Siberian ginseng is a slow-growing, bristly shrub from the forests of northeastern Asia, sold in US health food stores as eleuthero. Despite the name, it isn't a true ginseng—since 2002, US law has reserved the name "ginseng" for plants in the genus Panax. It doesn't grow wild in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A deciduous shrub that usually stays 4–6 ft (1.2–2 m) tall in gardens; wild plants in Asia can reach 7–10 ft (2–3 m). The upright, little-branched stems are covered in stiff bristles.
- Leaves
- Each leaf has 3 to 5 (usually 5) oval, finely toothed leaflets about 2½–5 in (6–13 cm) long, spread like fingers on a slender stalk.
- Flowers
- Tiny yellowish flowers sit on long thin stalks in round clusters about 1½ in (4 cm) across at the tips of the shoots.
- Flowering time
- July in its native range
- Fruit
- Small round black berries about ¼–⅓ in (5–8 mm) wide ripen in fall.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Mixed and conifer mountain forests
- Range
- Native to northeastern Asia: the Russian Far East, northeastern China, Korea, and Japan (Hokkaido). It is not native to North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows in mixed and conifer mountain forests. It is hardy to USDA zone 3.
Cautions
- Cautions
- Root extracts are sold as supplements. They may interact with some medicines, such as digoxin and blood thinners, and high doses can cause irritability, insomnia, or anxiety. Safety during pregnancy is not known.
Name and classification
- About the name
- It used to be called Acanthopanax senticosus.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
- Status
- Heavy digging of its roots for medicine has reduced wild populations; it is a protected endangered plant in South Korea.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- It is also called taiga root, and ciwujia is its Chinese name.
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