Individual Herbs Notebook

Wu Wei Zi

Translation: Five Flavour Fruit

Pharmaceutical: Fructus Schisandrae
Taxonomy: Schisandra chinensis

Other names: Schisandra Fruit / Chinese Magnolia-vine Fruit

Category: Herbs that Stabilize and Bind



Properties: Sour, sweet, warm

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Lung, Heart and Kidney
Divergent Channels: Dai
Extraordinary Vessels: Chong, Yin Qiao, Yang Qiao


Traditional Actions/Indications:
  1. Astringes the leakage of Lung Qi and stops coughing
    Chronic cough and wheezing due to Lung Qi Deficiency
    Lung and Kidney Deficiency patterns
  2. Tonifies the Kidneys, binds up Essence (astringes Jing) and stops diarrhoea and spermatorrhea
    Kidney Deficiency with nocturnal emissions, spermatorrhea, vaginal discharge and urinary frequency
    Spleen and Kidney Deficiency with daybreak diarrhoea
  3. Astringes sweat and generates fluids
    Excessive sweating. especially when accompanied by thirst or a dry throat
    In combination, it is used for spontaneous sweating, night sweats and wasting and thirsting disorder
  4. Quiets the Spirit and calms and contains Heart Qi
    Heart and Kidney Blood and Yin Deficiency, with irritability, palpitations, dream-disturbed sleep and insomnia
  5. Tonifies Qi
    Heart and Spleen Qi Deficiency

Suggested Daily Dosage: 3-6g in decoction. 1-3g as powder.


Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of external pathogen existence, internal excess heat, acute cough, early stage of measles.


Interactions:


Notable Constituents: Lu & Chen (2009) identify most of the pharmacological effects as being due to lignan constituents, particularly the dibenzocyclooctadiene-type lignans, which can lower the serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) level, inhibit platelet aggregation, and show antioxidative, calcium antagonism, antitumor-promoting, and anti-HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) effects. These include:
Appears in 62 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Research Links & References: (click to display)