Eleutherococcus senticosus

Eleutherococcus senticosus, “Eleuthérocoque” in French, is often wrongly called “Siberian ginseng” (Panax ginseng also belongs to the Araliaceae botanical family, but to a different genus).

Native to East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Siberia), it grows in scrub fields, mixed and coniferous mountain forests, roadsides and valleys, below 2000m.

A shrub growing to 2 m, its root and root bark are a very common folk medicine in China and Russia where it is used as a ginseng substitute. Its claim as an anti-stress agent makes it widely used as a tonic against stress and pressure. Research has validated its activity against infection and lack of stamina, but its potential uses as an adaptogen and for many other ailments remain to be proved.

The root’s main constituents are lignans, sesamin (eleutheroside B4), syringaresinol, phenylpropanoids (syringin), coumarins (esculin), beta-sitosterol and daucosterol.

• English name Siberian ginseng
• French name Eleuthérocoque