Eleutherococcus (Siberian Ginseng)
In short
Summary of findings for quick reference
Eleutherococcus senticosus, also called eleuthero or Siberian ginseng, is a prickly shrub of the Araliaceae family. It belongs to a different genus from Panax ginseng and has different characteristic constituents. In Chinese medicine the root is called Ci Wu Jia. Twentieth-century Soviet adaptogen research brought it international attention. The history of true ginseng cannot be transferred to this plant.
The 2014 EMA monograph describes traditional use of eleuthero for fatigue and weakness. Its assessment relies on long-standing use rather than establishing well-established medicinal efficacy. A monograph is not itself a product authorisation; it can inform the assessment of corresponding herbal medicines. Commission E and the WHO also describe tonic uses.
Clinical research is limited. Small studies, such as Kuo’s 2010 endurance trial in nine men, report some positive findings. In contrast, Schaffler and colleagues found no additional benefit of a root extract over stress management training alone in 2013. Immune-cell laboratory findings do not demonstrate a human immune benefit. Results for a particular extract cannot automatically be transferred to tea or other preparations. The EMA limits use to two months and advises medical consultation for symptoms lasting more than two weeks.
Clinical evidence ↔ Historical significanceWe display two separate evidence categories: clinical evidence from modern trials and historical significance from documented healing tradition. Both are valuable, but they answer different questions.Read more
In every encyclopedia entry we evaluate two distinct categories of evidence. Clinical evidence as used in trials meets a narrower but scientifically essential bar. At the same time, the hundreds of thousands of plant species worldwide have only partially been captured and tested in modern studies.
Alongside the trial picture our researchers compile a comprehensive overview of where and since when a plant has been used across different traditions of natural medicine. When a plant has been used as a medicinal plant in many cultures across many generations, that historical significance deserves to be visible too.
Our position: a truly informative overview emerges only when both categories sit side by side. We communicate transparently what counts as what.
Overview
Eleutherococcus senticosus, known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as Ci Wu Jia (刺五加) and commonly called eleuthero, is a prickly deciduous shrub of the Araliaceae family. It grows in temperate regions of the Russian Far East, China, Korea and Japan. The dried roots and rhizomes are traditionally used as a strengthening tonic. The epithet senticosus refers to the prickles on the shoots.
Despite the name Siberian ginseng, Eleutherococcus is not true ginseng. It belongs to the same family as Panax ginseng but to a different genus. Its characteristic constituents include eleutherosides, with eleutherosides B and E used as chemical markers for root preparations. The 2014 EMA monograph describes traditional use for fatigue and weakness. A preparation sold as Siberian ginseng or eleuthero is not interchangeable with a Panax ginseng preparation.
History
Eleuthero belongs to East Asian herbal medicine and is known in Chinese medicine as Ci Wu Jia. Soviet research brought it wider scientific attention in the twentieth century. Israel Brekhman and I. V. Dardymov published a paper in 1969 on plant substances proposed to increase nonspecific resistance. Their work shaped research on so-called adaptogens. The sources documented here do not establish precisely how far back Chinese use of this species’ roots and rhizomes extends.
Modern phytotherapeutic monographs are central to the European use of eleuthero. The German Commission E described it as a tonic for fatigue, declining working capacity and concentration, and convalescence. The 2014 EMA monograph assesses traditional use for fatigue and weakness. These documents concern Eleutherococcus and must not be conflated with monographs or historical records for Panax ginseng.
Mechanism
Eleuthero root contains several glycosides, lignans, coumarins and polysaccharides. Eleutheroside B, a phenylpropanoid glycoside called syringin, and eleutheroside E, a lignan glycoside, are important quality-control markers. These differ from the ginsenosides of true ginseng. Defined marker content helps characterise preparations but does not by itself establish clinical efficacy.
Proposed pathways include effects on the stress response and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Much of the evidence comes from cell and animal studies. Which constituents contribute to any effect in humans remains unresolved. Whole extracts may also act differently from isolated eleutherosides. Different chemical compositions of eleuthero and Panax ginseng do not imply that all cellular targets must differ.
Modern clinical research on Eleutherococcus senticosus is limited. In an open randomised trial of 144 adults in 2013, Schaffler and colleagues compared a specific root extract, stress management training and their combination. After eight weeks, adding the extract showed no advantage over training alone. Kuo and colleagues reported improvements in selected endurance measures in a placebo-controlled crossover trial of nine recreationally trained men in 2010. The small sample strongly limits certainty. Older Soviet sports and occupational studies are methodologically uneven and often do not meet current requirements for controlled trials.
The EMA monograph describes traditional medicinal use for fatigue and weakness. That assessment is not an authorisation of health claims for food supplements, nor does it establish well-established efficacy for performance enhancement or immune benefits. Use of the monographed preparations is limited to two months; symptoms persisting beyond two weeks or worsening call for medical advice. Overall, clinical evidence remains limited and specific to the preparation studied.
