Common Name: Wu Jia Pi

General Information

Eleutherococcus nodiflorus is a usually prickly, deciduous shrub, sometimes adopting a more climbing habit, that can grow up to 3 metres tall. The branches are slender, slightly pendulous, forming both long and short shoots[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is cultivated as a medicinal plant in Vietnam[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southeast China, southern Korea.

Habitat

Wasted slopes or shrub thickets[]. Forest margins, scrub fields, mountain slopes, valleys, stream
banks, roadsides; at elevations up to 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Eleutherococcus nodiflorus is a moderately cold-hardy plant, being able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c when fully dormant. Plants are hardy to at least -10 to -15°c if they are sheltered from cold winds[].
Species in this genus are usually easy to grow and tolerant of a wide range of soils and conditions. They generally grow best in a well-drained, open loamy soil, succeeding in full sun to moderate shade[]. They tolerate poor soils and atmospheric pollution[].
This species is closely related to Eleutherococcus sieboldianus[].

Edible Uses

Flowers[]. No more details are given.

Medicinal

The leafy shoots are tonic and are also believed to alleviate internal injuries by dispelling blood[].

The root bark is antibacterial, antirheumatic and diuretic[]. It is used in the treatment of arthritis, backache and a host of other ailments.
A medicinal wine made from it is commonly on sale in China[].

A decoction of the stem bark or the roots is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, aches and pains in the back and legs, open sores on the scrotum, beriberi and traumatic injuries[].

The plant is aphrodisiac, nutritive and tonic[].


Trials have shown that extracts from the leaves are effective for treating hypoglycaemia and for improving fat metabolism due to diabetes[].

Other Uses

An extract of the roots is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an emollient, humectant and skin conditioner[].
An extract of the root bark is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an antioxidant[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame[]. It can be slow to germinate. Stored seed requires 6 months warm followed by 3 months cold stratification[] and can be very slow to germinate[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least the first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[, ].
Cuttings of ripe wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 30cm long in a cold frame[].
Root cuttings in late winter[].
Division of suckers in the dormant season[].