Chinese Schisandra

More than a thousand years ago in China, Japan, Korea, people already knew and appreciated Chinese Schisandra. They harvested its berries for future use. Hunters and sailors took dried berries with them to help fight fatigue and overcome sleep and give strength.

Nowadays, sometimes people grow Schisandra as an ornamental culture: it grows quickly and beautifully braids supports. It can decorate any garden building – from an arch to a pergola or a gazebo. But its healing properties are many times greater than the decorative features.

Why Chinese Schisandra is useful

The key effect of berries is that you can eat them fresh or dry. You can store them in the refrigerator, sprinkle them with sugar. Alcohol tinctures are also great to prepare from them. You may also add young shoots and Schisandra berries to tea or brew them as a standalone drink.

Schisandra stimulates the nervous system well, increases attention and concentration. It is great to use when you need to help the body adapt to difficult and adverse conditions. But any preparations from this plant are categorically contraindicated for those who have high blood pressure, have heart problems, and suffer from insomnia.

It is also unusual in taste and very aromatic. The scent of Schisandra is an amazing combination of resinous coniferous and bright lemon scent. After tasting the berry, you will first feel a sweet-salty aftertaste. Then very sour, and after biting through the seed, you will feel a specific bitterness.

How to grow Chinese Schisandra

Schisandra can grow from seeds or if you propagate it by root shoots. The seed method of reproduction is the main one, but it takes a lot of time. Before planting in a permanent place, seedlings need to go in a special seedling bed for 2-3 years.

You can find Schisandra saplings and seeds in our catalog, which contains products from various garden online stores. View a selection of saplings and seeds of Schisandra.

Schisandra seeds lose their germination after six months, so they are difficult to find on sale. Schisandra is sown before winter or early spring, after soaking the seeds for 4-5 days in water. When sowing in spring, the soaked seeds, mixed with wet sand, are placed in small containers and, at first, kept at a temperature of + 15 ° C to + 20 ° C for a month. Then you should remove them for a month in a basement or refrigerator, where you need to store them at a temperature from 0 ° C to + 5 ° C. Then germinate at a temperature of about + 10 ° C. All this time, it is necessary to maintain humidity, not allowing the sand with seeds to dry out.

The actual germination can take up to 2.5 months. Only then should you place the seeds in a “school” – on a special bed for seedlings, where they need to be very carefully taken care of. In the first year, seedlings will grow extremely slowly. You need to weed them constantly, water them regularly, and protect them from the cold.

Growing from roots

Growing Schisandra from root shoots is much easier and faster. To do this, dig up young shoots and separate them from the main root with a pruner or a sharp knife. Then plant them in a permanent place and water well. Most plants take root successfully.

But with this method of reproduction, there is one danger: if the operation is not carried out on time, an abundant flow of juice may begin, which is almost impossible to stop, and as a result, the entire vine dies. For the same reason, avoid spring pruning of Schisandra – carry it out in June-July.

Care tips

The main thing in caring is to provide the berry with reliable support. It can grow without support, but it will not bloom and bear fruit. For the winter, you should remove the liana from the supports. Firstly, it is tough to implement in practice: twist and braid the stems rather tightly; secondly, in natural conditions, Schisandra endures even very severe winters, naturally, on its natural supports and without additional shelters.

The soil under the liana for the winter can possess additional humus. In practice, this plant is harmed not so much by frosts in winter – it is habitual to them – as late return frosts, which practically do not happen in its homeland.

Useful properties of Chinese Schisandra

You should note that the berry is beneficial for restoring, strengthening, rejuvenating human urogenital function. For disorders of sexual function, syrups are helpful, complex preparations basing on Schisandra extract – a classic adaptogen and aphrodisiac. Schisandra helps to enhance full blood flow in the genitals. It significantly increases libido, naturally increases the production of male and female hormones.

The market offers many means to improve potency for men; Simultaneously, Schisandra has high effectiveness and safety, the East’s medicine has successfully used it since ancient times, has a long-term effect, and dependence does not develop. In this case, brew the leaves and fruits of the plant with boiling water and drink tea.

