(Fwd) Correct Pinyin and Latin Name for SIBERIAN GINSENG?

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Hi CHM Herbalists,

 

Can you comment on the following: What is the correct Pinyin and Latin

name for SIBERIAN GINSENG? Some authors make a clear distinction

between Ciwujia and Wujiapi; others use them interchangeably.

 

Ciwujia = Rx Acanthopanacis Senticosi; Slenderstyle Acanthopanax Rx;

Manyprickle Acantopanax Root; Siberian Ginseng]

 

Wujiapi = Slenderstyle Acanthopanax Cx; Cx Acanthopanacis gracilistyli

/ senticosi / sessiflori

 

However, several Chinese sourcees say that Wujiapi is also called

Wujiafeng, Ciwujia and Nanwujiapi. I searched Google for the HANZI

term for all of those names together. See: http://tinyurl.com/4pwjr

 

Also, I searched Google for the HANZI term for Ciwujia AND Wujiapi,

plus the HANZI term for Bieming (= aka, or " another name for " . See:

http://tinyurl.com/6r7ob

 

Therefore, it would seem that Ciwujia AND Wujiapi are used

interchangeably (as if they are functionally identical), and that the term

SIBERIAN GINSENG can embrace either herb.

 

http://tinyurl.com/5voey says:

Question: What is Siberian Ginseng?

Answer: Chinese Name: Ciwujia (incorrectly called, in America,

Siberian Ginseng). The root, rhizomes (underground stem) and leaves

are used. " Siberian ginseng " products that are sold in America have

nothing in common with any other kind of ginseng. The Siberian ginseng

plant is a shrub of 1-3m tall, while the ginseng plant is herbaceous. It

does not have any similarity in looks to Chinese ginseng, Korean

ginseng, or American ginseng. It is called Siberian ginseng in America

for advertising purposes.

Latin Botanical Name: Eleutherococcus senticosus, Acanthopanax

senticosus.

Common Name: Devil's root, touch-me-not, Siberian ginseng.

Distribution: Northern China, Korea, Japan, and southeastern Russia.

Properties: Warm and bitter.

Meridians Entered: LU, SP, KI.

Actions and Indications: Chronic bronchitis, neurasthenia, low sexual

function, weakness, low white cell count after radiation therapy.

Antistress, immunostimulant, Anticancer and Antiaging, reduce effects

of radiation, improve adrenal function. Expel Damp & Bi pain, Expel Wei

/ weakness in lower limbs, insomnia, tiredness, dizziness due to

weakness and anxiety. Dosage: 9-30g for boiling with water and to be

used as tea. In tablets or capsules: each dose = about 3g of dry root.

Chemical Ingredients: Rx has glucosides (0.6~0.9%): daucosterol,

acanthosides A,B,B1,C,D,E, isofraxidinglucoside, ethyl-alpha-D-

galactoside, syringaresinol glucoside, syringin, hyperin. Benefits: 1.

Improves function of megalocytes. 2. Improves antigen. 3. Antifatigue

effect is stonger than that of ginseng. 4. Anticancer & Antileukemia in

mice. Increase the rate of the formation of e-rosette of laboratory mice.

5. Oral extracts increases the ability to handle stress/adverse physical

conditions, improve mental performance, and enhance the quality of

work under stressful conditions. 6. According to School of Food and

Nutrition of Bu Ren University in Taiwan, it improves the oxygen intake

up to 8.2% on 20 athletes after taking 400mg per day of Ciwujia for 4

weeks. 7. Dilates coronary arteries. Caution: To avoid adjustment to

herb, use for no longer than 60 consecutive days, followed by a period

of 2-3 weeks of abstinence before using it again. May not be suitable

for yinxu (yin deficient) type of bodies.

 

http://alternativehealing.org/wuJiaPi.htm says: Wujiapi: Pharmaceutical

name: Cortex Acanthopanacis Gracilistyli Radicis Latin botanical name:

Acanthopanax spinosus / gracilistylus; Common Name: acanthopanax

root bark. Properties: warm, spicy. bitter; Channels: KI, LV; Actions &

Indications: dispels cold dampness pain, rheumatism, weakness in

joints and muscles, aids in development of walking in toddlers, for

urination difficulty, edema, and for reducing swelling. Dosage: 4.5-15g.

Has: syringin, (-)ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid, 16 aplpha hydroxy-I-

kauran-19-oic acid, stearic acid, d-sesamin, vitamins A and B, calcium

oxalate, palmic acid. Modern Research: northern wujiapi is HT stimulant

& cardiotoxic. Caution: Herb gatherers in N China usually use Gangliupi

(belongs to the Sclepiadaceae family) as " northern wuji pi. " Most herb

stores use northern wujiapi in making wujiapi wine. According to

research of Zhao Zi Huang, long term use of wujiapi wine causes death.

Toxic reactions of wujiapi wine made from northern wuji pi include

blindness, numbness in limbs, dizziness, and headache; long term use

may cause death. Caution in yin deficiency and excessive heat.

