Schisandra is an adaptogenic herb with thousands of years of use in traditional medicine in East Asia. (R)
Some 35 compounds have been isolated to date, (R) with many found to have unique benefits across the spectrum I detail below.
I’ve noticed it improves my sleep and my mood when I take it consistently.
Table of Contents
The schisandra I use
Oregon’s Wild Harvest Schisandra Organic Herbal Supplement (Amazon)
Schisandra protects against exhaustion
A review concluded that a single dose of schisandra improves mental performance and physical working capacity. (R)
A review of research on schisandra conducted in Russia found that schisandra broadly improves performance in the face of a vast number of stressors, from radiation to frostbite to heavy metal poisoning. (R)
In rats under compound exhaustion (simultaneous psychological/physical stress), schisandra treatment reduced levels of the inflammatory marker CRP and of two stress hormones, corticosterone (CORT) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). (R)
In exhausted mice, schisandra reduced the amount of time they spent immobile. (R)
Schisandra enhances cognition
Schisandra is a complementary therapy in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and ADHD. (R)
Schisandra shows promise in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, guarding against neuronal damage and cognitive enhancement. (R)
Schisandra is an antidepressant
A review characterized schisandra as an antidepressant that does not cause drowsiness. (R)
A review of research on schisandra conducted in Russia concluded that schisandra is effective in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including depression. (R)
Schisandra treatment ameliorated the depression induced by high levels of the stress hormone corticotropin, suggesting it corrected the HPA axis dysfunction. (R)
A study of mice under stress found that schisandra had an antidepressant effect. (R)
Schisandra fights fat
Schisandra is prescribed widely in China for obesity. (R)
A study of rats with obesity found that schisandra reduced body fat and weight gain. (R)
A small study of obese women found that schisandra treatment reduced waist circumference, fat mass, triglycerides and resting blood glucose and induced favorable shifts in bacterial populations in the gut towards species associated with lower body fat and higher HDL cholesterol. These changes were not, however, significant when compared to placebo. (R)
Schisandra is anti-inflammatory
Schisandra is traditionally used to treat many inflammatory diseases. (R)
Schisandra protects against aseptic inflammation. (R)
Schisandra exhibits complex activities that beneficially modulate inflammation. (R)
Schisandra is an antioxidant
Schisandra exhibits antioxidant activity. (R1, R2, R3, R4)
Schisandra’s significant levels of the flavonoids quercetin, rutin and hesperetin may explain its antioxidant impact. (R)
Schisandra increases levels of the master antioxidant glutathione. (R1, R2, R3, R4)
A review concluded that schisandra protects against oxidative damage in the brain, heart and liver. (R)
Schisandra is antibacterial
Schisandra essential oil showed antibacterial activity against all strains of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria tested in one study. (R)
Schisandra inhibits chlamydia. (R)
Schisandra is antiviral
Several schisandra extracts successfully combated HIV in vitro. (R1, R2, R3)
Schisandra benefits the pulmonary system
Schisandra extracts reduced cough frequency and pulmonary inflammation in guinea pigs exposed to cigarette smoke. (R)
In a study of asthma, schisandra cut airway hypersensitivity and improved immune markers. (R)
In a second asthma study, schisandra treatment reduced the number of allergy-associated white blood cells called eosiniphils in tracheal tissues and was associated with mucosal repair. The schisandra-treated group also had higher glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant. (R)
Schisandra protects the liver
Schisandra is used by patients for a number of different liver diseases, including liver injury, high cholesterol, and liver cancer. (R)
Schisandra is prescribed widely in China for fatty liver. (R)
Schisandra prevents expression of genes associated with fatty liver. (R)
Schisandra protects the liver against inflammation and oxidative stress. (R)
Components of schisandra protected the Phase 1 liver detoxification process after a toxic insult. (R)
A study on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) found that schisandra lowered LDL cholesterol levels in the blood and oxidative markers in the liver better than the antidiabetic drug rosiglitazone. (R)
In rats with alcohol-induced fatty liver disease, schisandra treatment effected remarkable improvements in markers of the disease. (R1, R2)
A number of compounds isolated from schisandra fight liver fibrosis. (R)
Schisandra and cancer
Several schisandra extracts have been shown to kill cancer cells. (R1, R2)
Schisandra extracts have anti-tumor activity. (R)
One schisandra extract, deoxyschizandrin, inhibited ovarian cancer growth. (R)
Schisandra induced cell death in renal cell carcinoma cell lines. (R)
Four weeks of treatment with schisandra inhibited renal cell carcinoma tumor growth. (R)
Schisandra has positive immune-modulating effects on leukemia monocytes. (R)
Components of schisandra may be able to protect against prostate and thyroid cancers. (R)
Additional benefits
Schisandra contains anti-diabetic compounds. (R)
A review found that schisandra protects the cardiovascular system. (R)
May be adaptogenic due to its preservation of mitochondrial function. (R)
A placebo-controlled study of menopausal women treated with schisandra for six weeks found that it ameliorated symptoms – in particular sweating, heart palpitations, and hot flashes. (R)
Schisandra extracts may have cell-protecting effects in diseases of the central nervous system such as ischemic stroke. (R)
A study of a mouse model of myocardial infarction concluded that one component of schisandra shows promise in improving survival rate and heart function and reducing infarct size. (R)
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