Acanthopanax Bark

Other Names : wu jia pi
Acanthopanax bark is the outer covering, or peel, of the eleuthero, known by some practitioners as Siberian ginseng. This article will refer to the specific properties of the bark.

The benefits of Acanthopanax Bark are

Pungent and bitter in flavour, warm in nature, it acts on liver and kidney channels. Being pungent for dispersing exopathogens, bitter and dry for eliminating dampness, warm for dispersing cold and tonifying liver and kidney, muscles and tendons, the herb is suitable for syndromes of prolonged wind-dampness disease, muscular spasm, deficiency of liver and kidney, asthenia of muscle.
Effects: Expelling wind-dampness, thonifying the muscle and bone, diuresis to alleviate edema.

• For arthralgia caused by wind-dampness with protracted course and deficiency of liver and kidney, it is used together with achyranthes and cyathular root (Radix Achyranthis bidentatae et Radix Cyathulae), eucommia bark (Cortex Eucommiae) and morinda root (Radix Morindae officinalis) to expel the wind-dampness, tonify the liver and kidney.
• For insufficiency of liver and kidney, asthenia of muscle, retardation due to infantile insufficiency of kidney, it is used together with achyranthes and cyathula root (Radix Achyeanthis bidentatae et Radix Cyathulae), chaenomeles fruit (Fructus Chaenomelis), loranthus mulberry mistletoe (Ramulus Loranthis) and tiger bone (Os Tigris) to nourish the kidney, strengthen the muscle and bone.
• For edema and difficulty in urination due to deficiency of spleen and stagnation of dampness, it is used in combination with white atractylodes rhizome (Rhizoma Atratylodis macrocephalae) and poria (Poria) to tonify Qi, eliminate liquid retention and relieve edema.