Schizandra & Blood Pressure

Schizandra is a dried fruit used in alternative or complementary medicine for a wide variety of purposes. Claims are made for beneficial effects on almost every major body organ, and on medical conditions from hepatitis to diabetes. While there is a limited amount of mainstream scientific research into the benefits of schizandra for hepatitis sufferers, the widely made claims that it helps lower blood pressure do not seem to have been examined by traditional experimental methods.

Schizandra

• Schizandra (or schisandra) is the fruit of a vine mainly found in northern China (Schisandra chinensis). It is a small berry, red when fresh, dull red-brown when dried and resembling a peppercorn. The schizandra, also known as the magnolia vine, is a climbing vine which can reach 25 feet. It blossoms with pink flowers in April and May.

Preparation

• In China the fruit is sun-dried after removal of stalks, and is used in its unprocessed form or mixed with vinegar or honey. It can also be taken in powdered form. The active components are believed to be in the seeds of the fruit. The sun-dried fruit is said to have a full range of tastes--salty, sour, sweet, bitter and spicy--earning it the Chinese name "wu-wei-zi" meaning "five taste fruit."

Health Benefits

• Dried schizandra berries are taken orally, often in powdered form.

  Most attention has been given to schizandra as a treatment for liver disease or as an "adaptogen," a treatment for stress. Joseph P. Hou and Youyu Jin, authors of "The Healing Power of Chinese Herbs and Medicinal Recipes," describe schizandra as hepato-protective, reporting that 30 grams per day in powdered form, taken orally, is effective in cases of chronic and viral hepatitis. They also support its use as a tranquilizer as well as for treating diarrhea, anorexia, symptoms of diabetes, insomnia and heart palpitations. Some mainstream studies seem to support its use in treating diabetes.

Schizandra and Blood Pressure

• Although studies in China have supported the use of schizandra in therapy for viral hepatitis, the claimed benefits for blood pressure seem to have gone largely unstudied. Nevertheless, they are widely reported in the herbal and alternative medicine literature. Many guides to alternative and complementary medicine report that schizandra can be used to reduce blood pressure.

Speculation

• While there may be some limited evidence supporting the use of schizandra in cases of hepatitis, the very broad range of other medical benefits, including reducing blood pressure, while repeated throughout the alternative and complementary medicine literature, do not seem to be supported by published trials. Individuals with high blood pressure should take their physician's advice on the use of schizanrda or other herbal supplements.