An Ode to Schisandra...
For those anxious about their anxiety
Trigger warning - trauma, OCD, PTSD.
Over the last two years, I’ve come to a quiet but beautiful realization… my study of integrative medicine has improved my quality of life far beyond what I could have imagined.
I think what makes it different is this… my knowledge doesn’t just come from books or lectures. It comes from practice. From lived experience. From being, more often than not, my own patient zero.
There is something deeply humbling about experimenting on yourself. You learn quickly what is theory and what is truth.
Adaptogens have always fascinated me. The idea that a plant can meet you where you are… not force, not override, but gently guide the body back toward balance… it feels almost intelligent.
And then there is Schisandra.
Schisandra chinensis, often called the “five flavor berry,” has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries as a tonic for resilience, vitality, and longevity. It contains lignans such as schisandrin that influence the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, helping regulate the body’s stress response rather than simply suppressing it. In a way it makes you more resilient to stress, as opposed to dampening yourt cortisol.
There is also evidence suggesting it modulates cortisol (not suppress - think, bringing it to homeostasis), supports hepatic detoxification pathways & improves liver function, and improves mental performance under stress. It has also been studied for its neuroprotective and anxiolytic effects, likely through its impact on neurotransmitters and oxidative stress pathways.
But what makes it especially interesting to me… is how it made me feel specifically.
Schisandra does not sedate you. It does not dull you, or flatten you but… it does steady you in a way that’s gentle, but powerful.
For those who live in that wired but exhausted state… the kind of anxiety that hums in the background of everything… the kind that sharpens your thoughts but turns against you… I found it transformational.
For me, it helps me create space in my mind. My relationship with Schisandra became a personal one… (TW below)
If I am being fully honest and a little vulnerable, I have always had a tendency toward obsessive thinking. Not always loud, not always obvious, but definitely persistent. I think working in a stressful, fast-paced, life-and-death environment (i.e. the emergency room) amplified this. Over the last few years especially, as the years of my job-related stress have accumulated, my obsessive loops tightened quietly. I found myself having a mind that does not always know when to let go… I found myself replaying images of my patients who experienced traumatic events - which truth be told - caused me great distress.
When I lecture the fellows about wellness, I am always transparent about my own personal experience with secondary traumatic stress disorder and OCD-tendencies that developed after working in the ER. Every now and then the face of one my patients who experienced a traumatic death or dismemberment resurfaces. It took me years of therapy to come to peace with their trauma and their pain. But the body remembers…. And I found myself with intrusive thoughts revolving these events.
And I noticed that when I am stressed, or my sleep is lacking, these thought loops are more intense. Not enough to disrupt my function, but enough to cause some wounds to resurface. So I did what any integrative doctor would do… I experimented. I knew Schisandra was an adaptogen. I knew it was helpful for the wired and anxious. I knew, from my training, that it “calms the shen” in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Or, as one of my favorite teachers at Andrew Weil Center, Dr. Lise Alschuler would say, “it transforms you from a ‘worrier’ to ‘warrior’”. Great for those who have anxiety about their anxiety….. So I said, why not? I had nothing to lose.
When I started taking Schisandra, I wasn’t expecting a miraculous healing. But I did experience somethign fascinating for the first time in a long time…. which was silence.
Not complete silence but…. for me it was enough.
The edge softened. The urgency behind my thoughts faded. The loop would begin… trauma, MVC, GSW, thoughts about lack of saefty…. it would begin, but then simply not complete itself.
There was a pause where there used to be compulsion and rumination. And in that pause… I could choose.
It did not change who I am.It did not erase my tendencies.
It just gave me a little more space inside my own mind. And more often than not, healing begins this way. One step at a time.
Disclaimer: The Healing Hurst is a space for education, exploration, and gentle guidance. This content is not medical advice and does not replace your relationship with a licensed healthcare provider. Herbs and supplements are powerful and can have real physiological effects, so please consult your physician before making changes to your health routine.
Thank you HH for this intro to schisandra and for sharing your experiences. This is one of many ways that we can learn to care for ourselves amidst these high-stakes careers!