In the deep-autumn wilds, schisandra is the most eye-catching: strings of bright red berries hang from the vine, knocking gently against one another when the wind passes, like a whole tree strung with red beads.

A String of Red Beads

In the deep-autumn wilds, schisandra is the most eye-catching: strings of bright red berries hang from the vine, knocking gently against one another when the wind passes, like a whole tree strung with red beads. The fruit clusters hang slanting from the branches, a couple of dozen berries to a string.

Its vine is woody, climbing trees and thickets by twining; the leaves are obovate with fine teeth along the margin. In summer it opens cream-white or pale pink flowers—small flowers in the deep green, visible only up close.

— Botany Notes, self-inscription —

Five flavors hide in one string of red,

gathered from the autumn mountain into the herb basket.

All Five Flavors

Why is it called “five-flavor seed”? The old texts are precise: the flesh is sweet and sour, the kernels bitter and pungent, the whole fruit faintly salty—one fruit holding all five tastes, hence the name. Bite into a dried berry and the layers really do separate: sour first, sweet next, bitter after.

The name reads like a tasting note, but it is also materia medica care: the ancients matched the five flavors to the five organs, and one fruit answering to all five was held in special regard in medicine.

The One That Gathers and Holds

The pharmacopeia says it tonifies qi, astringes the lung, and nourishes the kidney—a common agent for astringing and consolidating, used for prolonged coughs, night sweats, and thirst of the deficient or loose pattern. It is usually not the lead, but the ingredient that keeps the formula’s qi gathered.

Its use presumes a correct diagnosis of deficiency and excess: an astringent given to someone carrying active evil can actually leave the root of the illness behind. So although schisandra is common in patent medicines and supplements, ask a physician before long-term use.

• How to know it: Deciduous woody vine; leaves obovate; flowers cream-white or pale pink; berries in pendulous spicate clusters, red when ripe.
• When to enjoy: Flowers May to June; red berry clusters hang August to October—a typical fruit of north mountain autumns.
• Caution: Schisandra is an astringent and consolidating agent; those with unresolved cold-evil colds should not take it casually; consult a physician for long-term use.

Berry Picking on the Autumn Mountain

When the autumn berries ripen they are picked and dried in sun or shade to become the schisandra of the pharmacy; some steep it in wine, calling it nourishing; the berries also make juice and seasonings.

In the wild it is also a sight on the trellis: a string of red beads hanging in autumn, easier than most fruit ornamentals. On a north mountain trellis of schisandra, it is surely the gaudiest thing of the season.

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Keywords: schisandra · autumn berry · vine · astringent