Schizandra berry, also known as Fructus Schisandrae in pharmaceutical Latin, is a top restorative that was first enrolled in The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing). The Newly Revised Herbology (Xin Xiu Ben Cao), compiled in the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.), reviewed that the reason why it was named Wu Wei Zi, literally Five Flavored Berry, is because of its sweet, sour, and salty peel and flesh and acrid, bitter pit. It is used so frequently in traditional Chinese medicine that it is viewed as one of the 50 fundamental Chinese herbs these days

Actually there are two kinds of schizandra berries that are commonly used medicinally. They are the ripe fruits of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. or Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. Both of them are plant species of family Magnoliaceae. In China the former one is better known as "North schizandra" since it is mainly produced in the Northeast; the latter is better known as "South schizandra" since they are mainly from the southwest and south of the Yangtze River. And the south one is typically believed with better medicinal properties. Other common names include Schisandra Fruit, Schisandra Seed, Five Taste Fruits, Five Flavors Fruit, and more. Medicinally they are collected in fall when the fruits are ripe. And then they are just needed to be dried in the sun. It is normally used raw or steamed with vinegar and honey.

Schisandra chinensis berry is in the shape of irregular ball or flat ball, in the diameter of 5 to 8mm. The surface is red or purplish red, wrinkled, and oily. Some are dark red, covered with frost. Seeds are 1 to 2 and kidney-shaped; surface is brown and shiny; seed coat is thin and brittle; pulp is soft, with slight aroma and sour taste. The crushed seeds are aromatic, spicy, and bitter. Schisandra sphenanthera berry is spike-like aggregate fruits. They are spherical, fleshy, dark red when ripe. The dried fruits are smaller in size, shriveled, and wrinkled, with reddish brown to dark brown surface and flesh that is often close to the seed.

Schizandra berry benefits
In the TCM point of view, it is commonly used to help treat night sweats, polydipsia, frequent urination, urinary incontinence and Premature Ejaculation because it tonifies kidney and promotes the secretion of body fluid. More importantly, it possesses astringent and tonic properties although the astringency is stronger. The medical sage Zhang Zhongjing loves to combine it with Gan Jiang (dried ginger) and Xi Xin (Herba Asari) to stop cough and asthma by astringing the lung. It makes sense since these herbs oppose each other and yet also complement each other by respective opening and closing nature.

Another great finding is its function of reducing excitability and astringing Promordial Qi, typifying by Du Qi Wan, composed of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan plus schizandra. This formula was first recorded in Zhang Shi Yi Tong (Comprehensive Medicine according to Master Zhang) in Qing dynasty and it is traditionally used to treat Asthma and vomiting due to kidney deficiency. Today it is confirmed that it protects liver and reduces serum transaminases. In addition, in recent years it has been reported that it could treat myocardial Infarction too.

It is conventionally believed with the ability to protect the five internal organs – heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney. It is all the rage worldwide now, in particular in China and Japan. As early as 2 thousand years ago, this tonic has been widely used in kings, millionaires, and herbalists. As its name implies, it is a berry that is with 5 kinds of flavors – spicy, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. This makes it easily stand out from the rest herbs that are usually with 1 or 2 flavors. Thanks for that, it helps play an important role in balancing the relationship of five internal organs.