Gui Jian Yu

Gui Jian Yu is derived from Euonymus alatus, the winged spindle tree or burning bush, a deciduous shrub of the family Celastraceae reaching 2 to 4 metres in height. The species is immediately recognisable by its young branches, which develop two to four prominent, longitudinal, corky wings of suberous tissue running along the green stems; these winged twigs are the part collected for medicinal use. Leaves are opposite, elliptic to obovate, 3 to 8 centimetres long, with finely serrate margins, turning a brilliant crimson in autumn. Inconspicuous greenish-yellow four-petalled flowers borne in spring give rise to small, four-lobed, reddish-purple capsules that split to expose seeds enveloped in bright orange arils. The shrub grows in mixed woodland, on slopes, and along stream banks throughout much of northeastern Asia.