Schisandra
Schisandra chinensis · Wǔ Wèi Zǐ 五味子
The 'five-flavor berry' adaptogen for liver & stress.
Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
14 verified / 14
Classification
TCM Herb
❝
What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.
What is Schisandra?
Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis · Wǔ Wèi Zǐ 五味子) is a traditional Chinese medicine herb used for adaptogenic / stress resilience. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Schisandra (Wǔ Wèi Zǐ) — named for containing all five TCM tastes — is classified as an adaptogen. Its lignans show hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity, and it has been studied (often in Russian and Chinese literature) for stress tolerance, mental performance, and physical endurance. Human trials are small and of variable quality, so benefits remain preliminary.
Purported Benefits
✓Adaptogenic / stress resilience
✓Liver support
✓Antioxidant
✓Possible focus & endurance
Evidence by outcome
The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.
| Outcome | Evidence | Effect | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stress resilience / anti-fatigue (adaptogenic)Mostly older narrative reviews and combination-product (ADAPT-232) trials, not Schisandra alone; effect not attributable to the herb by itself. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit | 3 |
| Muscle strength in older/postmenopausal adultsTwo small 12-week RCTs (n=45–54) showed increased knee/quadriceps strength with no change in muscle mass; needs larger replication. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · small | 2 |
| Fasting/postprandial glucose & lipidsA single 12-week RCT of an Omija-soybean mixture lowered FPG ~5.6 mg/dL and LDL; modest effect from a mixture, not isolated Schisandra. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · small | 2 |
| Menopausal symptoms (hot flushes)One small RCT (n=36 completers) reduced Kupperman Index; single underpowered study. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · small | 1 |
| CYP3A/P-gp drug interactions (raises levels of co-meds)Healthy-volunteer PK study plus review: lignans markedly raise tacrolimus exposure (AUC +164%); clinically important interaction, not a benefit. | Moderate | ⚠ risk · large | 2 |
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
1–3 g dried berries or ~500 mg standardized extract/day.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Generally well tolerated. Possible heartburn, appetite changes. Avoid in pregnancy; may interact with drugs metabolized by the liver. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Schisandra with any medicine.
Key Studies ★ 14 studies
RCT
Omija hyperglycemia RCT (Kim 2022)
✓ Full text
In a 12-week double-blind RCT of adults with elevated fasting glucose (n=80 enrolled, 63 completed), Schisandra (Omija) extract mixture significantly lowered fasting plasma glucose (~5.6 mg/dL), postprandial glucose/insulin AUC, and LDL-cholesterol versus placebo.
RCT
Muscle strength RCT in older adults (Park 2021)
✓ PubMed
In a 12-week double-blind RCT of adults over 50 (n=54), Schisandra chinensis extract plus low-intensity exercise increased knee extensor strength (right +10.2 Nm, P=0.003) versus placebo, with no change in muscle mass.
RCT
Karosanidze 2022
✓ Full text
Randomized quadruple-blind placebo-controlled trial (n=100 Long COVID patients) of the fixed adaptogen combination Chisan/ADAPT-232 (Rhodiola, Eleutherococcus, Schisandra chinensis) for 2 weeks reduced the duration of fatigue and pain by 1 and 2 days respectively in 50% of patients and lowered IL-6 versus placebo.
RCT
Kim 2022 (Omija/OSM hyperglycemia RCT)
✓ PubMed
12-week RCT in 80 adults with impaired fasting glucose (FPG 100-140 mg/dL): Schisandra (Omija) extract-soybean mixture significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose, postprandial glucose (30/60 min), postprandial insulin (60 min), insulin AUC, fructosamine, and LDL cholesterol vs placebo, with no adverse safety signals.
RCT
Park 2020 (Schisandra muscle-strength RCT)
✓ PubMed
In 45 postmenopausal women, 1000 mg/day Schisandra chinensis extract for 12 weeks significantly increased quadriceps muscle strength (interaction p=0.001; within-group p<0.001) and decreased resting blood lactate (p=0.038) vs placebo starch.
RCT
Karosanidze 2022 (ADAPT-232 Long COVID RCT)
✓ PubMed
Randomized quadruple-blind placebo-controlled trial in 100 Long COVID patients: 2 weeks of Chisan/ADAPT-232 (Schisandra chinensis, Rhodiola, Eleutherococcus) accelerated recovery, with significantly greater resolution of fatigue and other symptoms and faster reduction in CRP vs placebo.
RCT
Menopausal symptoms RCT (Park 2016)
✓ PubMed
In a double-blind RCT of menopausal women (n=36 completed), Schisandra chinensis BMO-30 extract significantly reduced the total Kupperman Index versus placebo (P=0.042), particularly hot flushes, sweating, and palpitations.
randomized controlled trial (combination product)
ADAPT-232 attention RCT (Aslanyan 2010)
✓ PubMed
In a double-blind RCT of 40 healthy women, a single 270 mg dose of ADAPT-232 (a fixed combination of Schisandra chinensis, Rhodiola rosea, and Eleutherococcus) significantly improved attention, speed, and accuracy on the d2 attention test versus placebo (P<0.05); effect attributable to the combination, not Schisandra alone.
review
Lignans comprehensive review (Ehambarampillai 2025)
✓ PubMed
A 2025 review in Chinese Medicine synthesizes pharmacokinetics and mechanisms of Schisandra chinensis lignans across antioxidant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic activities, emphasizing bioavailability limits and the need for clinical confirmation.
narrative review (drug-drug interactions)
Lignan CYP450/P-gp drug-interaction review (Zhang 2022)
✓ Full text
A Frontiers in Pharmacology review concludes Schisandra lignans (e.g., schisandrin A, schisantherin A, schisandrol B) are potent CYP3A and P-glycoprotein inhibitors that can substantially elevate blood levels of co-administered CYP3A substrates such as tacrolimus, warranting clinical monitoring.
Review
Panossian 2008 review
✓ Full text
Adaptogenic and anti-fatigue effects across mostly older trials.
Study
Hepatoprotection studies
✓ Source
Lignans reduced liver-enzyme markers in some clinical reports.
Study
Performance studies
✓ Full text
Possible gains in concentration and endurance; small samples.
clinical pharmacokinetic study (healthy volunteers)
Tacrolimus interaction study (Xin 2007)
✓ PubMed
In 12 healthy male volunteers, 13 days of Schisandra sphenanthera extract markedly raised tacrolimus exposure (mean AUC +164%, Cmax +227%, clearance -49%), indicating clinically important CYP3A/P-glycoprotein-mediated herb-drug interaction.