ABSTRACT
Apart from other species of Panax that sometimes enter the commercial market, there are several plants from completely different sources that are sometimes known as “ginsengs”.
The best known is undoubtedly Eleuthero, the misnamed Siberian ginseng, which comprises the roots and rhizomes of the erect Araliaceous shrub Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maximowicz (=Acanthopanax senticosus). The plant grows freely and abundantly in eastern Siberia, the northern Chinese regions of Shan-si and Hop-ei, and in Korea. The plant is known in northeast China as ciwuija (pronounced “su wah ja”). A shrub growing to about 2-3 m in height, it is characterised by downward-pointing, spiky thorns, a feature giving rise to its common names of devil’s bush and touch-me-not and to its specific name senticosus (Latin for prickly or spiky). It is also known colloquially as wild pepper. The aerial stems and branches are covered with a light grey or greyish-brown bark. Being Araliaceous, the leaves of this species do resemble ginseng, being palmately divided and long stalked. The leaves bear tiny serrations and prickles on their margins. The flowers, which bloom in July, are small, the male being violet and the female yellow, and are arranged in umbellate formations. The glossy, oval, berry-like fruits turn black as ripening takes place in September. The slender, cylindrical, branched rhizomes are loosely called roots and are pale yellowish brown in colour with a yellowish brown cortex and a white central pith. The rhizome is soft when fresh and hardens on drying; it has a strong, agreeable odour and a spicy and not unpleasant taste.