Chinese medicine has tremendous experience in the use of Schisandra for infertility. Hormone-like substances that are present in the plant improve ovarian function for women and sperm production for men. Tinctures and decoctions relieve climacteric syndrome, neurological disorders, hormonal disorders well, help with stress, neuroses, depression, inhibiting cortisol production. Schisandra is useful as an antioxidant, removes harmful substances from the body, inhibits oxidation.

However, gerontologists state the most surprising result of using Schisandra. The berry slows down the aging process of the human body. It is not for nothing that China is famous for its long-livers; the fruits of Schisandra are invariably included in the Chinese diet. The plant helps not only to prolong youth but also to increase life expectancy.

Harm and contraindications of Chinese Schisandra

In addition to all the useful properties, Schisandra has contraindications. Excessive consumption of berries can harm even a completely healthy person. The berry can cause tachycardia, headaches, high blood pressure. Besides, Schisandra is a strong allergen, the reaction to which can manifest itself in a wide variety of forms. If you develop rashes, itching, difficulty breathing, or other symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.

This plant and its fruits are highly stimulating. Therefore, only after consulting a doctor can you use the berry for diseases of the cardiovascular system, nervous disorders, high blood pressure, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

It’s not good for pregnant women and women during lactation. It would help if you did not eat the berry in the evening, leading to insomnia. The use of Schisandra is not good for children under 12 years of age.

The benefits of juice

Schisandra juice retains its healing properties for 3 years; due to the presence of citric, malic, tartaric acids, it does not sour, does not grow moldy. Juice has two options of preparation – from fresh or dry berries.

The juice from dry fruits: pour 5 tablespoons of berries with 1 liter of water, boil for 10 minutes, leave for 12 hours, strain, add 1 cup of sugar, bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Pour into small containers, cork tightly put in a cool dark place.

Juice from fresh berries is better to prepare from fruits of 1-2 days collection. Press the berries manually or through a pressing tool while trying not to crush the seeds; they are squeezing. The resulting juice is mixed with sugar in a 1: 2 ratio. Allow to settle until the sugar is completely dissolved in the juice, pour into dark dishes, roll up, store in the cellar.

Take juice in its pure form, one tablespoon per day every morning with gastritis with low acidity, strengthen the immune system, as a tonic, bio stimulating agent in case of loss of strength, headaches, colds.

You may dilute the juice with mineral water at the rate of 75 ml of juice per 1.5 liters of water. This lemon drink relieves hangover syndrome, quenches thirst, acts as an antidepressant, burns excess fat, increases physical performance.

Useful properties of leaves

Schisandra leaves have a high content of lignans. These organic compounds increase the resistance of human cells to free radicals and slow down the aging process. Acids the leaves contain detoxify the body, stimulate the immune system.

It would help if you used the leaves in the form of tea. To do this, dry the plant’s leaves and pour with boiling water, infuse for half an hour, and take them internally after eating.

This tea is a great treatment of viral and respiratory diseases; it improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system and has wound healing properties.

Cosmetology application of Chinese Schisandra

For cosmetic purposes, you may use it as a tonic to regenerate, rejuvenate skin cells. All preparations with Schisandra for body and hair are incredibly rich in vitamins and acids, which allows you to preserve youth and beauty for a long time.

The most effective way to heal and detoxify the face’s skin is a mask from fresh fruits. Berry gruel cleans well, relieves inflammation, smoothes fine wrinkles, and is suitable for all skin types. For sagging aging skin, a berry gruel mask, 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of natural cream will be effective. Apply the mask to the previously cleansed skin of the face and neck, the layer of the mask should be dense, soak for 15-20 minutes, rinse with warm water, then wipe the skin with lotion. The mask nourishes the skin well, smoothes it, and helps restore elasticity.

Based on Schisandras fruits, you can prepare a homemade lotion: pour 2 tablespoons of berries, then chop them with 250 ml of vodka, leave them in the refrigerator for 10 days, then add 1 teaspoon of glycerin and 500 ml of mineral water to the solution. With the resulting lotion, wipe the skin in the morning and evening. Lemon lotion moisturizes, strengthens the face and neck vessels, gives tone, and removes dead cells of the epidermis.

