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Schisandra Herb - Uses And Side Effects

The Chinese name for schisandra, wu-wei-zu, means five-flavored herb-a reference to schisandra's sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty taste. Schisandra chinesis is native to China, Russia, and Korea. Active ingredients are extracted from the plant's fruit, stems, or kernel.

Schisandra is a woody vine with numerous clusters of tiny, bright red berries. It is found throughout northern and northeast 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 flavors is reflected in schisandra's Chinese name wu-wei-zi, meaning "five taste fruit."

Common doses of Schisandra

Schisandra comes as:

• capsules (100 milligrams)
• dried fruit
• extract
• liquid

Some experts recommend the following dose:

• As an extract, 100 milligrams taken orally twice daily.

Uses of Schisandra herb

Specifically, schisandra may help to :-

• Eye problems
• Kidney disorders
• Liver disorders
• Lung disorders
• Stress

Modern Chinese research suggests that lignans in schisandra regenerate liver tissue damaged by harmful influences such as viral hepatitis and alcohol. Lignans lower blood levels of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), a marker for infective hepatitis and other liver disorders.

Side effects of Schisandra

Call your health care practitioner if you experience unusual symptoms while using schisandra.

Are there any interactions?

Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Tell your health care practitioner about any prescription or nonprescription drugs you're taking.

Important points to remember

• Don't use schisandra if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
• Know that schisandra may interact with drugs processed mainly by the liver. Tell your health care practitioner about any drugs you're taking, even nonprescription ones.
• Be aware that little information about this herb's safety and effectiveness exists.

What the research shows

Although animal studies suggest schisandra helps protect the liver, no studies on people have been done. We don't know much about the herb's ability to treat lung and kidney conditions, how much of it to use, or what harmful effects it might cause. Until we know more, medical experts believe it's best to steer clear of schisandra for medicinal use.

Other names for Schisandra

Other names for schisandra include gomishi, omicha, schizandra, tjn-Iol, and wu-wei-zu.

Products containing schisandra are sold under such names as Schisandra Extract and Sheng-mai-san.