CHINESE HERB: FO SHOU

Finger lemon fruit

Name

Pinyin name: Fo Shou, Fo Shu, Fo Shou Gan

Latin name: Fructus Citri Sarcodactylis

English name: Finger Citron Fruit, Finger Lemon Fruit, Buddha’s Hand

Origin

The fruit of a thorny shrub or small tree named Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis in the Rutaceae family

Location and Harvest

Native to northwestern India and China

Collected in autumn when the fruit turns yellow

Properties

Taste: Pungent, sweet

Nature: Warm (Slightly warm); Liver, Lung, Stomach and Spleen meridians entered

Best qualities

Equal size, white pulp and strongly fragrant

Processing

Cut longitudinally into slices and dry in the sun or at a low temperature

Actions

- Spread and regulate Liver Qi

- Harmonize the Middle Jiao and strengthen the Spleen

- Dry dampness and resolve phlegm

Indications

- Symptoms including hypochondriac pain and oppression in the chest due to liver Qi stagnation

- Nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, abdominal fullness and distention due to Qi stagnation of spleen and stomach

- Sub-acute or chronic cough with profuse sputum due to phlegm- damp accumulation in lung

Dosage

3- 10 grams

Contraindications and Cautions

- Contraindicated for those with Qi Deficiency and Yin Deficiency with Heat

-Should not be used for early- stage cough from externally- contracted pathogenic influences