Acanthopanax Extract
Acanthopanax extract is prepared from the root bark, stem bark or root of shrubs of the genus Acanthopanax, now generally placed in Eleutherococcus, within the Araliaceae. The two species that matter commercially are Acanthopanax senticosus, the plant also sold as eleuthero or Siberian ginseng, and Acanthopanax gracilistylus, the source of the traditional Chinese material wu jia pi, and although they are traded under one heading they are not the same article.
The characteristic constituents differ accordingly. Material from Acanthopanax senticosus is assayed on the eleutherosides, of which eleutheroside B is the phenylpropanoid syringin and eleutheroside E the lignan syringaresinol diglucoside. Material from Acanthopanax gracilistylus carries diterpene acids including kaurenoic acid, together with syringin and coumarins. Polysaccharides and triterpene saponins are present in both.
The commercial powder is light to dark brown, hygroscopic, with a faintly bitter and woody character. Aqueous and aqueous ethanol extracts disperse in water and in dilute alcohol, and the glycosidic markers tolerate spray drying but hydrolyse under prolonged heating in acid. Bark material carries a resin fraction that has to be removed during processing.
We source bulk Acanthopanax Extract from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shaanxi. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Light to dark brown fine powder with woody odour |
| Botanical source | Root or stem bark of Acanthopanax senticosus as declared |
| Eleutherosides B and E (HPLC) | 0.8 percent minimum |
| Identification | HPTLC profile conforms to reference, negative for Periploca sepium |
| Extract ratio | 10 to 1, aqueous ethanol |
| Loss on drying | 5.0 percent maximum |
| Total ash | 8.0 percent maximum |
| Acid insoluble ash | 2.0 percent maximum |
| Residual solvents (ethanol) | 5000 mg/kg maximum |
| Lead | 2.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Arsenic | 1.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Total plate count | 10000 cfu/g maximum |
| Escherichia coli | Absent in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The first thing a specification must state is the species and the plant part, because root bark, stem bark and root differ in composition and because the two commercial species have different marker profiles. Ratio extracts at 4 to 1, 10 to 1 and 20 to 1 make up most of the volume, with standardised grades quoted on eleutherosides B and E at 0.8 or 1.0 percent by HPLC for Acanthopanax senticosus material.
Water extracts, aqueous ethanol extracts and polysaccharide-enriched grades are all produced, and milled raw bark powder is traded alongside as a cheaper article for decoction and tea use. Because substitution between Acanthopanax species and with Periploca sepium, a toxic plant traded historically under the same Chinese name, is documented, a chromatographic identity test rather than a marker assay alone is worth requiring. Organic certified lots are produced in modest volume.
Applications
- Adaptogen and stress support supplements in capsule and tablet form
- Sports and endurance formulas, often blended with rhodiola and schisandra
- Herbal tonic wines and tinctures, a traditional format for this bark
- Instant herbal tea and granule preparations
- Joint and mobility formulations using wu jia pi material
- Energy drinks and functional shots using a water-soluble standardised extract
- Immune support blends combining the polysaccharide fraction with mushroom extracts
- Traditional decoction bases and compounded herbal preparations
- Analytical work where eleutheroside B and E serve as identity markers
China Manufacturers of Acanthopanax Extract
Top Acanthopanax Extract manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States Eleutherococcus senticosus is used as a dietary ingredient in supplements and extracts are also used in beverages on the basis of GRAS conclusions for defined uses. The labelling point specific to this genus is that material from this plant should not be declared as Siberian ginseng, since United States rules require that a product labelled ginseng be from a Panax species, and the accepted common name is eleuthero. Material from Acanthopanax gracilistylus has a narrower history of use in the United States and a supplier should be able to document the basis on which it is offered. Claims are structure and function claims with the standard disclaimer.
In the European Union Eleutherococcus senticosus root has a monograph within the traditional herbal medicinal product framework, and that route is better established there than the food supplement route in several member states. Other Acanthopanax species do not have equivalent standing and a concentrated extract of them would be expected to require novel food assessment. There is no E number, and no authorised health claim. Codex has not adopted specifications for the genus, so the general Codex provisions on contaminants and hygiene for dried plant material apply.
Manufacturing Process
Dried root bark, stem bark or root is cleaned of soil and foreign material and inspected for identity, which is the step that matters most for this genus given the substitution history. The material is milled to a coarse grade that allows solvent penetration without generating fines that blind the filter. Extraction is carried out with water or aqueous ethanol, typically 50 to 70 percent, in a multi-stage countercurrent or batch system at moderate temperature, since the glycosidic markers hydrolyse if the extraction is held hot for long. Two or three passes are usual and the miscellas are combined.
The combined extract is filtered and the alcohol recovered under vacuum for reuse. Bark extracts carry a resin and wax fraction, so the aqueous concentrate is normally held cold so those materials separate and can be removed by filtration before further processing. Where a standardised grade is required the clarified liquor is loaded onto macroporous adsorption resin that binds the eleutherosides and related phenolics while sugars and salts pass through, and graded alcohol elution recovers an enriched fraction. The concentrate is assayed by HPLC, standardised with maltodextrin where necessary, spray dried at a controlled outlet temperature, sieved and packed in moisture barrier bags.
