Eleutherococcus, an important herb to tonify liver and kidney

What is Eleutherococcus(Wu Jia Pi)? If you happen to live in the west and know something about Eleutherococcus, most likely it is the Eleutherococcus senticosus that rings a bell to you. Also known as Siberian ginseng or Eleuthero in the English-speaking world, it is usually considered a relative of Panax ginseng, one of the best-known restorative and adaptogenic tonic used in Traditional Chinese medicine. However, this is a genus in the family Araliaceae rather than a specific species. Statistically there are 38 species in the genus Eleutherococcus worldwide. These shrubs are covered with thorns and indigenous to the east of Asia. No wonder it is originally referred to as Acanthopanax, which means "thorny ginseng" since trees in this genus are characterized by their thorns.

However, try not to confuse Siberian ginseng with Eleutherococcus bark even though this name sometimes is given to a few species, especially E. gracilistylus (Acanthopanax gracilistylus), a vertical, blue deciduous plant. Other species that are used the same way include Acanthopanax sessiliflorus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Seem., Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms, A. cissifolius (Griff.) Harms, A. leucorrhizus (Oliv.) Harms, A. henryi (Oliv.) Harms, A. giraldii Harms, and more. As mentioned above, the main medicinal part of them is the root bark. In China Acanthopanax gracilistylus is mainly produced in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. The herb is usually dug out in summer and autumn. After it is peeled, it still needs to be dried in the sun and cut into thick slices before the use.

Eleutherococcus bark health benefits
Medicinally it is easy to use, in the forms of decoction, pills, or wine. Medicinal Eleutherococcus liquor, the Eleutherococcus bark based soaked wine, is a very popular tonic among the people. Medicinal liquor occupies an important position in Chinese culture. And according to the TCM theories different medicated wine fit differently depending on different seasons and people. When it comes to Eleutherococcus wine, it is ideal for cold winter. Actually in some places it is considered an essential regimen for the purpose of dispelling cold-damp while warming and tonifying liver-kidney.

In ancient times many Eleutherococcus species could be used medicinally. Besides of E. gracilistylus (South Wu Jia), Periploca sepium Bge, a plant species in the family Asclepiadaceae, also shares the name Wu Jia (north). Apparently they belong to different family and possess different healing power.