Dallas Morning News – December 23, 2021

Schisandra Berry Tea

Got a terrific new tea recommendation for you, and it’s a good one for the Holiday Season.

Schisandra berry (Schisandra chinensis) is a pretty vine, also know as Omija, five-flavored fruit and magnolia berry. It has been cultivated for thousands of years and used as a beautifying tonic herb and in numerous other traditional culinary and medicinal recipes. Not sure why it took me so long to discover it.

Schisandra berries ready to be used to make a wonderful tea with great taste and medicinal benefits.

Schisandra is delicious but also reported to help alleviate stress and help the body deal with physical and mental fatigue. The adaptogenic properties of schisandra have been cited for centuries in Asian tradition for helping beautify and protect the skin from environmental stress. It’s a herb plant that is reported to help a person adapt to stress by having a normalizing effect on body processes. It is also said that schisandra’s concentrated B-vitamin complex and antioxidant activity can help support healthy liver function and hormonal balance.

Schisandra is available commercially by mail order but can also be grown and harvested in late summer and can be pressed fresh into juice or sun-dried for use in a variety of preparations including herbal teas, vitality tonics and infused liquors. Schisandra’s common name “five-flavor berry,” alludes to its complex flavor profile of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent aspects all found in the fruit. It’s really a nice and refreshing taste.

Schisandra vine is native to Asia and Siberia but hardy here in zones 4 – 8. Snow-white flowers are followed by striking, crimson-red berries which have the tart and distinctive aroma and taste. The fruit makes tasty, vitamin-rich juice, tea and preserves and the dried leaves, shoots and roots can also be used to make a refreshing and stimulating tea.

Commercially available Schisandra from Mountain Rose Herbs by mail order.

Schisandra is available mail order from quality herb suppliers such as Mountain Rose Herbs – mountainroseherbs.com.

Here’s an easy recipe for you to try: My teapot holds about 6 cups. You can certainly use more more but I add 2 tablespoons of Schisandra berries to the 6 cups of water brought to gentle boil in a glass kettle and then allow it to steep for 10 – 15 minutes. Hope you like as much as I do.

Well – I’m still getting questions about where to buy the wonderful comfrey plant for use on skin issues. Comments that it’s hard to find in the local nurseries are plentiful. If I owned a garden center, I would carefully read my column weekly and be sure to have the right things I recommend. Oh well. Here’s a place to get some quality comfrey plants mail order – thegrowers-exchange.com.

A final important note – please consider sending some money (any amount would be great) to the Red Cross or your favorite charity to help the recent victims of the incredibly disastrous tornadoes in Kentucky.

And of course – Merry Christmas!