I remember the first time I met Schisandra… I was in Melbourne for work and having what felt like a very long week. Feeling a little run-down I googled ‘Chinese herb shop Melbourne’ and followed the map to the centre of China Town. Eventually I came upon an inconspicuous shop front with large wooden doors and Chinese inscriptions, not a terribly unusual or telling sign that you’re in the right place when in China Town. As I peeked inside, the pungent, earthy smell of unfamiliar plants and ancient concoctions lit up my senses before my eyes even had time to adjust to the dim light. Large jars full of roots, leaves, berries and barks filled the narrow aisles from floor to ceiling, while burlap sacks pushed tight against the walls urged me to watch my step. This experience was enchanting to my younger self, I felt completely transported to another place, another time.
Soon after, the store owner wondered out from behind the counter, asking if I needed help with anything. I explained in as much detail as possible, that I’d been feeling rundown, anxious and having trouble sleeping. She asked a few more questions about my digestion, previous health issues and emotional state, and in a thick accent, told me “one moment please,” before disappearing down the aisles. She returned with a jar of beautiful garnet-like berries, held tightly with both hands. ‘Wu Wei Zei’ the label on the jar read. The store owner instructed me to make a tea with the berries and to sip on this three times a day until I was feeling better. The ease and minimalistic approach herbal medicine takes has always been so appealing to me – as if it’s intrinsic to our being, like swimming in the ocean or bathing in the sun, our bodies know the plants are medicine.
Upon returning to my Airbnb, I unpacked my little bag of Wu Wei Zei and a few other intriguing herbs I picked up. For those unfamiliar, let me tell you - dried Schisandra berries look like little glistening gems, from their appearance alone, it’s easy to see why they’ve been used since ancient times as a beauty tonic. Knowing next to nothing about this plant other than it looks delicious, I placed a berry on my tongue and bit in, anticipating a sweet and chewy delight… Let me just say, that is not what I received. I consider myself pretty well adjusted to strong herbal flavours but the intensity of Schisandra was something I was not prepared for at the time. Wu Wei Zei – as it’s known in Chinese – translates to ‘the fruit of five flavours’ and can taste different to each person depending on our individual taste buds. Some taste the bitter and pungent/spicy flavours primarily. For me, I get the sour first, then salty and finally sweet.
This memory has stayed with me vividly and I think speaks to the mythic beauty of herbalism. Schisandra came to me when I needed her most, she sought me out amongst the warren-like aisles of this store. Something so foreign at first, has become one of my closest plant allies.
Schisandra
Latin Name: Schisandra Chinensis (latin)
Chinese Name: Wu Wei Zei
Alternative Names: Five Flavour Fruit, Magnolia Vine
Family: Schisandraceae (Magnolia Vine Family)
Origins: North-eastern China, Mongolia and Far Eastern Russia
Energetics & Taste: Balanced energetics due to containing all 5 flavour profiles. Sour (Wood), Bitter (Fire), Sweet (Earth), Spicy/Pungent (Metal) and Salty (Water)
Actions: Adaptogen, trophorestorative, antioxidant, sour astringent, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, expectorant, immune tonic, nervine, strong vital stimulant, aphrodisiac, blood pressure regulator, emmenagogue,
Healing Properties: Known as ‘five flavour fruit’, Schisandra is potent with antioxidants and possesses all five flavour profiles. Hence representing her healing affinity with the five major organ systems of TCM and use as a longevity tonic through-out history. Schisandra berries provide powerful antioxidant protection, particularly from free radicals and other toxins in the environment that may cause cellular damage. These multifaceted qualities of Schisandra have led to it being revered as a powerful beauty tonic since ancient times.
Also known as an adaptogen and trophorestorative, Schisandra berries function to enhance the body's natural resistance and adaptation to stressful influences, support mental endurance and promote overall metabolic efficiency. Harmonising Qi flow throughout the entire body to nourish and restore.
While Schisandra does influence all five organ systems, it is especially revered for its healing affinity on the lung and kidneys systems. This nourishing highly adaptive herb helps balance the nervous system, improves brain function, elevates immunity, and through its effects on the overall harmony of the body, assists those who consume it in remaining youthful, both in appearance and physiology.
Schisandra berries are called the “quintessence of tonic herbs” by Taoist masters. It is the only herb known to be perfectly Yin-Yang balanced, to contain all three Treasures (Jing, Qi and Shen), to nurture all five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) and to enter all twelve energy channels (meridians) of the human body. Beyond that, Schisandra also circulates in the 'extraordinary channels' and facilitates the three main 'dan tian' (energy centres of the body). Schisandra promotes the beauty and functionality of the skin, benefits the mind (especially memory), benefits sexual functions in men and women, and detoxifies the liver. It is a profound adaptogen and Shen tonic.
Spiritual Properties: Due to its uniquely balanced disposition, Schisandra has a stimulating effect on each energy centre (chakra). From a TCM perspective, the kidney meridian is cleansed, and there is a strengthening of the lung and triple burner meridians. An overall state of balance between the etheric, mental emotional and physical bodies usually take place within a few hours after the herb is consumed.
Ancient stories tell of the flavour of Schisandra being perfectly in balance, however the fall of humankind was reflected in the earth and the flavour profile also became imbalanced, with the bitter taste becoming much stronger. Ancient civilisations studied plants to read the current and future state of the earth, simply by tasting the plant itself. They understood that plants chemically fluctuate, to symbiotically match and provide back what is needed in their environment. In this way, ancient mythology tells of Schisandra’s karmic purpose to 'remain the mirror of all the times' for humankind.
