Schizandra: Little Known Facts
We usually talk about schizandra as an adaptogen and you might think of it as only having this function. Truth be known, it has so many amazing properties, we thought we'd share some.
- Schizandra is called Wu Wei Zi or five flavored seed. Chewing the dried berries takes you through the whole gamut of flavors - sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and acrid. Most people I know only taste it once!
- It is one of the main herbs used in Fu Zheng therapy in China. Fu-Zheng or “support the righteous” is a therapy designed to support your life-force while undergoing chemo or radiation. It’s been proven to lengthen survival times quite dramatically.
- Schizandra was one of the favorite herbs of L.I. Shizhen who is considered the father of modern Chinese herbology. He is also my favorite herbalist.
- Schizandra is stimulatory on the CNS (central nervous system) without being excitatory - it wakes you up without jitters! It also enhances physical and mental energy.
- It is also an astringent, meaning it helps the body hold onto the energy of other herbs. Combined with other kidney tonics such as polygonum multiflorum, eucommia, lycium and cistanches, it helps maintain sexual energy. All of these herbs are part of our formula for TianChi and Inner Peace.
- Schizandra is a lung and liver chi tonic, building energy and assisting with the normal detox properties of both. It has been used in clinical trials by itself to successfully treat hepatitis. It’s a great herb to treat chemical toxicity and environmental toxins. Shizandra helps the liver pathways of binding with carcinogens, safely removing them and protecting DNA from damage.
- Schizandra was one of the first herbs to ever go into orbit, circling the earth for 437 days! Along with eleuthero and rhodiola, it allowed the cosmonauts to withstand the extreme stress of staying in space and returning to earth healthy - these same herbs help form the adaptogenic blends of TianChi and Inner Peace.
Related Podcast - Letting Go of Fear with Adaptogens
