Objective To conduct a bibliometric and visual analysis using CiteSpace and VOSviewer on the current research, status of plants in the genus Eleutherococcus and predict future research trends. Additionally, by analyzing the patent landscape of Eleutherococcus plants, this study aims to evaluate the current status and development trends of its technological transformation, thereby providing a decision-making basis for subsequent research, development, and industrialization. Methods Literature searches were performed in four databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Sci-Tech Journal Full-text Database (VIP), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang), and Web of Science (WOS), using keywords such as “Eleutherococcus” The retrieved literature was imported into NoteExpress software for screening and deduplication. The exported data were then visualized using CiteSpace and VOSviewer to analyze the distribution of the number of published papers, author and institutional collaboration networks, as well as keyword clustering and co-occurrence networks. The search function of the Incopat patent database was utilized to analyze and summarize global patent trends, geographical distribution, applicant rankings, and applicant type composition related to Eleutherococcus plants. Results A total of 2 081 Chinese articles and 462 English articles meeting the criteria were included. Over the past decade, the number of Chinese publications on Eleutherococcus generally showed a fluctuating decline before stabilizing, while English publications exhibited a fluctuating upward trend. China was the leading country in terms of publication volume. Author collaboration networks were primarily based on intra-team cooperation, with relatively insufficient inter-team collaboration. Through the Incopat patent database, 18 992 patent records related to Eleutherococcus plants were retrieved. Among these, 9 942 patents (52.35%) were domestic applications in China, accounting for more than half of the global patents in this field. Conclusion Domestic research on Eleutherococcus in China is currently in a phase of fluctuating decline, while international research is on the rise. Studies predominantly focus on Acanthopanax senticosus and A. sessiliflorus, with research hotspots trending toward active components, oxidative stress, modern pharmacology, and resource conservation. The global distribution of patents related to Eleutherococcus plants shows significant disparities. Although China has a relatively high number of patent applications, it faces challenges such as reduced application activity in recent years and insufficient innovation.

Eleutherococcus Maxim.  /  Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim.  /  CiteSpace  /  VOSviewer  /  visualization analysis  /  bibliometrics  /  knowledge graph