Schisandra berry is also known in our country as Chinese split berry. The most common type of application is the dried fruit or a tea made from the berries. It is a medicinal plant that is very versatile to use.
Occurrence and cultivation of the Chinese split berry.
Similar to grapes, the fruits of Chinese split berry hang together in dense clusters. These berries reach up to eight millimeters in size and carry two seeds each. The scientific name is Schisandra chinesis. The plant belongs to the star anise family (Schisandraceae). As the vernacular name implies, Chinese cleavers are mainly native to China, but can also be found in Japan and Korea. Other vernacular names include Chinese berry grape, Chinese lime tree and Wu Wei Zi. The climbing plant can grow up to eight meters in height. During the winter season, the Schisandra berry sheds its leaves, but the stems remain and lignify after some time. The leaves have a length of eight centimeters and an ovoid shape. The red or white flowers sprout from May to July, they are both male and female. Berries develop from these flowers in the spring. Similar to grapes, these fruits hang together in dense clusters. The berries reach a size of up to eight millimeters and carry two seeds each. Similar to its native countries, the Chinese split-grape also thrives in a temperate climate in western latitudes.
Effect and application
The origin of Schisandra berry as a medicinal plant is in its main homeland, China. For thousands of years, Chinese medical practitioners have appreciated the wide range of effects of the plant. In the meantime, this medicinal plant enjoys a good reputation worldwide. In our western latitudes it is mainly used in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The main areas of application of this multi-purpose plant are liver weakness, general states of weakness and signs of aging. The long list of applications shows how versatile this little “miracle plant” is. Thus, it helps with colds, coughs and asthma. But it is also used for common diseases such as diabetes, anxiety, fatigue and burnout syndrome. But also heart palpitations, exhaustion, eczema, insomnia and Parkinson’s disease are among its applications. Furthermore, the plant is used for poor concentration, stress, forgetfulness, libido weakness, fatigue, skin rash, skin inflammation, diarrhea, hepatitis. The healing effect is adaptogenic, aphrodisiac, balancing, blood purifying, regenerating, antispasmodic and tonic. The ingredients are schizandrin, gomisin, essential oil, minerals, vitamins, ligans (phytohormones) and deoxyschizandrin. Most often, tea is made from the berries. For this purpose, two teaspoons of dried Schisandra berries are used. To obtain a demonstrable effect, three cups a day are necessary. Because the taste of the berries is so important for the effect, it is useful to eat the dried berries. Five grams daily is enough to get sufficient effect. Since the medicinal plant has a very strong effect due to its natural ingredients, the intake should be interrupted after about six weeks. In this way, any undesirable long-term effects can be avoided and no habituation effect occurs. Even during the break, the healing effect of the plant is maintained.
Significance for health, treatment and prevention.
Schisandra berry is one of the few wild plants whose components can be used safely, since neither the berries nor the leaves are toxic. For this reason, many people use the berries in unprocessed form and chew them after drying. These natural components of the plants have a positive effect on health due to their high vitamin content and other ingredients. The popular Chinese name Wu Wei Zi describes the flavors of Schisandra berries: sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter. These five flavors correspond to the five basic elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): earth, fire, metal, wood and water. Chinese medicine uses Schisandra berries to balance various meridians such as the lung meridian, heart meridian and kidney meridian.The energy flow within these meridians is strengthened when it is too weak and weakened when it is too strong. This balancing effect is called adaptogenic. The use of the Chinese split berry is similar to the use of the ginseng berry. Scientifically researched is the effect of Schisandra berry on liver function in the area of liver weakness and hepatitis. Chinese medicine proves that the effect of this versatile “all-purpose weapon” can be relaxing as well as invigorating and rejuvenating. For this reason, it is often used for depression, signs of aging, all kinds of memory problems and skin problems. It is popularly used in the field of libido strengthening, for both women and men, which is attributed to its general strengthening effect on the whole organism. Not scientifically proven is the positive effect of Schisandra berries on cancer. However, Chinese medicine uses them as a supportive remedy, which has a strengthening effect on the attacked immune system. The condition of the cancer patient can be positively influenced by it, in particular during chemotherapy. Many users appreciate the appetite suppressing effect of the berries. Due to their very peculiar taste, which takes some getting used to at first, attacks of ravenous appetite weaken and the desire for sweets disappears. Interesting is the healing effect in the area of eyes and ears. The ability to see and hear can improve with regular use. Chinese cleavers is one of the few medicinal plants that are also used in the field of hearing loss. Homeopathy, despite its versatility, rarely uses this medicinal plant, relying more on the medicinal plants known to us, such as St. John’s wort, ginseng, saffron, lavender, curcumin and buttercups. Although even medical research has proven the effect of Schisandra berry in clinical studies in the field of liver function, with regard to the other wide range of applications, there are still no long-term clinical studies that prove the effect in a controlled and scientific manner.
