Mao Zhua Cao

Mao Zhua Cao is the tuberous root of Ranunculus ternatus, a small perennial buttercup of the family Ranunculaceae native to central and eastern China. The plant arises each spring from a cluster of slender, fleshy, spindle-shaped tuberous roots resembling tiny clawed fingers, which is the part collected for medicinal use and gives the herb its colloquial Chinese names. Slender erect stems 5 to 20 centimetres tall bear basal leaves on long petioles that are ternately divided into three rounded, lobed or toothed leaflets, while upper stem leaves are simpler and more linear. Solitary, glossy, bright yellow, five-petalled flowers about 1 centimetre across appear in early spring, followed by small heads of achenes. The species favours moist meadows, ditches, and grassy slopes below 1000 metres elevation.