Schisandra Planting Techniques and Field Management Methods
A cultivated species of the genus Schisandra in the family Magnoliaceae, scientific name Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., a deciduous woody vine crop. It is named for possessing the five flavors: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter and salty. Also known as northern schisandra, Liaoning schisandra and mountain pepper. It is distributed in Northeast and North China, with the main producing areas being Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.
The stem bark is grayish brown with obvious lenticels. Young branches are reddish brown and slightly glossy. Leaves are simple, alternate, stalked, broadly elliptic or obovate. Flowers are unisexual, white or pink, monoecious. After flowering, the receptacle elongates into a spike. Berries are spherical, dark red when ripe. Seeds are kidney-shaped. It mostly grows wild at the edges of mixed woods, in mountain gullies, and among small trees and shrubs along stream banks.
It prefers fertile soil and moisture, and fears strong light. It is best to choose forest-edge land or cultivated land with fertile soil, deep soil layers and strong water retention for cultivation. Seed propagation is the main method. In autumn, select fruit clusters with large, uniform berries, and dry them in the sun or in the shade for use as seed. In late February, soak the fruits in clean water for 4-6 days, changing the water once every two days, then rub off the flesh and remove the shriveled seeds, and bury them in wet sand 3 times the volume of the seeds for treatment at a low temperature of 0-5°C so that they complete post-embryonic ripening. Sow and raise seedlings in early to mid-May. Low-lying, easily waterlogged places need raised beds about 15 cm high; dry, high places use flat beds. The bed width is about 1.2 m, sown in drills or broadcast. Drill row spacing is 10 cm. Cover with 1.5 cm of soil. The sowing rate is about 30 g per sq m. After sowing, build a shade frame and keep the soil moist. Once 2-3 leaves have grown and the weather is cool, remove the shade frame. In the following spring, transplant at a row and plant spacing of 120 x 50 cm. Apply topdressing 1-2 times each year: the first time at leaf expansion, mainly nitrogen fertilizer; the second time after flowering, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Open a ring-shaped ditch around the plant, apply the fertilizer into the ditch, then cover with soil. Prune after leaf fall in autumn or before sprouting in spring, keeping 2-3 vigorous branches as the main stem, and loosen the soil and weed in time. It bears fruit in the 3rd year after planting. Harvest the ripe fruits in late October, remove impurities and dry them, and store them in a ventilated, dry place to prevent mildew and deterioration.
The fruit contains schizandrin, deoxyschizandrin, volatile oil, citral, citric acid, vitamin C and E, etc. It is sour and salty in taste and warm in nature. It has the effects of astringing the lungs and stopping cough, and tonifying the kidney and astringing essence. It mainly treats asthmatic cough due to lung deficiency, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, spermatorrhea due to kidney deficiency, and chronic diarrhea, etc.