Schisandra chinensis is a berry that has been used to treat various conditions in traditional Chinese medicine and Russia for many years.  It is commonly known as five flavor Berry, and its origins trace back to Eastern Asia.  Schisandra imparts many health benefits to those who partake.  These benefits are supported by research.  Read on and you will be amazed at all this berry can do.

Supports Liver Function

Schisandra has been shown. To increase glutathione in the liver, by increasing enzyme activity (ref). Glutathione is an important substance made by the liver. It acts as an antioxidant and detoxifier. Antioxidants prevent premature cell death, slow aging of the body, and decrease the risk of developing cancer.  Glutathione also helps detoxify the body of various harmful chemicals and heavy metals like mercury (ref).

Supports Liver Repair

Schisandra may help repair liver damage caused by acute and chronic hepatitis.  Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by viral infections (hepatitis A, B, or C) alcohol consumption, pharmaceutical drugs, and excessive consumption of fructose (high fructose corn syrup).  Researchers believe that Schisandra contains several plant compounds that promote regeneration of damaged liver cells.  These include schizandrin, deoxyschizandrin, gomisins, and pregomisin (ref A, ref B, ref C, ref D, ref E, ref F).

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease

Studies show that schisandra may have a favorable effect on Alzheimer’s disease.  A study demonstrated that schisandra inhibits the production of β-amyloid protein (ref).  Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that involves the formation of plaques in the brain.  β-amyloid protein is  one of the main components of these plaques.  Another study showed that schisandra has beneficial effects on Alzheimer’s and Parknison’s disease.  The researchers pointed to schisandra’s ability to reduce inflammation in the brain as the reason for the improvement in those diseases (ref).

Menopause

Schisandra can reduce hot flashes, heart palpitations, and sweating.  Researchers, in a study that followed 36 women with menopause symptoms for 1 year, concluded that, “Schisandra chinensis can be a safe and effective complementary medicine for menopausal symptoms, especially for hot flashes, sweating, and heart palpitations. “(ref).  

Eczema

Schisandra may alleviate eczema symptoms.  Mice studies demonstrate schisandra’s ability to suppress skin inflammation and itchiness in mice with eczema (atopic dermatitis) (ref).    

Stamina and Energy

In his book, “Performance Functional Foods”, David Watson cites animal studies that exhibited Schisandra’s potential ability to improve stamina, energy, focus, and reflexes.

Physical Performance

Schisandra has been studied extensively in Russia and has been included in the State Register of Drugs.   Animal studies show that it can enhance physical performance under extremely stressful conditions, including heat shock; frostbite, radiation, and heavy metal intoxication (ref).

Heart Protection

Studies done on rats, show that schisandra may protect hearts that have been injured due to myocardial infarction (heart attack) (ref).

Libido

Animal studies suggest that Schisandra may help with sexual arousal (ref).

Antibacterial and Antiviral Agent

Schisandra has been shown to be effective against certain microbes.  These include Bacillus dysenteriae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris and HIV (ref, ref, ref)        

Anti-Inflammatory

Schisandra contains an anti-inflammatory substance called α-Cubebenoate.  In a recent study, researchers concluded that schisandra could be used to treat inflammatory diseases (ref).

What To Look For When Purchasing Schisandra

When purchasing schisandra, you want the supplement to meet certain criteria.

1. Exceeds GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certification standards. GMP are minimal guidelines that a manufacturer must meet to attain certification.
2. Certified by 3rd party agencies for purity and potency.
3. Free of fillers, binders, flow agents, additives, and other chemicals.  Companies add these to their products to make production more cost effective, however they can decrease absorption and can make the herbs less effective.
4. Contains no magnesium stearate or other stearates.
5. Products that have been tested on patients via Applied Kinesiology (AK) for effectiveness.
6. Herbs that have not been standardized.  Standardization processes are often not natural.  It often involves the removal and/or reduction of several nutrients to concentrate one nutrient instead.  This decreases the quantity of health benefits you can get from a particular herb and make the herb more expensive.  It would cost you the same to consume more of the non-standardized herb, while at the same time, experiencing all of the benefits of that herb.

There I

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s A Supplement That Meets All Of The Above Criteria:  

Schisandra Supreme by Supreme Nutrition Products.  If you are a patient at Phelts Chiropractic PC, you get special pricing:

Buy 1 and get 10% off retail  on this supplement.

Buy 2 and get 10% off retail plus Free Shipping!

Buy 3 or more and get 15% off retail plus Free Shipping (via email orders only)

 Log in with the same email that we use for your appointment reminders and the discount will be reflected after adding the product to your cart.  You can also email us to place an order: Appointments@DoctorPhelts.com.  

If you are not a patient, it is easy to become one.  Simply fill out our new patient form, then call us to schedule a 5-minute consultation with Dr. Phelts.