Temple of Heaven Schisandra Fruit (Schisandra chinensis; Wu Wei Zi) Cut & Sifted 1 lb: V from Kalyx.com - Bulk Herbs

VIEW CART | CHECKOUT | Brands A-Z

Phone & Mail Orders

Shipping

Knowledge Center

SSL

Merchant Services

Home | Bulk Herbs | Diabetic Support

Schisandra Fruit (Schisandra chinensis; Wu Wei Zi) Cut & Sifted 1 lb: V

(Click to Enlarge)

Our Price:	$43.70
Shipping Weight:	16.00 ounces
SKU:	5420_toh
Quantity:

Generally used as a strong decoction or food additive.

Confirming much of what the classical treatise on Chinese herbal medicine, the Shen Nung Pen Tsao Ching, says, modern Chinese research suggests that lignans, found in the seeds of schisandra berries, 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.

Schisandra fruit may also have an adaptogenic action, much like the herb ginseng, but with weaker effects. Laboratory work suggests that schisandra may improve work performance, build strength, and help to reduce fatigue.

Nutrition Science News: 1/2001:

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), schisandra berries have been used predominantly for the lungs and kidneys as an astringent tonic to arrest mucous discharges, alleviate spontaneous sweating and check urinary and reproductive secretions such as in urinary incontinence and spermatorrhea, an involuntary loss of semen.

More recently, the focus of schisandra research has been on its use in treating diabetes mellitus. Additionally, a protective effect on cardiovascular tissue insulted with chemical agents or ischemia has also been shown in vivo. As well, anti-inflammatory activity has been reported in in vitro, animal models, and clinical studies.

The most important area, however, is in treating liver damage in conditions such as hepatitis. Schisandra is included in the pharmacopoeias of China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Russia, places where the plant grows naturally.

Pharmacological research on schisandra has been conducted since the 1950s, when it was reported to exhibit central nervous system stimulatory activity, enhance mental and physical capacities and improve cardiovascular function. These studies, mostly conducted in the former Soviet Union, characterize schisandra as an adaptogen and resulted in its popular use as a tonic.

Protects The Liver

In China, crude schisandra berries, their preparations, and individual constituents are widely used for progressive hepatic degeneration due to viral hepatitis or chemical challenge—indications for which schisandra is well documented.

In the 1970s, trials in China on patients with hepatitis resulting from either viral infection or chemical exposure reported schisandra preparations lowered elevated levels of serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), an enzyme found primarily in the liver that is released into the bloodstream as the result of liver damage. This research focused on the antihepatotoxic effects of lignans isolated from the unhydrolyzed fraction of the seed oil. At least 13 of these lignans have been reported to enhance the hepatic glutathione antioxidant system and have been reported to be beneficial in treating viral- and chemical-induced hepatitis and liver cancer.

In 1986, Chinese researchers reported more than 5,000 cases of various types of hepatitis have been treated with schisandra preparations, resulting in the reduction of elevated liver enzymes. According to researchers, elevated SGPT values returned to normal in 75 percent of patients treated after 20 days of taking an unspecified schisandra preparation. In subjects with elevated SGPT attributed to drug toxicity, SGPT levels returned to normal in 83 out of 86 cases after one to four weeks of treatment.

A controlled study was conducted in China with 189 chronic viral hepatitis B patients with elevated SGPT levels.8 Tablets prepared from an ethanol berry extract containing 20 mg of lignans and corresponding to 1.5 g crude herb were administered to 107 of these patients. The control group of 82 patients was given liver extracts and vitamins. Normal SGPT levels were observed in 73 patients, or 68 percent, in the schisandra-treated group, with a four-week average time needed for normalization.

Schisandra's traditional use as a tonifier in TCM led to research for this effect, predominantly in the former Soviet Union, where it was defined as an 'adaptogen.' Although generally not an accepted category of therapeutic substances in modern medicine, adaptogens are substances believed to reinforce the nonspecific resistance of the body against physical, chemical, or biological stressors. Primarily, they are considered to enhance the body's general physiological adaptive responses.10

Schisandra's use as an adaptogenic tonic has been the subject of numerous studies since the 1950s. There is a significant amount of evidence, in conjunction with its long-standing traditional use as a tonic, that it is effective in this role.

The ability of an extract of the dried fruit to increase mental and physical activity in humans was reported in numerous studies conducted in the 1950s. In these studies, improvement was seen in activities that required concentration, coordination, and endurance. As an example, a study of telegraphists demonstrated that a dose of 5-10 mg/kg body weight schisandra was able to prevent tiredness and increase the correctness of telegrapahic transmission and reception by 22 percent.

Other researchers reported the effect of schisandra on 59 airline flight attendants aged 2229. The effects of nonstop seven- to nine-hour flights, as measured by several stress parameters, were evaluated before and after the flights with and without treatment with 0.5 g schisandra extract. Control subjects displayed an increase in heart rate from 76 beats per minute (bpm) to 88 bpm and blood pressure from 112 to 119, while those administered the schisandra preparation exhibited no changes.

Schisandra appears to be free of toxicity when administered orally within its recommended dosage range. Individuals with high gastric acidity or peptic ulcers may experience increased acidity. Those with abnormally high intracranial pressure or with epilepsy should avoid use.14 Based on the limited information available, schisandra should be avoided or used with caution by pregnant women.

In one mouse study, the lignan schizandrol A was reported to significantly prolong sedative-induced sleeping times, enhance the sedative effects of drugs, and antagonize the stimulatory effects of amphetamines and caffeine on spontaneous motor activity.

In the United States, schisandra is popularly used as a general tonic for decreasing fatigue, enhancing physical performance, and promoting endurance due to its effects and reputation as an adaptogen. In China it is widely used for various liver conditions. Among TCM practitioners, it is similarly used as a tonic and is also prescribed according to the principles of TCM.

Botanical Name:

Schisandra (Schizandra) chinensis

Manufacturer - Click for Complete List:

Temple of Heaven

Manufacturer Number:

5420

Customer Rating:

Click to Review This Product

Shipping Info:

In Stock! Products from the V warehouse are 98% in stock.

Varuna Fulfillment Center (V) items are special ordered. These take an extra one to three weeks to deliver, and are NOT CANCELABLE OR RETURNABLE.

Varuna fulfillment center ships UPS to street addresses from our Colorado warehouse, USPS Priority Mail to PO Boxes, and USPS Global Express to International addresses. You will get the tracking number as shipment confirmation to your email.

Disclaimer:

All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose or personally treat any medical condition or disease or prescribe any medication. If you have a medical condition you are urged to contact your personal health care provider. Statements on this website have not necessarily been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.