20 replies to this topic

[snowbell]

Could anyone share their experience with Schizandra and if it works as a stimulant for them or a sedative ? I am confused because some days it gives me a lot of energy and focus while some days it makes me sleepy. It does help me with having even moods, neither too happy or sad. However, some days I might have felt it gives a slight anxiety. Also, it does make me more hungry than usual. Does it lower blood sugar ?

[SuperjackDid_]

This substance might also depend on hormones ,i have consistent effect when take at night ,at morning give me sleepy effect.
Effect increased in energy last next day .

[snowbell]

Did it give you a sleepy and calming effect in the evening/night ?

[8bitmore]

Schizandra is widely known as adaptogenic in nature: it will regulate energy towards either stimulating or sedating depending on individual state when the herb is ingested. There a quite a few herbs that are adaptogenic in nature. I suggest reading the fine, albeit slightly short, Wikipedia article on the subject.

My personal adaptogenic favorite is by far organic Ashwagandha in powdered form; half a teaspoon in warm ricemilk is brilliant for me when I'm challenged with life one way or the other.

[panarion]

Schisandra is one of the worst things I've ever used. I tried both Viridian and Natures Plus brands and had the same response to both of them; a marked sense of physical exhaustion, an inability to focus or concentrate and a profound feeling of depression. I am talking nearly suicidal at times. It also led me to contemplate using alcohol or drugs again to moderate my mood (I have had long-term problems with substance abuse, although I am clean now and was actually looking for something to help improve my health). I also smoked a few cigarettes, even though I've been off them for years. I'm not remotely suggesting that this is a normal reaction, as I am sure it has a lot to do with my own psychology and biology (which I am also sure I have strongly altered with years of addiction), but it was a horrible experience. In all honesty, I haven't found great results with most adatopgens: ginseng in any form makes me too wired and puts me in a bad mood, rhodiola causes panic attacks, ashwagandha either makes me overstimulated or deeply sedated, gotu kola causes me to space out and completely detach from my surroundings etc. The only things I have found that really and sincerely had a positive effect are reishi (either a good extract or organic raw powder) and bacopa (in small, moderated doses as too much can certainly be detrimental). Cordyceps is of real benefit when excercising, although I take it at night rather than during the day as it can mellow me out too much. Phenibut was the best thing for mood and sleep, but naturally I abused it and ended up with very unpleasant withdrawels, following which it's never worked for me, even years later.

[snowbell]

Schisandra is one of the worst things I've ever used. I tried both Viridian and Natures Plus brands and had the same response to both of them; a marked sense of physical exhaustion, an inability to focus or concentrate and a profound feeling of depression. I am talking nearly suicidal at times. It also led me to contemplate using alcohol or drugs again to moderate my mood (I have had long-term problems with substance abuse, although I am clean now and was actually looking for something to help improve my health). I also smoked a few cigarettes, even though I've been off them for years. I'm not remotely suggesting that this is a normal reaction, as I am sure it has a lot to do with my own psychology and biology (which I am also sure I have strongly altered with years of addiction), but it was a horrible experience. In all honesty, I haven't found great results with most adatopgens: ginseng in any form makes me too wired and puts me in a bad mood, rhodiola causes panic attacks, ashwagandha either makes me overstimulated or deeply sedated, gotu kola causes me to space out and completely detach from my surroundings etc. The only things I have found that really and sincerely had a positive effect are reishi (either a good extract or organic raw powder) and bacopa (in small, moderated doses as too much can certainly be detrimental). Cordyceps is of real benefit when excercising, although I take it at night rather than during the day as it can mellow me out too much. Phenibut was the best thing for mood and sleep, but naturally I abused it and ended up with very unpleasant withdrawels, following which it's never worked for me, even years later.

I realize that I am more tired the next day when I take Schizandra. It does wake me up for a bit but I also feel that I have trouble putting my thoughts together or looking for words. The only real benefit I feel from Schizandra is my skin looks better and I lose weight easily. Can you share more about Reishi ? Does it feel more sedative or more like calm energy ?

