Schisandra

Schisandra (magnolia vine) is a genus of twining shrub that generally climb on other vegetation. Some early publications misspell the name as 'Schizandra,' but 'Schisandra' is correct. Various authors have included the plants in the Illiciaceae Schisandra is native to Asia and North America, with a center of diversity in China. Some species are commonly grown in gardens as ornamentals. It is a hardy deciduous climber which thrives in almost any kind of soil; its preferred position is on a sheltered, shady wall. It may be propagated by cutting off half-matured shoots in August. Despite its common name, Schisandra is not closely related to the true magnolias. Schisandra is native to East Asia, and its dried fruit is sometimes used medicinally. The berries of S. chinensis are given the name wu wei zi in Chinese (五味子; pinyin: wǔ wèi zi), which translates as 'five flavor fruit' because they possess all five basic flavors in Chinese herbal medicine: salty, sweet, sour, pungent (spicy), and bitter. In traditional Chinese medicine it is used as a remedy for many ailments: to resist infections, increase skin health, and combat insomnia, coughing, and thirst. The extract of S. rubriflora, a native of the Yunnan province, was found to contain complex and highly oxygenated nortriterpenoids called rubriflorins A-C.