The efficacy and function of Acanthopanax slenderii

Acanthopanax sphenanthera is a common Chinese medicine in clinical practice. For people with poor physical constitution, eating Acanthopanax sphenanthera can help us better maintain our health. Today I will introduce Acanthopanax sphenanthera to you.

【English Name】 Slenderstyle Acanthopanax Root-bark

[Other names] Southern Acanthopanax, Five Flowers, Small Five Claws, Five Skin Wind, Chicken Foot Wind

[Source] It is the root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus WWSmith , a plant of the Araliaceae family. Dig up in summer and autumn, peel off the root bark and dry it in the sun.

[Original form] Deciduous shrub, sometimes creeping. Branches without thorns or with solitary flat thorn at base of petiole. The palmate compound leaves are alternate and clustered on short branches. The leaflets are usually 5, obovate or oblanceolate, with fine serrations on the margins, glabrous on both sides or sparsely bristled along the veins. Umbels are mostly axillary; flowers are small, with 5 calyx teeth; 5 petals; yellow-green; 5 stamens; ovary is inferior, 2-chambered, with 2 styles, separate. The berry-like drupe is nearly spherical and black. Seeds 2, flat and small. The flowering period is July, and the fruiting period is September to October.

[Habitat distribution] Growing on forest edge, roadside or in thickets. It is mainly produced in Hubei and Henan; it is also produced in Liaoning and Anhui.

[Chemical composition] The root bark contains kaurenoic acid, syringin, isofraxedinoside, β-sitosterol, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, vitamin B1, etc.

[Nature and flavor] Warm in nature, spicy and bitter in taste.

【Functions and indications】Relieve rheumatism, nourish the liver and kidneys, and strengthen the tendons and bones.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

Acanthopanax slenderii not only has multiple functions, but also has multiple ways of consumption in our lives, so it is loved by many people.