Specifications

  Synonyms: Schisandra, Wu wei zi, Schisandra japonica, Maximowiczia chinensis, Kadsura chinensis.

Schisandra is a woody vine with numerous clusters of tiny, bright red berries. It is found throughout northern and north-east China and the adjacent regions of Russia and Korea. The fully ripe, sun-dried fruit is used medicinally. It has sour, sweet, salty, hot, and bitter tastes. This unusual combination of flavours is reflected in schisandra’s Chinese name Wu wei zi, meaning “five taste fruit.”

The classical treatise on Chinese herbal medicine, the Shen Nung Pen Tsao Ching, describes Schisandra as a high-grade herbal drug useful for a wide variety of medical conditions - especially as a kidney tonic and lung astringent. Chinese herbalists use Schisandra for coughs, night sweats, insomnia, thirst, and physical exhaustion. Scientific research carried out in Russia from the 1940s to the present has confirmed the medical efficacy of Schisandra chinensis for use in different conditions, and has also revealed its chemical composition and mechanisms of action.