Editor's note: This article has been reprinted. First published May 8, 2017.
It may sound like a fantasy planet or a prescription drug, but Schisandra chinensis is neither, but it may ultimately contribute to some people's dependence on the drug. That's because Schisandra chinensis, a berry that grows on vines in the cool subtropical forests of the upper Yangtze River region of China and parts of Russia, is a true superfood.
Berries, which have been known as a traditional treatment for chronic coughs, urinary incontinence, cold sweats, and insomnia for 2,000 years, are attracting attention. Modern restaurants in China serve alcohol based on saturated Schisandra fruit, which customers fill tall glass containers with, like lemonade at an American picnic.
But the flavor is not for the faint of heart. Amazingly, the Schisandra fruit (sometimes spelled with a “z”) features five taste sensations simultaneously, with each sense having its own medicinal use. The experts at Learning HerbsOne It can be decided based on taste.
- sweet – Sweet herbs can help restore energy and balance the immune system.
- salty – An example of a salty herb with a high mineral content is nettle, which is used for its nourishing and diuretic effects.
- Sour – A perfect model of sourness, lemon water promotes digestion and helps build strength and stamina.
- Fierce – As an herb, “bitter” is used to promote digestion and control inflammation by exerting a cooling and draining effect on the body, much like drinking coffee.
- spicy – This flavor is warm, spicy and awakens the senses. Cayenne is a good example.
Schisandra fruit is also called “schisandra fruit” or Wu Wei Zi. Although it has been used as a base for everything from jams to juices, it is primarily used for medicinal purposes. But as a drug hunter2 Unlike goji berries or acai berries, it says, “No one eats these with yogurt.”
Berries with mental and physical benefits
Therapeutically speaking, Schisandra fruit is especially revered in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for its incredible health benefits. However, after 20 years of research and listing in the Soviet State Pharmacopoeia and State Register of Medicinal Products, it first gained recognition in Russia in the 1960s.
Its early notoriety was an adaptogen developed by the Global Healing Center.three It is described as a natural substance that helps the body adapt to stress. A Swedish study reports:4
“Pharmacological studies on animals showed that Schisandra chinensis (sic) It increases physical activity capacity and provides a stress-protective effect against a wide range of harmful factors, including thermal shock, skin burns, chilling, frostbite, immobilization, swimming with a load in an atmosphere of reduced air pressure, aseptic inflammation, irradiation and heavy metal poisoning. .
Phytoadaptants affect the central nervous system, sympathetic nervous system, endocrine system, immune system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, development of experimental atherosclerosis, blood sugar and acid-base balance, and uterine myotonic (atrophic) activity.”
medicine hunter5 Studies list several physical and mental benefits that Schisandra fruit provides.
slow signs of aging | increased energy | improve athletic performance |
Prevention of mental fatigue | reduce stress | enhance your sex drive |
Increased endurance | Improved concentration | Improved mental health |
Maintaining Healthy Cells | Make your memories clear | extend lifespan |
hub learning6 It cites research showing that Schisandra fruit promotes sleep, relieves anxiety, relieves digestive problems such as chronic diarrhea, and supports the immune system even in severe cases of hepatitis B.
Diseases and Conditions Improved with Schisandra Fruit
The list of diseases, disorders and conditions that these little red berries are said to help treat successfully is truly astounding. Many of them are based on their efficacy as antioxidants, including:
• Cancer Prevention – The study was published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.7 It found that schistandrin C, a phytochemical found in Schisandra fruit, is a “promising” anti-cancer agent because it inhibits the growth of human leukemia cells.
• Improved heart function — The drug Adriamycin is used to stop breast cancer cells from multiplying, but it can cause cardiotoxicity, decreased heart function, abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, and liver congestion.
However, the active ingredients in Schisandra fruit are known to have beneficial effects on cardiotoxicity in rats due to free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage healthy cells. It also helped inhibit lipid peroxidation and reduce mortality in mice.8
• Helps lower the risk of liver damage — research9 The journal Food and Chemical Toxicology notes that Schisandra chinensis protects against liver damage caused by carbon tetrachloride, which causes cancer.
Mice were treated with carbon tetrachloride to induce liver damage and then treated with Schisandra chinensis pollen extract. Results showed increased antioxidant activity, inhibiting liver enzyme build-up (higher liver enzyme levels indicate liver disease) and reducing free radical formation in the animals' livers.
• Benefits of anti-inflammatory drugs — one study10 Adding Schisandra fruit to your diet may protect against inflammation, suggesting the supplement may be useful in preventing inflammatory diseases.
