Fo Shou

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, Buddha's hand or fingered citron, is a small evergreen shrub or tree in the Rutaceae, reaching 2 to 3 meters in height with stout, often crooked branches bearing stiff spines at the leaf axils. The leaves are large, oblong-elliptic, 8 to 15 cm long, with crenulate margins and a typical citrus-aromatic oil glands when crushed. Flowers are borne in small clusters, white with a purplish flush on the outside, fragrant, and produce a remarkable fruit divided lengthwise into elongated finger-like sections, pale yellow at maturity, with a thick aromatic rind and almost no pulp or juice. Native to northeastern India and southern China, the plant is widely cultivated in subtropical regions of China, Japan and Southeast Asia for its highly aromatic peel, which is rich in limonene and other monoterpenes. In traditional Chinese medicine the dried mature fruit, Fo Shou, is used to regulate Qi and harmonize the middle.