Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax Root Bark)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the dosage of Wu Jia Pi, and how is it used in medicinal wine?

  Roughly 4.5–10 g in decoction (Bensky gives 4.5–9 g; Chen & Chen give 5–10 g). Wu Jia Pi is also classically prepared as a medicinal wine (Wu Jia Pi Jiu) — the root bark steeped in rice wine or spirits for weeks to months — a traditional format specifically used for wind-damp bi and low-back/joint complaints, since the alcohol itself is considered to help move blood and disperse cold-damp.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (Bensky; Chen & Chen). Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Wu Jia Pi?

  The main traditional caution is against use in yin deficiency with heat/fire signs, since its warming, wind-damp-dispelling action can aggravate heat and dryness. Genuine sourcing also matters because of a documented adulteration risk (see Toxicity).

  • Yin deficiency with heat/fire signs — use cautiously or avoid.

  Discrepancy note: an existing caution on this herb warned of a “sedative effect” requiring care around heavy machinery. We could not verify a sedative action for Acanthopanax gracilistylus in the materia medica or pharmacology literature reviewed — mild CNS-stimulant (not sedative) properties are instead reported for the unrelated Eleutherococcus senticosus/Ci Wu Jia (see Notes) — so this specific caution has been omitted here pending confirmation rather than repeated unverified.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (Bensky; Chen & Chen).

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Reported toxicity at standard doses is low, but genuine Acanthopanax gracilistylus root bark has a documented history of confusion or adulteration with Periploca sepium bark (Xiang Jia Pi, Cortex Periplocae) in the materia medica literature — a different plant that contains cardiac glycosides (e.g., periplocin) and carries a real cardiotoxicity risk distinct from true Wu Jia Pi. Sourcing root bark from a verified supplier is the standard safeguard against this substitution.

  Discrepancy note: an existing note referenced “one case of bilateral vision loss…following ingestion of 500 grams, perhaps due to an adulterant.” We could not locate or verify this case report in the literature searched, so it is not repeated as a confirmed fact here. We also looked for, but could not verify, any documented case of aristolochic-acid-containing plant material specifically substituted for Wu Jia Pi; that claim is therefore omitted rather than asserted. The independently well-documented adulteration concern — Periploca sepium substitution — is retained above.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (Bensky; Chen & Chen materia medica commentary on Periploca sepium substitution). Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax gracilistylus) in the literature reviewed.

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax gracilistylus)?

  Yes — preclinical phytochemistry and anti-inflammatory pharmacology consistent with its traditional wind-damp bi (joint/rheumatic) use. This is a separate literature from — and should not be confused with — the large adaptogen research base on Eleutherococcus senticosus (Ci Wu Jia/Siberian ginseng; see Notes).

  • COX-2 inhibition — root bark lignans were identified as selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors; the plant is noted as used for rheumatic disease in China for over 2,000 years. PMID 38972441.
  • Diterpenoids — new ent-pimarane and ent-kaurane diterpenoids isolated from the root bark showed anti-inflammatory activity, alongside 22 previously known compounds. PMID 25338180.
  • Saponins — lupane-type saponins from Acanthopanax gracilistylus leaves inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α, IL-1β, and HMGB1 release from macrophages, an inflammatory-mediator profile relevant to bi (painful obstruction) syndromes. PMID 29039503.

  By contrast, the adaptogen/stress-resistance literature (e.g., PMID 10996277) concerns Eleutherococcus senticosus, a related but distinct plant, and is not evidence for Acanthopanax gracilistylus/Wu Jia Pi. Evidence above is preclinical (cell/animal/phytochemical); no human clinical trials specific to Wu Jia Pi were identified.

  Sources: PMID 38972441; PMID 25338180; PMID 29039503; PMID 10996277 (cited for contrast, Eleutherococcus only). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• Is Wu Jia Pi the same as Ci Wu Jia / Siberian ginseng?

  No. Despite the similar name and an overlapping taxonomic history, Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax gracilistylus root bark) and Ci Wu Jia / Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) are different plants with different traditional actions — and the large modern “adaptogen” research literature belongs to Ci Wu Jia, not to Wu Jia Pi.

  • Botanical note — Eleutherococcus senticosus was formerly classified as Acanthopanax senticosus; this shared naming history is very likely the source of the common conflation between “Wu Jia Pi” and “Ci Wu Jia” seen in some commercial and secondary sources.
  • Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax gracilistylus root bark) — traditional action is dispelling wind-damp and strengthening sinew/bone (above); it is not used or researched in the TCM materia medica as a stimulant/adaptogen tonic.
  • Ci Wu Jia / Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) — a separate herb with its own large, decades-old research literature on stress resistance, stamina, and immune modulation, reviewed extensively since Soviet-era pharmacology. PMID 10996277 (cited for contrast only; this is Eleutherococcus research, not Wu Jia Pi research).

  Discrepancy note: this herb’s own notes field on Sacred Lotus previously read “a well-known adaptogen that has shown the ability to increase performance in mice” — that finding belongs to the Eleutherococcus senticosus literature. We could not find pharmacology or animal-performance research specific to Acanthopanax gracilistylus supporting an adaptogen claim, so it has been corrected here rather than carried forward.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (Bensky; Chen & Chen; botanical/taxonomic cross-reference); PMID 10996277 (Eleutherococcus, cited for contrast only).