The Benefits of Schisandra

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What is Schisandra?

Schisandra is a climbing plant native to northern China, famous for its tiny, medicinal berries. These berries have been a staple in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Schisandra is classified as an adaptogen, which means it’s believed to help your body manage stress, enhance focus, improve coordination, and boost endurance. But what does modern research say about these claims? Let’s take a closer look at the science behind schisandra to understand the real health benefits you can expect from it.

Clinical benefits

Stress Relief

Schisandra is often promoted as a stress remedy, but human studies on this claim are limited. One small clinical trial focused on healthy, fatigued women under stress conditions. Participants took a 270 mg dose of a product called ADAPT-232, which contained schisandra, rhodiola, and Siberian ginseng. The study found that this supplement improved cognitive speed and accuracy under stress when compared to a placebo. However, because the product included other ingredients, we can’t be sure if schisandra alone was responsible for these benefits.

Athletic Performance

Schisandra is also claimed to enhance athletic performance. A small clinical study on women found that taking 500 mg of schisandra extract twice daily for 12 weeks slightly increased knee extension strength. However, it didn’t lead to any changes in overall muscle mass compared to a placebo. Similarly, another study in adults over 50 years old showed a slight improvement in knee extension strength with the same schisandra regimen but, again, no increase in muscle mass.

Menopause Support

Some believe that schisandra helps balance hormones during menopause. In a small clinical trial involving women with moderate menopausal symptoms, those who took 784 mg of schisandra extract daily for six weeks experienced a slight improvement in hot flashes and other symptoms compared to a placebo.

Summary of Benefits

While some research on schisandra exists, it’s not widely studied in humans. It’s often combined with other herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, making it difficult to isolate its specific effects. The few studies that have been conducted are small and haven’t been independently replicated.

Moreover, research on schisandra’s benefits usually involves specialized extracts standardized to schizandrin compounds, unlike the generic supplements commonly available. For similar effects, you’d need to find a standardized extract like ADAPT-232.

Nutritional Benefits of Schisandra

Schisandra has been used for centuries as a general adaptogen in traditional medicine, largely due to the variety of beneficial nutrients found in its berries. These nutrients are what make schisandra valuable in traditional practices, where it’s commonly used in teas, beverages, jams, and seasonings.

Schisandra is known for its unique flavor profile, combining all five basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, pungent, and bitter. This complex taste has earned schisandra the nickname “five-flavor fruit.” It starts off tart and sour, followed by a hint of sweetness, with underlying bitter and salty notes, finishing with a subtle earthy flavor.

Because of its rich nutritional content, it’s more accurate to think of schisandra as a functional food rather than just an herbal extract with medicinal properties. Schisandra berries are packed with antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients like lignans, phenolic acids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, organic acids, vitamins, and polysaccharides.

You can compare it to other nutritious foods like blueberries or oatmeal, which offer general health benefits due to their nutrient content. Just as eating a single blueberry or a pinch of oatmeal won’t have a significant impact, the same goes for schisandra—you need to consume a meaningful portion regularly to see benefits.

So, schisandra’s true value likely lies in the array of nutrients it provides as part of a healthy diet. This is why most generic schisandra supplements in pill form may not offer much benefit unless you’re using a specialized extract standardized to schizandrin.

Schisandra tinctures are especially ineffective, as they often contain too little of the active ingredients to be useful. Instead, consider using schisandra powder as a nutritional supplement, focusing on its role as a nutritious food rather than a specific medicinal herb.

Nutritionally, schisandra berries are similar to goji berries, another popular superfood, which typically costs less per weight. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective alternative, flaxseeds and chia seeds offer comparable benefits. They’re rich in many of the same vitamins, lignans, phenolic acids, and flavonoids that make schisandra berry powder so nutritious.

Dr. Brian’s Review

The best way to use schisandra as an adaptogen is to treat it like a greens or protein powder by adding a scoop to your smoothie or food. However, considering that goji berries, flaxseeds, and chia seeds offer similar nutritional benefits and are easier to find and more affordable, I’d recommend sticking with those instead.

Top supplement choices

• Chia seed – 1 to 3 tsp w/ meals
• Flaxseed (ground) – 1 to 3 tsp w/ meals
• Flaxseed (whole) – 1 to 3 tsp w/ meals
• Goji berries – 1 to 3 tsp / day
• Schisandra – 1 to 3 tsp / day

Learn more about

• Chia Seeds for Weight Loss
• 6 Things To Look For On Supplements

See also

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  The Benefits of Ashwaghanda
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  Niacinamide for Clear Skin
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