Does Schisandra really have five flavors? When should it be harvested?

What a coincidence - in the world of traditional Chinese medicine, there really is a medicinal herb that uses its fruit as medicine and is named after five flavors. It is the Schisandra we are introducing today. Despite its small size, its efficacy should not be underestimated. The Shennong Bencao Jing even lists this medicine as a top-grade herb! When is the most suitable time to harvest Schisandra? The specific explanation is as follows.

1. Schisandra

Schisandra, also known as northern Schisandra. It is a perennial deciduous woody vine of the Magnoliaceae family. Jilin, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang provinces are the main producing areas of Schisandra. In addition, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Shanxi and other provinces and regions also produce Schisandra. However, the quality produced in Jilin and Liaoning is the best, enjoying the reputation of “Liao Wu Wei”.

2. The legend of Schisandra

Long ago, in a village at the foot of Changbai Mountain, there was a young man named Kuwa. His parents died when he was young, and he survived by herding cattle and doing odd jobs for a landlord surnamed Diao. Landlord Diao did not treat Kuwa as a person at all, and gave him a severe beating at the slightest negligence. After several years, Kuwa developed illnesses all over his body and was thin as a stick. Landlord Diao paid no attention to Kuwa's illness, not only failing to treat him but also forcing him to work every day. Kuwa's physical condition grew worse and worse. In the dead of night, thinking of his deceased relatives, he could not help but cry bitterly, silently praying to Guanyin Bodhisattva to bless him.

One day, Landlord Diao saw that Kuwa's illness was getting worse and worse, and he did not even have the strength to walk, so he sent people to throw Kuwa on the grass by the edge of the woods. Exhausted and barely breathing, Kuwa fell into a drowsy sleep. At this time, a magpie flew from afar and scattered several seeds it held in its beak on the grass beside Kuwa. When Kuwa woke up, he saw small trees growing around him, with vines connected and lush and green, and clusters of red-and-black fruits emitting a fresh fragrance hanging all over the branches.

Kuwa was unbearably hungry. Seeing the fruits, he was overjoyed and casually picked a cluster and stuffed it into his mouth. He felt that it had all five flavors - sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty - and was very refreshing. After eating, he felt full of energy, his breathing was smooth and his heart was at ease, and all his illnesses seemed to vanish instantly. Kuwa's illness was unexpectedly cured by these wild fruits. Because this fruit had 5 flavors, Kuwa named it “Wu Wei Zi” (Schisandra).

Description

3. Growth habits of Schisandra

Schisandra prefers fertile, moist, loose, deep dark brown soil rich in humus and with good drainage. It is not tolerant of waterlogged land, nor of arid, barren, and sticky wet soil. Therefore, natural clumps of Schisandra are mostly distributed along the edges of coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests on both banks of streams, in forest clearings, and on cutover lands.

It requires humid air and is shade-tolerant, but under a small environment with good light conditions, it is conducive to the formation of flower buds and the female flowers increase noticeably. Therefore, artificial cultivation of Schisandra must pay attention to two key factors at the same time: air humidity and light in the microhabitat.

Schisandra is very cold-resistant and can still overwinter normally in severe cold regions, and bear fruit normally the following year. Therefore, Schisandra is suitable for planting in the north.

4. Efficacy and applications

The main efficacy and effects of Schisandra are astringing and securing, tonifying qi and promoting fluid, tonifying the kidney and calming the heart. Schisandra is often used for chronic cough with deficiency panting, nocturnal emission and spermatorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination, chronic diarrhea, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, fluid damage with thirst, shortness of breath and weak pulse, internal heat with wasting-thirst, and palpitations and insomnia. Ancient medical books called it Chi Chu, Xuan Ji, and Hui Ji. It was listed earliest among the top-grade Chinese medicines in the Shennong Bencao Jing, has the power to nourish and strengthen, has extremely high medicinal value, and has the effect of strengthening the body.

5. Propagation of Schisandra

1. Seed selection

During the autumn harvest period, Schisandra seeds can be selected on the spike. Choose plump, large, and uniformly sized fruit spikes to keep for seed use, and dry and store them separately. When drying, they can be placed in a ventilated and dry place to sun-dry or dry in the shade. Never dry them by fire or other heating methods.

2. Seed treatment

(1) Outdoor treatment

Before winter begins, soak the selected seeds in clean water until the fruit pulp swells, then remove the fruit pulp.

(2) Indoor treatment

Mix them with sandy soil and put them into a wooden box for sand storage treatment. The basic condition is to keep the temperature between 5°C and 15°C. The following spring, they can be sown after cracking.

6. Field management of Schisandra

1. Fertilization and irrigation