 

http://alternativehealing.org/ci%20wu%20jia.htm says: Siberian Ginseng

Ciwujia (incorrectly called, in America, Siberian Ginseng.) Root, rhizome

and leaves are used. " Siberian ginseng " products that are sold in

America [are not the same as] any kind of ginseng. " Siberian ginseng "

plant is a shrub, 1-3m tall, while ginseng plant is herbaceous. Ciwujia

has no similarity in looks to Chinese ginseng, Korean ginseng or

American ginseng. It is called Siberian ginseng in America for

advertising purposes. It was first introduced into the American herb

market in the late 1970s as " Wuchaseng " and " Wujiaseng. " (Wujiasen

???) There appears to be no historical precedent in Chinese traditions

to applying the qualifier " seng ( ? or short for ginseng ) " to E. senticosus

(Shiu Ying Hu, 1979). The correct Chinese name is Ciwujia. The US

Congressional amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act

– signed into law in May 2002 – eliminates any confusion regarding what

is true ginseng. Now only the genus Panax can be called ginseng on

labeling or in advertising. Ciwujia is closer to Wujiapi than to Ginseng.

 

http://www.holistic-online.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h384.htm says:

Name: Acanthopanax Biological Name: Acanthopanacis

gracilistyliradicis (Araliaceae). Other Names: acanthopanax, Wujiapi

Parts Used: Root bark Remedies For: Antirheumatic, diuretic, circulatory

stimulant. This herb is closely related to Siberian ginseng and is

believed to be very useful for the circulation of blood and qi. It also

relieves fluid stagnation. Thus, it is useful for the elderly and for

underdeveloped or slow-to-develop children. It is effective for chronic

rheumatic and arthritic conditions caused by cold, wind, and dampness

and for weakness of the bones and sinews. Dosage: 3-12g; Preparation:

Soak 30 grams of the herb in a 1/2 quart of strong spirits, such as vodka

or gin. Take a teaspoon 3 times daily. Safety: This herb should not be

used when there is yin deficiency with heat signs.

 

http://tinyurl.com/6r3w7 says: Siberian Ginseng Eleutheroccocus

senticosus AKA Acanthopanax senticosus This shrub, a Russian

relative of China's popular herb ginseng, also grows in northeast China,

on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, and in Korea. In Russia, it

occurs in forest undergrowth and margins. In China, this herb is called

Ciwujia, and this name has appeared on some packaging in the United

States as well. It is also referred to as eleuthero, eleuthero-ginseng, or

eleuthera. Other nonscientific names include devil's shrub, shigoka, and

touch-me-not, presumably because of its thorns. Other Chinese herbs

have names that can appear similar in transliteration and may be

confounded with eleuthero: Wujiapi, the bark of E. gracilistylus; or

Wujia, the bark of a totally unrelated plant, Periploca sepium. This

confusion can unfortunately make it difficult to be sure that the eleuthero

on the US market in any given package is truly E. senticosus. The

medicinal use of Ciwujia was first described in the early Chinese Herbal

Classic of the Divine Plowman around 100 b.c. In TCM, Ciwujia is

considered to improve qi, treat deficiencies of yang in the spleen and

the kidney, and bring bodily functions back to normal. It has been used

in recent decades in northeastern China to treat heart problems,

rheumatism, and bronchitis. Elsewhere in China, eleuthero is believed

helpful in maintaining health and increasing vigor, rather like a general

tonic. It is readily available, inexpensive, and widely used as a substitute

for panax ginseng. The Chinese use it for a wide range of problems,

such as stomachache, headache, women's problems, and impotence. It

is also believed useful for maintaining memory into old age. The part of

the plant used is the dried root together with the rhizome. Most of the

research on E. senticosus was conducted in Russia. Like ginseng,

eleuthera has been considered an " adaptogen. " In the Soviet Union it

was far more widely available than Panax ginseng, which explains the

popularity of this substitution. Studies published in the late 1950s and

early 1960s were the basis for its approval as a human drug by the

Soviet Ministry of Health. As an adaptogen, it was believed to have

minimal side effects and to have nonspecific benefits allowing the

person taking it to withstand stress better. It was also expected to bring

bodily functions back toward normal, regardless of the direction of their

deviation. Because of the Soviet research, E. senticosus is popular in

Russia with many different people whose jobs or athletic endeavors are

taxing: soldiers, cosmonauts, athletes, deep-sea divers, and so forth.

Active Ingredients E. senticosus root contains a number of glucosides,

including the glucoside of beta-sitosterol, eleutheroside B1, which is a

coumarin derivative, and eleutherosides C, D, E, F, and G.

Nonglucoside constituents include l-sesamen and syringaresinol. Other

ingredients of eleuthero root may also be relevant to its activity. They

include saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. At least thirty-five

compounds have been identified in the root, and while the constituents

of the leaves differ significantly, the leaves are not used medicinally.

