The
Chinese materia medica in question But the plant now given the common name
wujia in China is specifically
E. gracilistylus, and according to one source, the genuine
crude drug must come from this species, and
C. spinosum is only a substitute. A 10th century herbology text,
Honzō wamyō (), introduced the Chinese
wujia as an herb to be pronounced
mu-ko-gi (), refers specifically to
E. sieboldianus (Japanese name:
hime-ukogi). (See #Species list below). The taxonomical nomenclature in the botanical science also has had a sinuous history, so that
Acanthopanax had been used as the proper genus name in China till recent years, while
the West adopted
Eleutherococcus as the official name. encouraged the planting of the ukogi as fencing around the homes of
samurai retainers (
E. sieboldianus was planted in the region), and the bitter young buds, leaves and stems have traditionally been picked and eaten as vegetable in the area. However, since the plant is
deciduous, it requires sweeping in the fall (high maintenance), and the bare hedges fail to protect the homeowner's privacy. ==Fossil record==