Acanthopanax Bark – 1 lb (454 g)

Acanthopanax Bark, known in Chinese as 五加皮 (Wǔjiāpí) and scientifically as Cortex Acanthopanacis, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Acanthopanax Bark carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Acanthopanax Bark helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Acanthopanax Bark provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Acanthopanax Bark has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Acanthopanax Bark, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Southern Wujiapi and Red Wujiapi. It is the root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus W.W. Smith, a plant of the Araliaceae family. It is mainly produced in Hubei, Henan, Anhui, and other regions. Harvested in summer and autumn by digging up the roots, removing fibrous roots and impurities, peeling off the root bark, and drying it in the sun.

[Properties] Pungent, bitter, slightly sweet in taste; warm in nature. Enters the liver and kidney meridians.

[Actions] Dispels wind-dampness, tonifies liver and kidney, strengthens tendons and bones.

[Applications]
1. Used for wind-cold-damp painful obstruction syndrome. Commonly used for wind-cold-damp painful obstruction with stiffness and pain; especially suitable when accompanied by liver and kidney deficiency. Can be used alone or combined with Angelica sinensis (Danggui), Achyranthes bidentata (Niuxi), and Sanguisorba officinalis (Diyu) soaked in wine, as in the formula Wujiapi Wine. For lumbar and leg pain caused by liver and kidney deficiency with cold-dampness, often combined with Eucommia ulmoides (Duzhong), Dipsacus asper (Chuanduan), Taxillus chinensis (Sangjisheng), Achyranthes bidentata (Niuxi), and Chaenomeles speciosa (Mugua).
2. Used for weakness and softening of tendons and bones, and delayed walking in children. For weakness caused by damp-heat with soft feet and inability to walk properly, often combined with Achyranthes bidentata (Niuxi), Phellodendron amurense (Huangbai), and Atractylodes lancea (Cangzhu). For congenital deficiency in children with delayed development and weak tendons and bones, can be combined with Chaenomeles speciosa (Mugua) and Achyranthes bidentata (Niuxi), as in the formula Wujiapi Powder.
3. Used for physical weakness and emaciation; can be brewed with Lycium root bark (Gouqi genpi) for wine. For severe qi and blood deficiency, can add Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi) and Angelica sinensis (Danggui) to dispel wind.
4. Used for traumatic injuries and fractures; often combined with Drynaria fortunei (Gusuibu), Dipsacus asper (Chuanduan), and Clematis chinensis (Weilingxian), as in the formula Wuji Si Ling San.
5. Used for edema and beriberi. For edema with abdominal distension and difficult urination, often combined with Poria cocos peel (Fulingpi), Areca peel (Dafupi), and ginger peel (Shengjiangpi), as in the formula Wupi San. For swollen and painful beriberi, often combined with Chaenomeles speciosa (Mugua), Smilax glabra (Tufuling), and Evodia rutaecarpa (Wuzhuyu).
Additionally, this herb has dampness-drying and itch-relieving effects; it can treat damp itching of the scrotum, eczema, or vaginal itching in women, used alone or combined with Phellodendron amurense (Huangbai), Cnidium monnieri (Shechuangzi), and Sophora flavescens (Kushen), decocted for washing or ground into powder for topical application.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 4.5–9 g; soaked in wine or used in pills and powders. External use: appropriate amount, decocted for washing or ground into powder for topical application.

[Cautions] Use with caution in cases of yin deficiency with fire excess.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: Cortex Acanthopanacis contains saponins, polysaccharides, volatile oils, tannins, palmitic acid, linolenic acid, and vitamins A and B.
2. Pharmacological effects: Water decoction followed by alcohol precipitation or n-butanol extracts of the root bark show significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects; ethanol extracts or total saponins have protective effects against fatigue, hypoxia, and stress from high and low temperatures; polysaccharides from Wujiapi can enhance cellular immunity; total saponins significantly increase serum antibody concentrations; also exhibit sex hormone-like effects promoting development of accessory sex glands; extracts have hepatoprotective effects.