Five-finger hairy peach, also known as Five-finger Dragon, Radix Astragali, Five-finger Milk, Guangdong Ginseng, etc., is the dry root of Ficus crassifolia, a Moraceae plant. Because its leaves look like five fingers, and the leaves have fine hairs, the fruits are like hairy peaches when they are ripe, so it is named "Five-finger hairy peach".
Morphology and distribution of five-finger peach
Peach with five fingers is a typical southern medicine, which is the root of Ficus crassifolia in Moraceae. Ficus crassifolia only grows in southern areas such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Southwest China, Fujian, etc. It is generally distributed in mountainous areas with an altitude of 500~ 1000 meters, and likes warm and humid climate.
Just listening to the name, many people may think that five-fingered peaches are fruits similar to peaches, but this is not the case. Five-fingered peaches are mostly born in deep mountains and valleys, and the reason why they are called five-fingered peaches is mainly because their leaves look like people's five fingers, and their leaves are covered with fine hairs, and some mature fruits look like peaches, hence the name.
The name of five-finger peach is very vivid. Its leaves are mostly 3~5 deep-parted, just like the hands with five fingers open, while the fruit has a tumor on its surface. In Guangdong, people prefer to call it "Five Clawed Dragon" affectionately. Maybe you don't know about five-fingered peaches in Guangdong, but when it comes to "five-claw dragon", many uncles and grandmothers will tell you a lot about using it to make soup and medicine.