Schisandra chinensis

　　Schisandra is the mature fruit of Schisandra chinesis (Turcz.) Baill or Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. The former is commonly known as "Northern Schisandra" and is mainly produced in the Northeast; the latter is commonly known as "Southern Schisandra" and is mainly produced in the southwest and provinces south of the Yangtze River Basin. Take it in autumn when the fruits are ripe. Dry. It can be used raw or mixed with vinegar and honey, steamed and dried.

　　[Medical Properties] Sour, sweet, and warm. Returns to the lung, heart and kidney meridians.

　　[Efficacy] It astringes and solidifies astringency, replenishes qi and promotes body fluids, nourishes the kidneys and calms the heart.

　　【application】

　　1. Chronic cough and shortness of breath. This herb tastes sour and astringent, sweet, warm and moist. It can astringe lung qi upwards and nourish kidney yin downwards. It is an important medicine for treating chronic cough, deficiency and asthma. To treat chronic cough due to lung deficiency, it can be used with Wuweizi Pills ("Health Jiabao"); to treat asthma and cough due to deficiency of both lungs and kidneys, it is often used with dogwood, rehmannia root, and Chinese yam, such as Duqi Pills ("Yi Zong Ji Ren Bian"); this product is good at astringing the lungs and relieving cough, and can be used with cinnamon, asarum, dried ginger, etc. for cough and asthma caused by cold drinks, such as Xiaoqinglong Decoction ("Treatise on Febrile Diseases").

　　2. Spontaneous sweating and night sweats. This product has five flavors, mainly acid, and is good at astringing the lungs and stopping sweating. For treating spontaneous sweating and night sweats, it can be used equally with root and oyster.

　　3. Nocturnal emission, spermatorrhea. This product is sweet, warm and astringent. It enters the kidneys and can nourish the kidneys, astringent semen and stop spermatorrhea. It is a commonly used medicine for treating kidney deficiency, spermatorrhea and slippery semen. To treat slippery sperm, it can be used with Mulberry, Aconite, and Dragon Bone, such as Mulberry Pills ("Shi Yi De Xiao Fang"); to treat nocturnal emissions, it can often be used with Ophiopogon japonicus, Cornus officinalis, Rehmannia glutinosa, and Chinese yam, such as Maiwei Dihuang Pills ("Yi Zong Jin Jian").

　　4. Prolonged diarrhea. The taste is sour and astringent, and can astringent the intestines and relieve diarrhea. To treat chronic diarrhea due to spleen and kidney deficiency and cold, it can be stir-fried with Evodia, ground into powder, and taken in rice soup, such as Schisandra chinensis powder ("Puji Benshi Prescription"); or it can be used with psoralen, nutmeg, and Evodia, such as Sishen Pills ("Abstract of Internal Medicine").

　　5. Treat wounds and relieve thirst. This product is sweet to replenish qi and sour to promote body fluids. It has the effect of replenishing qi, promoting body fluids and quenching thirst. To treat heat-injured qi and yin, excessive sweating and thirst, it is often used with ginseng and Ophiopogon japonicus, such as Shengmai Powder ("Differentiation of Internal and External Injuries"); to treat thirst-quenching syndrome caused by yin deficiency and internal heat, thirst and polydipsia, it is often used with yam, Anemarrhena, trichosanthes, and astragalus, such as Yuye Decoction ("Yi Zhong Shen Xi Lu").

　　6. Heart palpitations, insomnia, and dreaminess. This product can not only nourish the heart and kidneys, but also calm the mind and calm the mind. It can be used to treat deficiency of yin and blood, lack of nourishment of mind and spirit, or deficiency of heart and kidney, palpitation, insomnia and dreaminess. It is often used with Ophiopogon japonicus, salvia miltiorrhiza, raw rehmannia root, jujube kernel, etc., such as Tianwang Buxin Dan ("Secret Analysis of Health Preservation").

　　[Usage and Dosage] Decoct and take, 3-6g; grind into powder and take, 1-3g.

　　[Precautions for use] It should not be used if the external evil has not been resolved, if there is excess heat inside, if a cough has just begun, or in the early stages of measles.

　　[Abstract from ancient books]

　　1. "Shen Nong's Materia Medica": "Mainly replenishing qi, coughing up qi, causing fatigue and thinness, replenishing deficiency, strengthening yin, and benefiting men's essence."

　　2. "Compendium of Materia Medica": "It is warm in nature, has five flavors, and is mostly sour and salty. Therefore, it is specially used to converge lung qi and nourish kidney water, replenish qi and promote body fluid, nourish deficiency and improve eyesight, strengthen yin and astringent essence, reduce fever and suppress sweat, stop vomiting and diarrhea, relieve cough and asthma, and relieve polydipsia."

　　3. "Yilin Zhuan Yao": "calm the mind, relieve polydipsia, stop vomiting and epistaxis, and calm dreams."

　　【Modern Research】

　　1. Chemical composition: Schisandra chinensis mainly contains volatile oils, organic acids, tannins, vitamins, sugars and resins. The main component in the volatile oil of seeds is schisandrin.

　　2. Pharmacological effects: This product has an stimulating effect on all levels of centers in the nervous system, and affects both the excitatory and inhibitory processes of the cerebral cortex, making them more balanced. It has a stimulating effect on the respiratory system, and has antitussive and expectorant effects. Can lower blood pressure. It can be choleretic, reduce serum aminotransferase, and have a protective effect on liver cells. It has an adaptogen-like effect similar to that of ginseng and can enhance the body's defense against non-specific stimuli. It can increase cellular immune function and significantly enhance SOD activity in the brain, liver, and spleen, so it has immune-improving, antioxidant, and anti-aging effects. It has inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pneumoniae, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc.

　　3. Clinical research: It is reported that decoction of Schisandra chinensis, Dilong and Houttuynia cordata was effective in treating 50 cases of severe asthma (Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1988, 29, 9:47). Make honey pills from Schisandra chinensis and take it orally (Tianjin Medicine, 1980, 8, 11:704); extract Schisandra chinensis kernels with ethanol, concentrate and dry them and make tablets or capsules, and take them orally (Liaoning Intermediate Medical Journal, 1980, 9:35); Schisandra chinensis powder is made into pills and taken orally (Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1985, 8, 6:11). It is effective in treating chronic hepatitis, acute hepatitis, and the increase in GPT caused by taking antipsychotic drugs, but it is easy to form a rebound phenomenon after stopping the drug. Therefore, after the GPT value returns to normal, medication is still needed for 1 to 2 weeks. Take Schisandra chinensis, Corydalis chinensis, and Astragalus membranaceus in a ratio of 1:2:1 to make tablets and take them orally to treat 34 cases of coronary heart disease with good results (Shandong Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1986, 5:32). In addition, there are reports of using this medicine to treat neurosis and Keshan disease.