Schisandra chinensis supplement: anti-stress and fortifying

Schisandra Chinensis is a supplement containing extract of schisandra berry, a powerful adaptogen which helps to normalise liver and respiratory function. It is standardisesd to 9% schisandrin, the plant’s most important active compound.

What is Schisandra chinensis?

Schisandra chinensis is a woody vine measuring up to 8 metres in length, known for thousands of years in China, Korea and Russia, where it grows naturally (1).

Registered on list A of medicinal plants in the French pharmacopeia, it bears small red berries which are traditionally used in Chinese medicine for their adaptogenic properties.

What is an adaptogen plant?

Dr Nicolai Lazarev defined an adaptogen plant as one containing substances that increase the body’s non-specific resistance and ability to adapt to stress To qualify as ‘adaptogen’, a plant must:

• cause minimal biological variation;
• increase the body’s resistance to certain aggressors;
• have a normalising effect which improves several conditions while exacerbating none.

Adaptogen plants differ from stimulant plants such as tea, yerba mate and guarana in that they do not trigger excessive release of catecholamines into the neuronal synapses and bloodstream. They help to durably increase the body’s resistance without draining it of its resources or producing undesirable effects, such as withdrawal syndrome. In sportspeople, they do not disrupt cycles of sleep, recovery, and cell component synthesis, and therefore constitute a long term solution.

What’s behind the effects of Schisandra berries?

The benefits offered by schisandra berries are the result of their high content of:

• lignans (schisandrin, γ-schisandrin, gomisine A, schisantherin…) ;
• sesquiterpenes ;
• resins ;
• polyphenols ;
• organic acids (malic acid, tartric acid) ;
• vitamins C and E.

It is the lignans, specifically schisandrin B, which are responsible for its liver-protective effects(2) and ability to optimise respiratory function (3). That’s why our supplement is standardised to 9% schisandrin.

With regard to its adaptogenic activity, certain of its pharmacological substances (such as triterpene saponosides) help to stimulate the adrenal cortex region (without producing any mineralocorticoid or anabolic effects), and regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis.