Eleuthero

Eleutherococcus senticosus · Siberian Ginseng · Acanthopanax senticosus · Ciwujia

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Asthenia, traditional use¹ Chronic fatigue² Immune protection² Alcohol hangover symptoms^{3, 4}	High blood pressure⁵ Hypersensitivity to eleuthero¹

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus, Siberian ginseng) is a root classed as an adaptogen, a plant extract thought to raise resistance to physical load. People take it for fatigue and weakness, which the European Medicines Agency's herbal monograph recognizes as a traditional use¹, and for chronic fatigue and immune protection, where human trials are limited. Smaller studies have examined cognition, alcohol hangover symptoms, and bone turnover in postmenopausal women.

Evidence is mixed. A randomized trial in stress-related asthenia found that adding the root extract to stress management training gave negligible benefit⁶, and a review of exercise herbals called Siberian ginseng results mixed⁷. Compound Ciwujia formulations outperformed an active comparator for chronic fatigue and insomnia in 2026 Chinese trials. In a 2024 mouse study, leaf extract reversed exercise-induced serotonin elevation and improved treadmill performance; no human trial has tested it. Products listing eleuthero number in the thousands, mainly capsules and liquid extracts; see Form comparison.

The blood pressure caution rests on a review that listed Siberian ginseng among supplements consistently associated with raised blood pressure⁸. A retrospective chart review reported bleeding events with eleuthero and antidepressants, and its authors conclude that clinicians should monitor patients taking both⁹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

52 sources, 42 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources