Schisandra Berry

Schisandra chinensis is referred to by various common names including magnolia berry and five-flavor-fruit. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is said to contain all five basic flavors: salty, sweet, sour, pungent, and bitter. The fruits of a deciduous woody vine native to forests of northern China and eastern Russia, schisandra berries are typically manufactured in these regions as juices, wines, extracts, and sweets. The berries can be macerated in fruit juice, tinctured, and infused as schisandra berry tea.

Chinese folklore says that Schisandra can "calm the heart and quiet the spirit", and it has a long history in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Schisandra, also known as Magnolia vine due to its ability to grow upwards in a creeping fashion, is a native to Northern China, Russia, and parts of Korea. An ornamental plant found in many fine gardens throughout the world, schisandra is a woody vine with oval pink leaves and bright red berries. The most popular use can be recorded in China and Russia. Its Chinese name is wu-wei-zi, which means five taste fruit. Schisandra has a usually sour, sweet, bitter, warm, and salty taste, hence the name "five taste". Russian hunters have consumed it for centuries as a tea to help with fatigue. Schisandra chinensis also goes by northern schisandra and schizandra and is a member of the Schisandraceae family.

Some users take 1 teaspoon a day and it makes a lovely infusion in fruit juice. Pour ½ cup to a 1-gallon pitcher of a dark fruit juice and allow it to soak for 1 day. Strain and drink as necessary. Schisandra can also be added to tea decoctions, herbal brews (soft simmer), and is effective as a liquid herbal extract. One can also make an effective schisandra syrup by allowing the berries to soak in Glycerin for 1 month.