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Schisandra Fruit is the dried ripe fruit of the Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., a plant of the Magnoliaceae family, commonly known as "Northern Schisandra Fruit". The orange magnoliavine fruit is the dried ripe fruit of Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils., a species of the same genus. Schisandra Fruit is mainly produced in Benxi, Fengcheng, Huanren, and Dandong in Liaoning; Huadian, Jiaohe, Liuhe, Linjiang, Fusong, and Tonghua in Jilin; Acheng, Ning'an, and Hulin in Heilongjiang, as well as in Hebei and Inner Mongolia. It is traditionally believed that the Schisandra Fruit produced in Liaoning, with its high oil content, purplish-red color, thick flesh, and strong aroma, is of the best quality, hence it is referred to as "Liaoning Wuwei". The orange magnoliavine fruit is produced in Shaanxi, Hubei, Shanxi, Henan, and Yunnan provinces.

Materia medica research suggests that the ancient medicinal use of Schisandra Fruit included various species of the Schisandra genus in the Magnoliaceae family, but Schisandra chinensis has always been considered the authentic species. As early as the Song Dynasty, this species was referred to as "True Northern Schisandra Fruit" to distinguish it from other species. The term "Southern Wuwei" began to appear in the Ming Dynasty, and there has been considerable debate among materia medica practitioners regarding its efficacy and quality. Until the recent Zhongguo Yaodian, although Schisandra Fruit was divided into two categories based on plant sources, there was no difference in their nature, flavor, meridian tropism, and therapeutic effects, which might lead to the eventual phasing out of orange magnoliavine fruit. (Northern) Schisandra Fruit from Liaoning is considered the most authentic, while historical records indicate that orange magnoliavine fruit has a longer history of use in Shanxi and Shaanxi.

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The "Erya" mentions "Wei, Chichu", with Guo Pu annotating: "Wuwei, a vine, with clusters of seeds at the stem's head." Schisandra Fruit is named for its possession of all five flavors. The "Xinxiu" states: "Wuwei, the skin and flesh are sweet and sour, the core is pungent and bitter, all with a salty taste, thus it possesses all five flavors." The "Leigong Paozhi Lun" says: "The one with all five flavors—sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and sweet—is genuine." Wuwei aligns with the five elements, hence it is frequently used by Taoist immortals in their elixirs. The "Taiping Yulan" quotes the "Dianshu": "Wuwei is the essence of the five elements, its seeds contain all five flavors. Huainan Gong and Xianmenzi took Wuwei for sixteen years, enabling them to walk through water without getting wet and through fire without getting burned, traveling ten thousand miles a day." The "Baopuzi" Neipian·Xianyao also mentions: "Yimenzi took Schisandra Fruit for sixteen years, his complexion became like that of a jade maiden, he could enter water without getting wet and fire without getting burned." Tao Hongjing stated that "Taoist formulas also require its use," and the "Yunji Qiqian" contains many formulas using it, such as the Shouxian Wuzi Wan, where Wuwei is one of the five seeds, and the Wangjun Heche Fang uses Schisandra Fruit to "regulate the five zang-organs". The Southern Mountain True Man Zheng Piyun's Five Elements Seven Flavors Pill considers Schisandra Fruit as the "essence of metal".

Ancient use of Schisandra Fruit likely involved various species of the Schisandra genus in the Magnoliaceae family, possibly due to the Taoist emphasis on it. Tao Hongjing, a Shangqing Taoist who was also a materia medica expert, particularly emphasized the quality of Schisandra Fruit. The "Jizhu" states: "Now the best comes from Korea, with more flesh and a sweet-sour taste." Tao mentioned that the Korean variety is the best, and the "Xinxiu" describes it as "its leaves resemble apricot but larger, vine on wood, seeds in pods like Malabar nightshade, as large as Yingzi." Mori Risshi's "Bencao Jing" commentary refers to it as "Korean Schisandra Fruit" and provides a detailed description: "Korean Schisandra Fruit is now cultivated in palace gardens, its leaves resemble apricot and Silvervine Actinidia with wrinkles. In spring, buds grow between old vine nodes, with four or five leaves clustered together, flowers and fruits similar to Menan Kudzu but the fruit is not round and long, hanging down one or two inches, green when unripe and red when ripe, turning black when sun-dried." Based on its origin and morphology, it should be the genuine Schisandra chinensis.

In addition to Schisandra chinensis, other plants of the same genus are also used as Schisandra Fruit, as Su Song mentioned: "There are several varieties today, generally similar, but those with a sweet taste are considered the best." To emphasize the authentic status of Schisandra chinensis, Song dynasty medical texts began using the name "Northern Schisandra Fruit," such as in Furen Daquan Liangfang and Renzhai Zhizhi. Notably, the Song dynasty's Li Xun, in his work Jiyan Beiju Fang, specifically mentioned "genuine Northern Schisandra Fruit" and stated: "The kernel is shaped like a pig's kidney, the flesh is slightly black, and those with a strong bitter taste are genuine. Remove the branches, roast them, and use the kernel. If the kernel resembles that of a sand tangerine, it is a local Schisandra Fruit and not suitable for use." The so-called "genuine Northern Schisandra Fruit" is contrasted with "fake Northern Schisandra Fruit" or "orange magnoliavine fruit." This naming subtly implies a devaluation of Schisandra Fruit produced in the south, or at least suggests that "orange magnoliavine fruit" was not considered a high-quality product during the Song dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty, Schisandra Fruit was officially divided into northern and southern types. The Bencao Mengquan states: "The north and south each have their strengths; they should not be mixed when stored. For wind-cold cough, southern Wuwei is remarkable, while for deficiency and injury, northern Wuwei is most effective." The Bencao Gangmu notes: "Wuwei is now divided into northern and southern types. The southern type is red, and the northern type is black. For tonic medicines, the northern type is preferred for its quality." The so-called "northern type" should be Schisandra chinensis, while the "southern type" includes various species of the Schisandra genus from the south, including Schisandra sphenanthera, and is not necessarily the current standard orange magnoliavine fruit.

