How many of you have heard of something called the Five Flavor Fruit (Schisandra chinensis) ?

I am excited to be adding these to our young food forest this year.

I was chewing on a few of the berries today and wow! What an interesting vibrant and complex flavor. They are tangy, peppery, savory, salty, floral and sweet all at the same time!

The berries also offer myriad health benefits due to their potent adaptogenic compounds.

As a preview of the in depth info i`ll be providing on this amazing food forest candidate soon i`ll share this. Schisandra chinensis berries offer the following medicinal benefits:

Medicinal actions:

General tonic/stimulant/restorative, nervous system tonic, mild anti-depressant, anti-stress, adaptogen, adrenal tonic, regulator of blood glucose & mucosal secretions, antioxidant, astringent, anti-tussive, lung tonic, regulates blood pressure, anti-cholesterol, hepatoprotective, oxytocic, anti-allergen, anti-anxiety agent, improves memory, cognitive function, anti-aging, anticancer, irritation-soothing, suppresses platelet aggregation, cardioprotective, tumor suppressor, wound-healing and corrects metabolic imbalances.

I am happy to announce that I will be focusing on that species in my next installment of the Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet series next month.

If you have grown these and/or created with them in the kitchen or apothecary please share your experiences and favorite recipes in the comments section below.