Eleutherococcus is a genus of 38 species of thorny shrubs and trees in the family Araliaceae. They are native to eastern Asia, Vietnam, from southeast Siberia and Japan south to the Philippines. In Traditional Chinese medicine, this is administered to increase energy, thus traditionally recognized to have attributes akin to true ginseng (Panax). This is also reflected in its formerly used genus name Acanthopanax meaning "thorny ginseng".
Acanthopanax gracilistylus, A mixture of cerebrosides, called acanthopanax cerebrosides were isolated and characterized as 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosides of phytosphingosine type ceramides comprised of a common long chain base (2S, 3S, 4R, 8E)-2-[(2′R)-2′- hydroxydocosanosylamino]-8(E)-alkene-1, 3, 4-triol. The alkene chain is eicosene, nonadecene, octadecene (momor-cerebroside), heptadecene and hexadecene.