Interest in the plant, which bears small, bright red fruits, indicates more than just its medicinal importance. According to the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), Schisandra fruit's habitat is known to be one of the most biodiversity-rich areas on Earth and is currently undergoing a “dramatic new approach to conservation.”11
How to save the ecosystem and ‘gatherers’ serving the world
Not long ago, the sad end of Schisandra vine seemed imminent. In China, part of farmland is allocated to families. Farmers in the upper Yangtze region began pooling their resources to grow crops on the hillsides and sell them for extra cash. As forests were cut down to make way for more agricultural land, landslides began sweeping away mountains and forests, destroying many rare medicinal plants.
Commercial harvesting of magnolia bulbs (used for inflammation, anxiety, stroke, and asthma)12) and angelica root (aka angelica root, popular as an aphrodisiac and hormone balancer).13), as well as the destruction of the vulnerable habitat of the endangered giant panda.
Eventually, in the 1990s, the government banned mountainside timber harvesting and banned farming operations on hillsides with a plan called “Grains for Green,” but it backfired. According to FERN, the problem has expanded rather than resolved.14
“The goal was to save the forests, but farmers were left scrambling to make up for lost income. Families began gathering more wild plants than ever before, tearing entire Schisandra vines from trees to get as many fruits as possible. “Not only did they kill the pandas, but they also spread the human scent of hunter-gatherers to scare panda mothers who had abandoned their cubs.”
Until the arrival in 2008 of Josef Brinckmann, an ethnobotanist and medicinal plant researcher at the Traditional Medicinals tea company, it seemed that the Schisandra saga was over and a new period of hardship was upon the villagers. Wild harvest is encouraged, not banned.
Wild Plant Collection – A New Chapter from Schisandra Fruit
According to Kew Gardens' State of the World's Plants report, two-fifths of the world's plant species are at risk of extinction.15 As Brinckmann puts it, “The biggest threat to biodiversity is not overharvesting wild plants, but agriculture and development.”
Brinckmann was part of a team that included members of the World Wildlife Federation and the Swiss and German governments in creating the FairWild standard, the native plant industry's first verification system focused on improving environmental conditions and labor practices.
FairWild's investment in overseeing the sustainable practices of villagers in the upper Yangtze River villages has had an impact on the entire community, saving Schisandra fruit as well as other natural plant-based foods and medicines. As a result, FERN continues:
“Currently, 19 plant species from 10 countries around the world are FairWild certified, with at least 1,000 participating households in Central Europe and Asia, including Roma collectors from Hungary and Bosnia, equivalent to approximately 300 tonnes of plant material each year. “Families in Kazakhstan bought bags of rose hips and nettles while they dug up licorice root.”16
Another thing happened that made the loss of villagers' income a national crisis. A massive earthquake struck the upper Yangtze River in 2008, killing 69,000 people and leaving nearly 5 million homeless. At that point, harvesting wild plants had become a national priority.
How do Schisandra berry harvesting practices become ‘sustainable’?
Instead of tearing up every Schisandra fruit vine you can find, Brinckmann and fellow researchers noted how important it is for future yields to harvest only the lower two-thirds of the vines so that birds and other wildlife can continue to “seed” the vines. I explained it to the villagers. forest.
At the same time, collectors have learned to avoid giant panda breeding grounds. After the panda population increased by 17%, experts cheerfully reported that their efforts 'seem to be working' as the status of the beloved animals rose from 'endangered' to 'threatened'.
Indigenous groups around the world still receive training in sustainable harvesting techniques from FairWild. As contractors, they can now sell products that align with their values. Villagers are also rewarded for protecting their land and preserving local plant expertise that is often as old as indigenous culture.
The contractors, some of whom are elderly as well as women and children struggling to survive, are responsible for the many rare plants on which about 80% of the world relies on for food and medicine.
The Schisandra project alone is now a cooperative between 23 villages, providing families with returns 30% above market rates through buyer agreements. Additionally, if you want to add new plants to your FairWild list, you are responsible for designing not only a plan for managing your harvest, but the entire micro-ecosystem in which the plants will grow.
Schisandra Berry Supplement
With all the information above, it's easy to see why this little fruit has become so popular in the West and desirable as a supplement. Medicine Hunter points out:17
“You can find Schisandra in several forms. You can find dried Schisandra berries in Chinese grocery and drug stores. Consuming just a few dried Schisandra fruit each day can provide the benefits described there. Alternatively, you can find Schisandra fruit supplements. Look for it. It is standardized to the active compound schistandrine.”