Regarding the division of Schisandra Fruit into northern and southern types, Ming and Qing materia medica scholars generally held three views: (1) Northern and southern Wuwei each have their uses, as stated in the Bencao Mengquan: "The north and south each have their strengths," with Bencao Beiyao and Bencao Congxin following this view. (2) The efficacy does not differ by region, but the northern type is considered superior, as noted in Benjing Fengyuan: "Those from Liaodong are best," Zhiwu Mingshi Tukao: "The northern type is good," and Bencao Qiuzhen: "The northern type, black and purple, is good." (3) Exclusively use the northern type, as Chen Shi-duo's Bencao Xinbian states: "This medicine has northern and southern types, and the northern type is definitely superior. The southern type should not be used. The ancients' view that the north and south each have their strengths is mistaken." These three views remain unresolved. By the late 20th century, the 2000 edition of the Zhongguo Yaodian began to separate orange magnoliavine fruit from the Schisandra Fruit entry, but as of the 2005 edition, there was no distinction in the properties, meridian tropism, functions, or indications between the two types of Schisandra Fruit, both described as: "Sour, sweet, warm. Enters the lung, heart, and kidney meridians. Astringent and consolidating, tonifying qi, promoting fluid production, nourishing the kidneys, and calming the heart. Used for chronic cough, deficiency-type dyspnea, spermatorrhea, enuresis, frequent urination, chronic diarrhea, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, thirst due to fluid injury, shortness of breath, weak pulse, internal heat, consumptive thirst, palpitations, and insomnia." While this approach seems to meet the requirement of "one name, one substance," it renders the classification of Schisandra Fruit varieties meaningless in clinical application, potentially leading to the eventual phasing out of orange magnoliavine fruit.

bubble_chart Historical Evolution of Authentic Sources

The Bencao Jing and Mingyi Bielu record the origin of Schisandra Fruit as "growing in the valleys of Qishan and Daijun," without specifying the variety.

Tao Hong-jing classified Schisandra Fruit into several grades based on quality. The Jizhu states: "The best comes from Korea, with more flesh and a sweet-sour taste. The next comes from Qingzhou and Yizhou, which is overly sour, with kernels resembling pig kidneys. There is also Jianping, which has less flesh, kernels of a different shape, and a bitter taste, but is also good." The Korean variety is likely today's Schisandra chinensis, while those from Qingzhou and Yizhou are probably other species of the same genus. As for Jianping, located in present-day Wushan County, Chongqing, field investigations from the "Research on the Sorting and Quality of Commonly Used Chinese Medicinal Materials" suggest that the plant used as Schisandra Fruit in Wushan is mainly Schisandra glaucescens Diels, which could be considered a plausible explanation.

The "Xin Xiu" states: "One comes from Puzhou and the Lantian Mountains." Puzhou is located in present-day Yongji County, Shanxi, and Lantian is in Shaanxi. The "Qianjin Yifang" mentions that the medicinal herb is produced in Huazhou and Hezhongfu (LU1) produces Schisandra Fruit, both of which align with the records in "Xin Xiu." According to the late Tang and early Song periods, the Schisandra Fruit produced in Hezhongfu (LU1) (Shanxi) seems to have been particularly famous. The "Old History of the Five Dynasties: Zhou Book" records that Hedong paid tribute with Schisandra Fruit, and the "Song History" also mentions this. The "Kaibao" states: "Now Hezhongfu (LU1) pays annual tribute with it." According to the "Yuanfeng Jiuyu Zhi," the quantity was fifty jin. Whether the Schisandra Fruit produced in Shanxi was Schisandra chinensis is unknown. Considering that Schisandra chinensis is mainly produced in the territories of the Liao Dynasty and later the Jin Kingdom, and although the Song and Liao (Jin) had trade markets, they were mostly hostile. Therefore, the Schisandra Fruit produced in Hezhong might have been a temporary substitute. This is also as stated in the "Bencao Tujing": "Now it is especially abundant in Henan and Shaanxi provinces, and it is also found in Hangzhou and Yuezhou," as well as the Schisandra Fruit depicted in the "Zheng Lei" from Guozhou, Yuezhou, and Qinzhou, which are all orange magnoliavine fruit, serving as substitutes when the "true northern Schisandra Fruit" could not be obtained.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the source of northern Schisandra Fruit was not difficult, and the best quality was from Liaodong. The "Ming Yi Tong Zhi" records that Schisandra Fruit was produced in Liaodong, and the "Qing Yi Tong Zhi" concurs, adding: "The 'Shengjing Tong Zhi' states that it is now found in both Fengtian and Jinzhou prefectures, as well as in Ula." More recently, the "Yaowu Chuchan Bian" states: "The best quality is produced in Fengtian and Jilin provinces." In summary, (northern) Schisandra Fruit has always been superior when produced in Liaoning and Jilin, while orange magnoliavine fruit has mostly served as a substitute for northern Schisandra Fruit. From the perspective of modern Chinese pharmacopoeia guidelines, if orange magnoliavine fruit cannot demonstrate irreplaceable qualities in terms of chemical composition and pharmacological research, it is quite likely to be phased out. Therefore, further cultivation research is not recommended.