Yichun Eleutherococcus senticosus

Yichun Eleutherococcus senticosus

　　Yichun District is located in the heart of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, boasting an unparalleled environment for the growth of northern medicinal herbs. Over 80 types of traditional Chinese medicinal plants, such as Eleutherococcus senticosus, ginseng, lily, ganoderma, fritillaria, and goji berries, thrive here in mutual interdependence. The area also attracts a variety of wild animal-derived medicinal resources, making it a treasure trove of both plant and animal-based herbal medicines. Known among pharmaceutical experts as the “Capital of Northern Medicinal Herbs,” it enjoys high favor and praise from consumers.

Eleutherococcus senticosus, also known as Siberian ginseng, is a thorny shrub belonging to the Araliaceae family, distinct from the Panax genus of ginseng. Research in medicine both in China and abroad has shown that its pharmacological effects and clinical efficacy are very similar to those of ginseng. As a result, Eleutherococcus senticosus, used as a substitute for ginseng, has since ancient times been praised as being more precious than gold or jade. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, written by the Ming Dynasty pharmacologist Li Shizhen, several ancient individuals who lived over 300 years—such as Zhang Zisheng, Yang Jianshi, Wang Shule, and Yu Shiyan—owed their longevity to Eleutherococcus senticosus. Taoist practitioners even regarded it as the herb of immortality. Li Shizhen lauded Eleutherococcus senticosus as a “superior-grade herb from the Classic of Materia Medica,” capable of “invigorating the spleen and replenishing qi, strengthening muscles and bones, fortifying the will, and, with prolonged use, lightening the body and delaying aging.” He also specifically quoted a folk saying: “Better to have a handful of Eleutherococcus than a cart full of gold and jade.”

Eleutherococcus senticosus is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 6 meters tall. It is richly branched, with dense, downward-pointing fine straight prickles. Its palmately compound leaves are alternate, usually with 5 leaflets; the leaf stalks are covered with rough hairs or fine prickles. The umbellate inflorescence is solitary at the apex or forms a panicle of 2–6 umbels; the flowers are purple-yellow and pentamerous. The berry is nearly spherical, black, with five ribs and persistent styles. The flowering period is from June to July, and the fruiting period from August to October. It is distributed across provinces in the northeast and north China regions. The root bark is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, effective for dispelling wind-dampness, strengthening muscles and bones, and enhancing the body’s resistance; the tender shoots and young leaves are edible.