Use of oil

Berry oil is trendy in cosmetology. Interestingly, several varieties of plant oils, stems, leaves, berries, bark, and seeds exist. People use it in medicine to treat many skin diseases in the form of the main additive in creams, ointments, elixirs. They prepare a more valuable and expensive essential lemon oil from seeds for cosmetic products, which has a potent anti-aging effect. People take the oil internally, according to the instructions, and externally – for massages, in addition to masks, baths, filling for aromatic lamps. Face masks with Schisandra oil’s addition are effective in combating visible pores, acne, and premature wrinkles. The skin becomes noticeably less oily, acquires a matte shade. It is also useful to add oil to the ending cream: for 10 ml of cream, add 2 drops of Schisandras oil, 1 drop of tea tree oil, 2 drops of chamomile oil.

Use in perfumery

People use oil in the perfumery industry for the production of soaps and perfumes. The delicate scent of Schisandra in perfumes has a therapeutic effect, awakens joy, gives energy and vigor.

For brittle lifeless hair, an infusion of any dry parts of Schisandra will be an excellent restorative rinse: pour 2 tablespoons of the collection into 1 liter of boiling water, insist until it cools, use after each shampooing. Hair will strengthen, stop falling out, acquire silkiness and shine, irritation will disappear on the scalp.

Organic cosmetics containing Schisandra are anti-aging and increase the protective functions of the skin.

Cooking applications

People use the berries in cooking when preparing tonic drinks: fruit drinks, syrups. Also, preserves and jams are great to make. Dried Schisandra is great to use as a seasoning; it gives astringency and reveals the aroma of dishes.

You can make dried Schisandra at home. When you dry the berries, they do not lose their properties. To dry the fruits, rinse them thoroughly, allow them to drain, and send them to dry in the oven at a temperature of 40-50 degrees. It is good to open the oven door a little, and the temperature should not be going over the specific range. At higher temperatures, nutrients begin to deteriorate.

Application of Chinese Schisandra in medicine

People noticed the healing properties of Schisandra many centuries ago. Since then, people were using the plant for many types of diseases. We learned to use berries, leaves, bark, bones. Chinese Schisandra is, first of all, an adaptogen. It has a powerful restorative effect. It helps to adapt to any harmful environmental factors: to endure heat, cold, radiation, physical, mental stress, lack of oxygen.

Berries are a strong tonic, have an exciting effect on the central nervous system, increase efficiency, and develop the mental activity. They have an amazing property of helping to concentrate attention, remember information, concentrate, therefore. Berries are indispensable when performing some complicated work, preparing for exams, defending diplomas among students, and exhausting training with athletes.

There is an effective recipe for stimulating the nervous and cardiovascular system, improving vision. Crush Schisandra berries, put in a jar, pour honey, leave for two weeks, take a tablespoon in the morning.

From the seeds of Schisandra, people prepare alcoholic tinctures at home and in pharmaceutical factories. It acts as a general tonic to stimulate a person’s mental states, relieve fatigue and overwork. Schisandra tincture has a good effect on vision, eliminates refractive errors – fog or veil passes, the perception of the outlines of objects sharpens, the fatigue of the visual apparatus decreases, pain in the eye area decreases. Therefore, Schisandra seed tincture is good for people who spend a lot of time in front of computers. Also, by the nature of their professional activities, those who need to read and write a lot.

Additional application

Schisandra is part of eye drops. The tincture is present at a pharmacy, or people prepare it at home. The recipe: dry 60 g of plant seeds, grind, pour into a vessel with a tight-fitting lid, pour 200 ml of 95% ethyl alcohol; a lower degree of alcohol is not suitable since the extract of the active substances will not occur in full. Put the solution in the refrigerator for two weeks. Shake before use; take 20 drops with water 2 times a day 30 minutes before meals. Medicines are taken in courses – after 2 months of admission, an interval of 1 month. The tincture also strengthens the immune system, invigorates, normalizes metabolism, increases blood pressure in hypotension.

Mix 500 ml of berry tincture with 2 tablespoons of honey and 50 g of rose hips. Leave for 2 weeks. You will get a strong immunostimulant. It is good for seasonal outbreaks of influenza, acute respiratory diseases.

Schisandra essential oil is good for fungal diseases of the skin of the legs. Prepare the remedy 1 drop of thyme oil, 3 drops of berry oil, 5 drops of tea tree, 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Lubricate skin with damages by the fungus. Also, in dermatology, the plant is good to use for treating eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis. The fees and preparations have wound healing properties, promote the formation of new skin.