mustard seeds, so one must distinguish carefully). Boil with Powder of Platycladi Seed (Baizi Ren) in a clay pot for half a day, then pound into powder for use.

Dry dampness and dispel wind
This is the "bone" of the pine tree, hard and resilient without wilting; therefore, its bitter-warm nature is used to treat wind-dampness in the joints (Zhu Danxi said: It can dry dampness within the blood). It is best crushed and soaked in wine (used in Shi Guo Gong Medicinal Wine).
Song Zhi (Pine Resin) is bitter, sweet, and drying. It dispels wind, removes dampness, resolves toxicity, kills parasites, generates flesh, and relieves pain. Health cultivators refine and consume it; now it is mostly used in prepared pastes (For dental caries with holes, inserting Song Zhi causes the worms to emerge from the resin).
Song Mao (Pine Needles) are used to brew wine (boiled juice replaces water); they also treat wind-bi syndrome and beriberi (Hong Jiao Jiao).