Schizandra

Introduction

There Schisandra chinensis, also known by the name of Schizandra, is a native oriental shrub, widespread above all in the north-east of China and Korea, but also present in the Russian territory.

Preferring humid environments, Schizandra grows well on humus-rich soils, where it gives rise to small red fruits, known in Chinese as wu wei zin or "fruit of five flavors". These berries are classically used for food as dried fruit, rather than in the preparation of infusions, teas, wines and other drinks.
Already in ancient traditional Chinese medicine, Schizandra berries were used as efficient adaptogens (thanks to the alleged ability to improve psycho-physical abilities, especially in periods of high stress) and as tonics for excretory organs such as the liver.
In Russia, however, Schizandra berries were mainly used to improve mental performance, in particular concentration, coordination and attention level.
Despite the wide uses described in traditional medicine, only in recent years has it been possible to identify the active ingredients present in this plant, characterizing its biological effectiveness.

The active ingredients

Several pharmacokinetic studies, together with numerous chromatographic and spectrometric characterization works, have made it possible to identify only some of the biologically active molecules present in Schizandra.
Much of the biological activities of this plant would be attributable to the presence, in the seeds of its fruits, of over 40 lignans, such as Schizandrina, DeossiSchizandrina, Gomosin and Deoxygomisina.
To the above would be added other active ingredients present in the essential oil - such as Borneol, Alpha and beta-pinene, Sesquicarene and Para-cimolo - as well as various molecules of nutritional interest, such as citric and malic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, stigmasterol, some alkaloids and numerous other antioxidants.

Uses - Scientific Evidence

Today the Schizandra is used, especially in Eastern Europe, also in the clinical setting.
Well documented are in fact:

• The effects on metabolism and liver health; Schizandra would prove to be particularly useful both in preventing any histological damage to hepatocytes, and in normalizing their activity. From the countless data in the literature, collected on patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapies with hepatotoxic potential and on others suffering from hepatitis, Schizandra is it would prove valuable in reducing blood concentrations of transaminases, in increasing the hepatic activity of the antioxidant enzyme Glutathione, in reducing the deleterious effects of hepatotoxins and in preventing functional and biological degeneration of hepatocytes. These activities would be mainly attributable to the lignans.
• The anti-inflammatory effects, observed both in experimental models and in clinical trials. The administration of Schizandra, even for a few days, would have proved effective in reducing the blood concentrations of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, in "inhibiting" platelet aggregation and in "accelerating healing times in the course of inflammatory skin diseases.
• Adaptogenic effects, in great demand in sports, because they are effective in improving and increasing effort capacity, the sustainable duration of effort, reaction times, concentration skills and in facilitating recovery times. At the same time, the important immunomodulating activity would be precious in supporting the normal function of the immune system, especially in periods of strong psychophysical stress, thus reducing the risk of overtraining, which is very common among athletes.
• The antioxidant effects, precious in protecting cells from the damaging action of reactive oxygen species. These activities, in addition to an important cardiovascular protective effect, would seem valuable in the course of oxidative pathologies of the retina, pathologies on an autoimmune basis, neurodegenerative pathologies and in cellular aging.
  For this reason, Schizandra is now used successfully in healty aging and in general in anti-aging medicine.
• The neuroprotective effects, observed above all in experimental models, which would see the Schizandra actively engaged in the protection from neuronal damage as well as in the improvement of some disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

Other activities would be added to the aforementioned activities, however not yet fully characterized and therefore not covered in this article.

How to use

The dosages of Schizandra, currently proposed, strongly depend on the modalities of assumption as well as on the titration in Lignans and in particular in Schizandrine.
In addition to tea, liquid extracts and juices, there are now many supplements on the market in capsules or in syrup.
In these cases, especially for adaptogenic purposes, it is generally recommended to take 500 - 2000 mg of Schizandra extract per day.
Instead, the dosages used in the clinical setting are different, for example in the course of liver disease.

Side effects and contraindications

The American Herbal Product Association ranks Schizandra among the plants belonging to the first category, ie among the plants that can be safely consumed if used properly.
However, from a "careful examination of the literature, following the use of Schizandra, possible side effects would emerge, especially of a gastrointestinal nature, such as heartburn, dyspepsia, diarrhea, loss of appetite and nausea.
Fortunately, more rare is the incidence of noteworthy side effects, such as hypoglycemia, bleeding, headaches and allergic reactions.
The use of this plant would also be strongly contraindicated during pregnancy (due to the increased incidence of fetal malformations observed in experimental models) and during drug therapies (given the ability of the active ingredients contained in it to alter the normal activity of enzymes. cytochromes CYP3A4 and CYP1A2, directly involved in the metabolism of numerous drugs).

Bibliography

The Lignan-containing Extract of Schisandra chinensis Berries Inhibits the Growth of Chlamydia pneumonia.
Hakala E, Hanski LL, Yrjönen T, Vuorela HJ, Vuorela PM.
Nat Prod Commun. 2015 Jun; 10: 1001-4

Schisandra chinensis fruit modulates the gut microbiota composition in association with metabolic markers in obese women: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.
Song MY, Wang JH, Eom T, Kim H.
Nutr Res. 2015 Aug; 35: 655-63.

Determination of lignans in Schisandra chinensis using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography.
Sterbová H, Sevcíková P, Kvasnicková L, Glatz Z, Slanina J.
Electrophoresis. 2002 Jan; 23: 253-8

Identification and characterization of potent CYP3A4 inhibitors in Schisandra fruit extract.
Iwata H, Tezuka Y, Kadota S, Hiratsuka A, Watabe T.
Drug Metab Dispos. 2004 Dec; 32: 1351-8

New lignans and cytotoxic constituents from Schisandrapropinqua.
Xu LJ, Huang F, Chen SB, Zhang QX, Li LN, Chen SL, Xiao PG.
Planta Med. 2006 Feb; 72: 169-74

Panax ginseng, Rhodiola rosea and Schisandra chinensis.
Chan SW.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012 Mar; 63 Suppl 1: 75-81. doi: 10.3109 / 09637486.2011.627840.

Improvement of liver function in humans using a mixture ofschisandra fruit extract and sesamin.
Chiu HF, Chen TY, Tzeng YT, Wang CK.
Phytother Res. 2013 Mar; 27: 368-73

Phytochemical investigation of sesquiterpenes from the fruits of Schisandra chinensis and their cytotoxic activity.
Venkanna A, Siva B, Poornima B, Vadaparthi PR, Prasad KR, Reddy KA, Reddy GB, Babu KS.
Phytotherapy. 2014 Jun; 95: 102-8.

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