Uses Quite a bit of research has been conducted on the effects of E.

senticosus, but most of the studies have been published in Chinese or

in Russian. As already noted, the herb is used in Russia to improve

physical performance and to bolster individuals against the mental and

physical effects of stress. A placebo-controlled study in rats failed to

confirm that either ginseng or eleuthero could increase the animals "

endurance for swimming in cold water. The rats given eleuthero did

exhibit more aggressive behavior, however, suggesting a possible effect

on the brain. Eleuthero saponins did, however, increase survival time of

oxygen-deprived animals in other experiments. Saponins extracted from

eleuthero can lower blood sugar in mice with experimentally induced

diabetes. It appears to have little effect on blood sugar in animals

without hyperglycemia. Eleuthero extracts added to cancer cells in a test

tube increase the effectiveness of anticancer drugs. Further studies are

needed in animals and in humans before anyone can evaluate whether

this activity will prove clinically useful. Eleuthero compounds have very

little ability to protect animals against the harmful effects of radiation. In

healthy humans, however, an injection of eleuthero polysaccharides

increased immune system activity, especially boosting the number and

activation of T cells. Eleuthero extracts apparently bind to receptors for

estrogen, progestin, glucocorticoids, and mineralocorticoids. More than

2,200 people have received eleuthero in studies of its effects on

atherosclerosis, diabetes, blood pressure abnormalities (both high and

low), bronchitis, head trauma, and rheumatic heart disease. The

findings in most of these studies were positive, although the herb should

not be considered a " cure. " In Germany, eleuthero is approved as a

tonic to invigorate a person in times of fatigue, as an antidote to poor

concentration and diminished work capacity, and as an aid to

convalescence. In China, it is used to treat the headaches and heart

palpitations that result from altitude sickness. Research there has also

shown that eleuthero saponins are able to block calcium channels and

change the electrical reactivity of heart tissue cultures. It has a calming

effect on the central nervous system and is said to improve digestion.

One interesting study in rats showed that it prevents birth defects, but it

has not been tested in pregnant women. Dose In healthy people

undergoing stress, the dose of E. senticosus ranges from 2 to 16 ml of a

33 percent alcohol extract taken one to three times daily. This offers a

wide range of possible dosing. It is taken for up to sixty days, and then

at least two or three weeks elapse before it is taken again. As many as

five courses have been administered to people from nineteen to

seventy-two years old in Russian studies. People suffering from

illnesses generally take lower doses. The same alcohol extract would be

given in doses from 0.5 ml to 6 ml one to three times per day. They take

the herb for one month, then cease taking it for at least two or three

weeks before starting again. Special Precautions People experiencing

acute health crises, such as heart attack or fever, should not take

eleuthero. Eleuthero is not recommended for people with high blood

pressure. Because of research suggesting that eleuthero may lower

blood sugar, diabetics should carefully monitor blood sugar if they take

this herb. Discuss this issue with your physician. There is not adequate

information to determine if this herb is safe during pregnancy. The most

prudent approach is to avoid it. Adverse Effects Eleuthero, like Panax

ginseng, appears to have a very good safety record. Millions of

Russians have taken it over the years, and Chinese people have been

taking ci wu jia for centuries. Side effects, other than mild sedation, do

not appear to have been reported. This may reflect the conventions of

publishing scientific reports in China and in Russia as much as it

demonstrates a true lack of adverse reactions, however. At least one

report of a negative consequence from eleuthero involved a child born

with excessive hair. The baby's mother had reportedly been taking a

" Siberian ginseng " preparation; however, the herb was not eleuthero

after all but Periploca sepium. Eleuthero does not appear to contain

compounds likely to cause such an effect (nor, for that matter, does P.

sepium). Expectant mothers should be warned, however, that there is

little information on the safety of this herbal medicine during pregnancy

so it should not be used. Possible Interactions Animal research

demonstrated that eleuthero can increase the effects of barbiturates. In

theory, then, anyone taking Fiorinal might become more sedated than

usual if he or she also took eleuthero. Eleuthero may increase the

effectiveness of antibiotics because it stimulates the immune response.

A Canadian physician reported another potential drug interaction. Her

patient, a seventy-four-year-old man on digoxin, had an unexplained

increase in serum digoxin levels when tested. The levels remained high

after the medicine was discontinued. When the man stopped taking his

" Siberian ginseng, " his digoxin levels returned to normal, only to climb

again some months later when he began taking the herb again. He had

no other signs of digoxin toxicity. The physician was unable to determine

whether the herb had digoxinlike action, or whether it interfered in some

way with the test. Dr. Varro E. Tyler has suggested that the herb in

question may actually have been P. sepium, which contains glycosides

that might potentiate digitalis glycosides. No other reports of an

interaction between digoxin and eleuthero have been published, but for

people taking Lanoxin, a plant-derived medicine, it might be prudent to

avoid mixing it with medicinal plants such as eleuthero.

 

Best regards,

 

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