Herb
Schisandra (Wu wei zi)
五味子wu wei zi
1 sourceFructus Schisandrae Chinensis
Astringes the lung to calm cough and counterflow qi, engenders fluids to relieve thirst, boosts qi, and reinforces yin and essence.
Used in 8 formulas
Source
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子·主治（《本经》）
References
- functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
- WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
- public pharmacopoeia & botanical facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).
Traditional functions
Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.
传统中医记载：《本经》载五味子益气、主咳逆上气、劳伤羸瘦、补不足、强阴、益男子精；《别录》养五脏、除热；李杲谓生津止渴、收耗散之气；成无己谓酸以收逆气而安肺，为治嗽要药。
Nature, flavor & meridians
Nature & flavor: 酸，温，无毒（《本经》）；王好古谓味酸、微苦、咸，味厚气轻，阴中微阳，入手太阴血分、足少阴气分。·Meridians: 肺（手太阴·血分）, 肾（足少阴·气分）
Used in formulas
- Poria, Licorice and Schisandra Decoction plus Ginger, Asarum, Pinellia and Apricot Kernel
- Poria, Licorice and Schisandra Decoction plus Ginger, Asarum, Pinellia, Apricot Kernel and Rhubarb
- Cinnamon Twig, Poria, Schisandra and Licorice Decoction
- Poria, Licorice, Schisandra, Ginger and Asarum Decoction
- Poria, Schisandra and Licorice Decoction minus Cinnamon Twig plus Dried Ginger, Asarum and Pinellia
- Belamcanda and Ephedra Decoction
- Minor Blue Dragon Decoction
- Magnolia Bark and Ephedra Decoction
Citations
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子（条目标题·《本经》上品）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子·释名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its alternate names.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子·气味（《本经》·王好古）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子·气味（归经·王好古：入手太阴血分、足少阴气分）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its meridian tropism.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子·主治（《本经》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子·主治（李杲）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·五味子·气味（之才·为使畏恶）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.