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Description

Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis) is an aromatic woody vine that is native to northern and northeastern China. It is predominately cultivated in the Chinese provinces of Jilin, Hebei, Heilongjiang, and Lianoning. Schisandra is also found in Russia and Korea.

The schisandra plant reaches a height of up to 25 ft (7.5 m) and has pink flowers. Schisandra fruit is fully ripened in the fall and appears as numerous spikes of tiny, bright red berries. The berries have sweet, sour, hot, salty and bitter tastes—hence the Chinese name for schisandra, "Wu Wei Zi" (five-flavored herb). Other names for schisandra include schizandra, five-taste fruit, and herb of five tastes.

Constituents and bioactivities

Schisandra fruit contains a wide variety of compounds with biological activities. Constituents of schisandra include:

• acids
• lignans (deoxyschizandrin, gomisins, pregomisin,...