Schisandra chinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Austrobaileyales
Family:	Schisandraceae
Genus:	Schisandra
Species:	S. chinensis
Binomial name
Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill.[1]
Synonyms
Kadsura chinensis - Turcz.[1][2] Maximowiczia chinensis - (Turcz.) Rupr.[2] Schisandra japonica - (Siebold. & Zucc. ex A. Gray.) Hance.[2]

A mug of Korean omija cha (wǔ wèi zi tea), with added pine nuts

Schisandra chinensis (五味子 in Chinese, pinyin: wǔ wèi zi, literally "five flavor berry") is a deciduous woody vine native to forests of Northern China and the Russian Far East. It is hardy in USDA Zone 4. The plant likes some shade with moist, well-drained soil. The species itself is dioecious, thus flowers on a female plant will only produce fruit when fertilized with pollen from a male plant. However, there is a hybrid selection titled "Eastern Prince" which has perfect flowers and is self-fertile. Gardeners should beware that seedlings of "Eastern Prince" are sometimes sold under the same name but are typically single-sex plants.

[edit] Etymology

Its Chinese name comes from the fact that its berries possess all five basic flavors: salty, sweet, sour, pungent (spicy), and bitter. Sometimes it is more specifically called běi wǔ wèi zi ((Chinese: 北五味子); literally "northern five flavor berry") to distinguish it from another traditionally medicinal schisandraceous plant Kadsura japonica that grows only in subtropical areas.

[edit] Uses

[edit] General uses

Its berries are used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. They are most often used in dried form, and boiled to make a tea. Medicinally it is used as a tonic and restorative adaptogen with notable clinically documented liver protecting effects. The primary hepatoprotective (liver protecting) and immuno-modulating constituents are the lignans schizandrin, deoxyschizandrin, gomisins, and pregomisin, which are found in the seeds of the fruit. It should not be used by pregnant women.

[edit] China

In China, a wine is made from the berries.[1]

[edit] Korea

In Korean the berries are known as omija (hangul: 오미자), and the tea made from the berries is called omija cha (hangul: 오미자 차); see Korean tea.

[edit] Japan

In Japanese, they are called gomishi (Japanese: ゴミシ).

[edit] Russia

In 1998, Russia released a postage stamp depicting S. chinensis.^photo (Russian: Лимонник китайский)

[edit] Use in traditional Chinese medicine

In traditional Chinese medicine, Schisandra chinensis (known as wu wei zi (Chinese: 五味子)) is believed to:

1. Astringe Lung Qi and nourish the Kidneys
2. Restrain the essence and stop Diarrhea--astringent Kidneys
3. Arrest excessive sweating from Yin or Yang deficiency
4. Calm the Spirit by tonification of Heart and Kidney
5. Generate body fluids and alleviate thirst

[edit] Gallery

Fruit	Seeds	Berries

[edit] See also

• Chinese herbology 50 fundamental herbs

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Winston, David, and Steven Maimes. ADAPTOGENS: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press, 2007. (Contains a detailed monograph on S. chinensis as well as a discussion of health benefits.)

[edit] External links

• Photo of dried S. chinensis berries
• Schizandra chinensis List of Chemicals (Dr. Duke's Databases)
• Wuweizi site (Chinese)