Eleutherococcus is a genus of 38 species of thorny shrubs and trees in the family Araliaceae. They are native to eastern Asia, from southeast Siberia and Japan to the Philippines and Vietnam.
Perhaps the best known in the West is the species E. senticosus used as herbal medicine, and commonly known by such English names as Eleuthero or Siberian ginseng. This is also reflected in its formerly used genus name Acanthopanax meaning "thorny ginseng". The word "Eleutherococcus," from Greek, means "free-berried."
The European Medicines Agency has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of Eleutherococcus for any clinical condition.
Naming
The Chinese materia medica in question But the plant now given the common name wujia in China is specifically E. gracilistylus, and according to one source, the genuine crude drug must come from this species, and C. spinosum is only a substitute. A 10th century herbology text, Honzō wamyō (), introduced the Chinese wujia as an herb to be pronounced mu-ko-gi (), refers specifically to E. sieboldianus (Japanese name: hime-ukogi). (See #Species list below).
The taxonomical nomenclature in the botanical science also has had a sinuous history, so that Acanthopanax had been used as the proper genus name in China till recent years, while the West adopted Eleutherococcus as the official name. encouraged the planting of the ukogi as fencing around the homes of samurai retainers (E. sieboldianus was planted in the region
Species
thumb|Eleutherococcus trifoliatus
- Eleutherococcus baoxinensis
- Eleutherococcus brachypus
- Eleutherococcus cissifolius
- Eleutherococcus cuspidatus
- Eleutherococcus divaricatus, Ja:, aka oni-ukogi. Found in central and southern Japan, Korean peninsula, and Chinese mainland, with many flowers arranged in conical inflorescence
- Eleutherococcus eleutheristylus
- Eleutherococcus giraldii
- Eleutherococcus gracilistylus
- Eleutherococcus henryi
- Eleutherococcus higoensis, Ja:
- Eleutherococcus huangshanensis
- Eleutherococcus hypoleucus, Ja:, growing in limestone soils in Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
- Eleutherococcus japonicus, Ja:, aka tsukushi-ukogi, maruba-ukogi. Grows in hilly terrain, of Kanto, Tokai, Kii Peninsula.
- Eleutherococcus lasiogyne
- Eleutherococcus leucorrhizus
- Eleutherococcus nanpingensis
- Eleutherococcus nikaianus, Ja:, variety found in Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu with yellow-green flowers and blackish-purple fruits.
- Eleutherococcus nodiflorus
- Eleutherococcus pilosulus
- Eleutherococcus pseudosetulosus
- Eleutherococcus pubescens
- Eleutherococcus rehderianus
- Eleutherococcus rufinervis
- Eleutherococcus scandens
- Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim., (エゾウコギ), species found in Hokkaido, with many white flowers in globular clusters;
- Eleutherococcus seoulensis
- Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus
- Eleutherococcus setchuensis
- Eleutherococcus setulosus
- Eleutherococcus sieboldianus (Makino) Koidz., Ja:, native to China's mainland.
- Eleutherococcus simonii
- Eleutherococcus spinosus (L. f.) S.Y. Hu, Ja:, growing widely in Honshu and Shikoku, with white flowers in globular inflorescence
- Eleutherococcus stenophyllus
- Eleutherococcus trichodon, Ja:, found widely in Honshu and Shikoku
- Eleutherococcus trifoliatus (L. f.) S.Y. Hu
- Eleutherococcus verticillatus
- Eleutherococcus wardii
- Eleutherococcus wilsonii
- Eleutherococcus xizangensis
Formerly under Acanthopanax
- Various Eleutherococcus spp.
- Acanthopanax ricinifolium → Kalopanax septemlobus ()
- Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides, koshiabura (コシアブラ) → Chengiopanax sciadophylloides