苓 (líng): Poria (a medicinal fungus)

Meanings

茯苓是常用的中药，常用来祛湿。

Fúlíng shì chángyòng de zhōngyào, cháng yònglái qūshī.

Poria is a common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, often used to drain dampness.

龟苓膏是用龟板和茯苓做的。

Guīlínggāo shì yòng guībǎn hé fúlíng zuò de.

Guangdong herbal jelly is made from tortoise shell and Poria.

usage

苓 mostly appears in herb names: 茯苓 ('Poria fungus') and 猪苓 ('Polyporus'), both well-known dampness-draining medicinals.

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant

艹 is the grass radical on top, the standard marker for plant and herb names — fitting for the medicinal 苓.

phonetic

令 lìng

to order; command

令 under the grass radical supplies the sound, drifting from lìng to líng. It carries no meaning here.

苓 líng