Medicinals
wǔ wèi zǐ / 五味子 / 五味子 / schisandra [berry];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Schisandrae Fructus
Alternate English names: Chinese schisandra [berry]
Alternate Chinese names: 菋 wèi; 玄及 xuán jí; 会及 huì jí; 五梅子 wǔ méi zǐ; 五味 wǔ wèi
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Astringent agents / Essence-aecuring, urine-reducing, and discharge-checking agents
Properties: Sour, sweet, astringent; warm.
Channel entry: lung, heart, and kidney channels.
Indications:
- Constrains the lung and enriches the kidney: Enduring cough and vacuity panting.
- Engenders liquid and constrains sweating: dispersion-thirst or thirst due to damage to liquid; spontaneous sweating; night sweating.
- Astringes essence and checks diarrhea: Seminal emission and seminal efflux; incessant enduring diarrhea.
- Quiets the heart and spirit: Profuse dreaming, heart palpitation, and insomnia.
- Modern applications: In recent years, ground wǔ wèi zǐ has been used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis with elevated aminotransferase levels.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 3–6g in decoctions (crush first); or 1–3gr per dose as powder. It should be stir-fried for supplementing but raw for treating cough.
Warning:
Unsuitable for patterns of unresolved evils in the exterior, for internal repletion heat, or for initial-stage cough or measles.
Notes:
Traditionally, the term wǔ wèi zǐ included běi wǔ wèi zǐ, the northern species (Shisandra chinensis) and nán wǔ wèi zǐ, the southern variety (Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils). The Chinese Pharmacopoeia now recognizes only the former as wǔ wèi zǐ. S. sphenanthera has the same properties, actions, and indications as S. chinensis but is considered inferior.
Product Description:
The fruit of Schisandra chinensis is a ripe, spherical berry, 5–7 mm in diameter. It is usually flat and wrinkled, and irregular in shape. The pericarp is soft and fleshy, red or purple in color, and semitranslucent. It contains a kidney-shaped seed, roughly 4.5 mm long, and 3.5 mm wide, with a hard, yellow, shiny seed coat covering a white oily seed. The fruit of Schisandra sphenanthera is smaller (2–5 mm in diameter) and is reddish brown in color.
Quality:
S. chinensis is the superior of the two kinds, large fat shiny purple-red berries with marked wrinkles being the best.
Product Area:
Schisandra chinensis: Liáoníng, Jílín, Hēilóngjiāng, Héběi, and the Korean Peninsula. Schisandra sphenanthera: South of the Yangtze.
Etymology:
The name wǔ wèi zǐ 五味子, ""five-flavored seed,"" reflecting the sweet and sour flavor of the flesh, and the bitter, acrid, and slightly salty flavor of the kernel.