Evidence
| Outcome | Class | Grade | Effect | Studies | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptoms of asthenia, fatigue, and weakness (traditional)The EMA recognises traditional medicinal use for fatigue and weakness on the basis of long-standing use. In 2013, Schaffler and colleagues found no added benefit of a specific root extract over stress management training alone after eight weeks.Adults with subjective fatigue or convalescence | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Traditional Use | [1][2] | |
| Physical and exercise performanceKuo and colleagues reported improvements in selected endurance measures in a 2010 randomised crossover trial of nine recreationally trained men after eight weeks. The very small sample and inconsistent results of other studies do not establish a reliable general performance benefit.Recreationally active adults; small RCTs | EmergingEmerging research. Early small trials suggest an effect but await replication. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Mixed Effect | [3] | |
| Immunomodulatory activity (in vitro and animal)Laboratory and animal studies describe changes in selected immune parameters. In an in-vitro study by Steinmann and colleagues, the whole extract acted differently from isolated eleutherosides B and E. These findings do not establish a clinical immune benefit.In-vitro and animal models | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Lab Signal Only | [4] | |
| Tonifying use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (Ci Wu Jia)Chinese medicine uses the root as Ci Wu Jia, described as a strengthening tonic. This traditional context is distinct from clinical evidence of efficacy and from the history of true ginseng.Adults; classical TCM context | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Traditional Use |
Usage
Forms and preparation
Eleuthero is available as comminuted root for tea, root powder, and liquid or dry extracts. The EMA monograph describes tea as an infusion with boiling water. Extracts differ in their drug-to-extract ratio and extraction solvent. Findings for a particular extract therefore cannot automatically be applied to tea or another preparation. Because insomnia can occur, morning use is a practical option. Follow the preparation’s instructions, including whether to take it with food. When changing products, compare extraction ratio, solvent and composition as well as dose. Eleutheroside B and E content alone does not make two preparations equivalent.
Dosage
The EMA distinguishes preparations: for tea, it specifies 0.5 to 4 grams of comminuted root daily, infused in a total of 150 millilitres of boiling water and divided into one to three doses. For root powder, the daily amount is 0.75 to 3 grams. For a 1:1 liquid extract made with 30 to 40 percent ethanol, it specifies 2 to 3 millilitres daily. Dry extracts have their own doses depending on the extraction ratio and solvent. One generic milligram dose for all standardised extracts is therefore inappropriate. Follow your preparation’s instructions. Limit use to two months. If fatigue or weakness lasts more than two weeks or worsens, seek medical advice about the cause. Follow the preparation’s dosage instructions. The EMA monograph does not specify a fixed break for repeated courses.
Safety
Look-alikes
Similar plants and look-alikes
Panax ginseng (true ginseng)
Eleutherococcus and Panax ginseng belong to the Araliaceae family but to different genera. Eleuthero has different characteristic constituents and a separate European monograph. The name Siberian ginseng can therefore cause confusion. Eleutherococcus is a prickly shrub, whereas Panax ginseng is a low herbaceous perennial with red fruit. A product labelled Siberian ginseng is not a Panax ginseng preparation.
Read the entry: GinsengFAQs
Is Siberian ginseng the same as true ginseng (Panax ginseng)?
No. Eleutherococcus senticosus, often called Siberian ginseng or eleuthero, belongs to the same Araliaceae family as Panax ginseng but belongs to a different genus and is not the same plant. The characteristic constituents differ: Eleutherococcus contains eleutherosides, Panax ginseng contains ginsenosides. The traditional Chinese-medicine use differs: Eleutherococcus is Ci Wu Jia, Panax is Renshen. The European EMA HMPC monograph treats them as two separate herbs. If a label says Siberian ginseng or eleuthero, you are not buying a Panax ginseng product.
What are eleutherosides?
Eleutherosides are structurally diverse constituents of eleuthero. Important chemical markers include eleutheroside B, also called syringin, and eleutheroside E. B is a phenylpropanoid glycoside and E a lignan glycoside. Both are used in quality control of root preparations. Their content alone establishes neither clinical efficacy nor equivalence between extracts. They are not the ginsenosides of true ginseng.
What time of day should I take Eleutherococcus?
Follow the instructions for your preparation. Insomnia is a possible adverse effect, so morning use may be sensible. If you have heart disease, discuss use with your doctor beforehand; separating a dose from exercise is not an established safeguard.
How long can I take Eleutherococcus continuously?
The EMA monograph limits use to two months. Seek medical advice if fatigue or weakness persists beyond two weeks or worsens. It does not prescribe a fixed one-to-two-week break followed by restarting.
5 sources.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. Community herbal monograph on Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Maxim., radix. 2014. Source
- Schaffler K, Wolf OT, Burkart M. No benefit adding eleutherococcus senticosus to stress management training in stress-related fatigue/weakness, impaired work or concentration, a randomized controlled study. 2013. doi:10.1055/s-0033-1347178
- Kuo J, Chen KWC, Cheng IS, Tsai PH, Lu YJ, Lee NY. The effect of eight weeks of supplementation with Eleutherococcus senticosus on endurance capacity and metabolism in human. 2010. doi:10.4077/cjp.2010.amk018
- Steinmann GG, Esperester A, Joller P. Immunopharmacological in vitro effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus extracts. 2001. doi:10.1055/s-0031-1300006
- Dasgupta A, Wu S, Actor J, Olsen M, Wells A, Datta P. Effect of Asian and Siberian ginseng on serum digoxin measurement by five digoxin immunoassays. Significant variation in digoxin-like immunoreactivity among commercial ginsengs. 2003. doi:10.1309/34BJ-ECP7-UK6F-H13V
Legal notice: The depiction of historical significance and traditional use is context within our encyclopedia and not a health claim for any product, not a treatment promise, and not a substitute for medical advice. What may be stated on product labels, product pages, or in advertising is governed by the applicable legal requirements.