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SCHISANDRA
Plant Source: Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. and other
Schisandra spp.(Family Schisandraceae).
Part Used: Dried ripe fruit.
Properties: Lung astringent, Kidney tonic, male tonic,
adaptogenic, detoxicant, antimutagenic, antioxidant, liver
protectant, central stimulant, tranquilizing.
Most Common Traditional Uses: Cough, asthma, involuntary
seminal discharge, impotence, insomnia, neurasthenia,
chronic diarrhea, night sweat, spontaneous sweating,
physical exhaustion, excessive urination.
Modern/Recent Uses: Liver diseases.
Schisandra is known as wuweizi (five-flavored seed) in
Chinese because it tastes simultaneously sweet, sour,
bitter, salty and pungent when chewed. Besides being used as
a medicine, it is an ingredient in soup mixes.
Schisandra is one of those Chinese herbs without much
adequate published English information even though there are
many published reports on it in Chinese and Japanese.
It is a well-known tonic, especially for the male. Modern
laboratory studies have found some of its constituents
(e.g., lignans) to have strong antioxidant and liver-protectant
properties. Its extracts and lignans are now being used to
effectively treat liver diseases (e.g., viral hepatitis). In
the West, silymarin (from milk thistle) is well known for
its beneficial effects on the liver. One can soon add
schisandra as its superior.
A typical tonic like ginseng, schisandra's actions in the
body are subtle. They cannot be readily duplicated in the
laboratory. All the modern scientific findings only give us
an isolated glimpse at its various properties.
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