Aralia elata

Aralia elata (Miquel) Seemann, J. Bot. 6: 134. 1868.

(Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem.; Photo Michael Huft and ebben.nl)

Latin Name: Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem.

Family & Genus; Araliaceae, Aralia

Synonym Name: Aralia canescens Siebold & Zucc.; Aralia chinensis var. canescens (Siebold & Zucc.) Lavallée; Aralia chinensis var. canescens (Siebold & Zucc.) Koehne; Aralia chinensis var. elata (Miq.) Lavallée; Aralia chinensis var. fastigiata auct.; Aralia chinensis var. glabrescens (Franch. & Sav.) C.K.Schneid.; Aralia chinensis var. nuda Nakai; Aralia elata f. canescens (Siebold & Zucc.) T.Yamaz.; Aralia elata var. canescens (Siebold & Zucc.) Nakai; Aralia elata f. canescens (Siebold & Zucc.) Nakai; Aralia elata var. canescens (Siebold & Zucc.) Pojark.; Aralia elata var. elata; Aralia elata f. fastigiata (auct.) Rehder; Aralia elata var. glabrescens (Franch. & Sav.) Pojark.; Aralia elata f. rotundata (Nakai) W.Lee; Aralia elata var. rotundata Nakai; Aralia elata var. subinermis Ohwi; Aralia elata f. subinermis (Ohwi) Jôtani; Aralia emeiensis Z.Y.Zhu; Aralia grandis Miq.; Aralia hupehensis G.Hoo; Aralia japonica Seem.; Aralia spinosa var. canescens (Siebold & Zucc.) Franch. & Sav.; Aralia spinosa var. elata (Miq.) Sarg.; Aralia spinosa var. glabrescens Franch. & Sav.; Aralia subcapitata G.Hoo; Dimorphanthus elatus Miq.

English Name: Japanese Aralia, Japanese Angelica Tree, Japanese Angelica-tree, Whiteback Aralia.

Chinese Name: 楤木 cong mu

Vietnamese Name: Cuồng Nhật Bản

Description: Shrubs or small trees, 2-5(-8) m tall, andromonoecious. Branches armed with sparse prickles. Leaves 2(or 3)-pinnately compound, with a pair of accessory leaflets at each division of rachis; petiole to ca. 50 cm, glabrous or pubescent, prickly; petiolules 3-5 mm; leaflets 5-11(-13) per pinna, broadly ovate to elliptic-ovate or narrowly ovate, 5-12(-19) × 2.5-8 cm, membranous, papery, or subleathery, abaxially glabrous or light yellow or gray pubescent, sometimes or more densely pubescent on veins, or sometimes glabrescent, adaxially sparsely strigose, secondary veins 6-10 pairs, raised abaxially, conspicuous adaxially, base cordate to subcordate or rounded, margin serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of umbels, densely yellow-brown or gray pubescent, unarmed; primary axis 1-5 cm; secondary axes 20-35 cm; ultimate axes with a terminal umbel of bisexual flowers and 1 to several lateral umbels of male flowers; bracts persistent, lanceolate to subulate, 2-5 mm, sometimes ciliate; umbels 6-15-flowered; pedicels 1-10 mm, densely pubescent. Ovary 5-carpellate; styles 5, free or united to middle. Fruit globose, ca. 3-4 mm in diam.; styles persistent. Flowering June to August, fruiting: September to October.

Distribution: Growing in forests at altitude 1,000m. Distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.

Part Used: Medical part: root bark, bark. Chinese name: Cilongya.

Harvest & Processing: Excavated root in spring and autumn, stripped root bark or tree bark, removed foreign matters, cut into segments or slices, used fresh or sun-dried.

Chemistry: Root bark and stem: mainly contain oleanolic acid-28-O-β-D-glucopyranosidesucrose, daucosterol, oleanolic acid, araloside A, C, G, and araloside Amethylester. (6'-O-palmitoyl)-beta-sitosterol-3-O-beta-D-glucoside, silphioside A, chikusetusaponin Ib, araloside A, araloside C, acanthoside D, araloside A methyl-ester. 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1----3)[beta-D-glucopyranosy (1----4)]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolic acid-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside. oleanolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, oleanolic acid 3-O-β-D-glucuronopyranoside and oleanolic acid 3-O-α-L-arabinofuranoysyl-(1»4)-β-D-glucuronopyranoside(narcissiflorine).

Pharmacology: Anoxia-tolerance-improving, potent antigastritic and antiulcerative effects in rats.

Properties & Actions: Pungent, little bitter, sweet, neutral. Replenish qi, tonifying kidney, removing wind, inducing urination, activating blood circulation and checking pain.

Indications & Usage: Deficiency of vital energy and general weakness, impotence due to deficiency of the kidney, epigastric pain. diabetes, insomnia and dreaminess, rheumatism involving bone, asthenia of waist and knee, injuries from falls, fractures, expansion (of what?), edema. Internal: decocting, 15-30g, double dose for used fresh; or made as medicinal liquor. External: appropriate amount, triturated for application; or decocted for fumigating; or made as medicinal liquor for application. Use with care in case of liver-yang hyperactivity.

Examples:

1. Weakness, pain of tendons and bones: cilaoya 60g, alcohol 500g. Immersing for 7 days, and drink 1 winecup each time.

2. Diabetes: Japanese Aralia 9g. Decoct in water and swallow.

3. Neurastheria due to renal deficiency: cilaoya 6g. Decoct in water and swallow.

4. Rheumatic pain of waist and leg: root peel of Japanese Aralia 15g. Water 1 bowl, yellow wine half bowl, decoct into 1 bow, and drink one dose respectively in the morning and evening.

References

- libproject.hkbu.edu.hk

- efloras.org

- theplantlist

- Jiang YT, Xu SX, Gu XH, Ren L, Chen YJ, Yao XS, Miao ZC. Studies on the chemical constituents from Aralia elata; Yao Xue Xue Bao. 1992;27(7):528-32.

- Sam Sik Kang, Ju Sun Kim, Ok Kyung Kim & Eun Bang Lee; Triterpenoid saponins from the root barks of Aralia elata; Archives of Pharmacal Research volume 16, pages104–108(1993

- 정춘식(Chun Sik Jung);이은방(Un Bang Lee); Pharmacological Studies on Root Bark Extract of Aralia elata - General Pharmacological Action on the Butanol Fraction- Yakhak HOEJI 1993;37(6):637-637