Background

• Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis), also spelled schizandra, is a vining shrub native to northern and northeast China, as well as areas of Korea and Russia.
• Schisandra berries are called wu wei zi in Chinese, translated as "five-flavor fruit," based on their salty, sweet, sour, pungent, and bitter flavors. The dried fruit is formed into powder, tinctures, and wine, and used in capsules and teas either as a single ingredient or in a combination herbal product.
• The berries of schisandra have been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to increase the body's resistance to stress, for liver protection, immune system effects, and as a "harmonizing agent" in herbal formulas. In Russia it has been used for increasing attention, concentration, coordination, endurance, and strength.

References

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