Acanthopanax senticosus

Chinese Name: Acanthopanax senticosus

[category]: leather

Slenderstyle acanthopanax root bark

[alias]: nanwujiapi, Wuhua, xiaowuzhufeng, wupifeng, jijiaofeng.

[source]: it is the root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus w.w.smith.

[harvesting]: in summer and autumn, the root bark is peeled and dried.

[nature and taste]: warm in nature, pungent and bitter in taste.

[plant morphology]: deciduous, sometimes creeping. Branches without spines or solitary flat spines at base of petiole. Metacarpal compound leaves alternate, clustered on short branches, leaflets usually 5, obovate or oblanceolate, margin serrate, glabrous on both sides or sparsely setose along veins. Umbels axillary; flowers small, calyx teeth 5; petals 5; yellow green; stamens 5; ovary inferior, 2-locular, style 2, separate. Berry shaped drupe subglobose, black. Seeds 2, flat, small. The flowering period is July and the fruiting period is September to October.

[growing place]: in forest edge, roadside or shrub. It is mainly produced in Hubei and Henan, and also in Liaoning and Anhui.

[chemical composition]: the root bark contains kaurenoicacid, syringin, isofraxedinoside, β - sitosterol, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, vitamin B1, etc.

[function indications]: dispelling wind and dampness, tonifying liver and kidney, strengthening muscles and bones. It is used for rheumatic arthralgia, flaccid muscles and bones, infantile tardiness, weakness, edema and beriberi.

[note]: the root bark is irregularly coiled, 5-15cm long, 0.4-1.4cm in diameter and 1-3mm in thickness. The outer surface is grayish brown, with longitudinal wrinkles and long pores; the inner surface is light yellow or grayish yellow, with fine longitudinal lines. It is brittle, with irregular fracture surface and dark grayish yellow. The flavor is slightly spicy and bitter.