[panarion]

Reishi produces a definite feeling of calm, but I wouldn't describe it as strictly sedative. I did find it helped me go to sleep easily at night, but conversely I would wake up in the morning and be almost instantly very alert. I would sleep for less time than I normally would, but feel more rested, which makes me think that perhaps it somehow induced a REM state more quickly than normal. Taken during the day it certainly helps promote a feeling of well-being, which I would attribute to the positive effects it has on all kinds of body-systems. Initially I was taking a raw reishi powder which I bought from Indigo-Herbs in the UK and using an attack dose of 2-3 teaspoons a day blended into apple or orange juice (herbalists advise you take reishi with a vitamin C source, as this helps the body breakdown and assimilate the polysaccharides). At high doses however reishi can exhibit an anti-androgen effect in the body, which would certainly be of benefit to someone suffering from a DHT related condition, but does have the side effect of temporarily reducing the libido - not entirely wiping it out, but making it harder to maintain interest/arousal (The bacopa I find helps with this, as it usually boosts my sex-drive in a big way). After a time I switched to an organic capsule blend of reishi, maitake and shitake, which works very well too. Cordyceps has the opposite effect in that it definitely elevates libido, but at the same time, even though it seems to improve endurance in the gym, it makes me feel unmotivated and irritable.

[snowbell]

Reishi produces a definite feeling of calm, but I wouldn't describe it as strictly sedative. I did find it helped me go to sleep easily at night, but conversely I would wake up in the morning and be almost instantly very alert. I would sleep for less time than I normally would, but feel more rested, which makes me think that perhaps it somehow induced a REM state more quickly than normal. Taken during the day it certainly helps promote a feeling of well-being, which I would attribute to the positive effects it has on all kinds of body-systems. Initially I was taking a raw reishi powder which I bought from Indigo-Herbs in the UK and using an attack dose of 2-3 teaspoons a day blended into apple or orange juice (herbalists advise you take reishi with a vitamin C source, as this helps the body breakdown and assimilate the polysaccharides). At high doses however reishi can exhibit an anti-androgen effect in the body, which would certainly be of benefit to someone suffering from a DHT related condition, but does have the side effect of temporarily reducing the libido - not entirely wiping it out, but making it harder to maintain interest/arousal (The bacopa I find helps with this, as it usually boosts my sex-drive in a big way). After a time I switched to an organic capsule blend of reishi, maitake and shitake, which works very well too. Cordyceps has the opposite effect in that it definitely elevates libido, but at the same time, even though it seems to improve endurance in the gym, it makes me feel unmotivated and irritable.

Thanks ! Would you recommend taking it in the morning at all ? I suffer from unexplained fatigue and have trouble getting up and going in the morning even after 8-10 hours of sleep. I have pretty much tried everything from ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, ginseng to finally Schizandra. Nothing really helps. Green tea extracts help a bit but I can't take anything too stimulating as well. Did Schizandra ever give you any dizziness ?

[Andrey_81]

I'm on schizandra for the past 7 days. I started to use it together with ashwagandha and rhodiola to reduce my anxiety level, lack of confidence and situational panic attacks. Ashwagandha helped a lot, but I wanted to find something more...

I was looking for something that will give me more energy, like rhodiola. Rhodiola gives me more energy but sometimes in higher doses it messes my anxiety level. There is also a period of break from Rhodiola so I thought that schizandra could be good replacement.

I'm very very sensitive to all the supplements and I can feel the effects (or negative effects) almost immediately. What I discovered so far is the following:
- 500 mg of schizandra extact taken on empty stomach make me calm (similar effect like when you take beta-blockers like propranolol), but still focused and concentrated. My speech ability improved and I can feel like no anxiety is present. I'm not sweating as I used, my shirts are dry. I need 30 minutes by car to reach my company. I'm usually wet as soon as I reach my working place and I'm always nervous while driving. I'm completely relaxed while driving on schizandra, without any negative thoughts. I took 500 mg at 5:00 in the morning and now is almost 10:00 and I'm completely calm. Usually, I needed to take ashwagandha in the morning to stay 'normal' but now I'm completely fine. And yes, it can also be taken with ashwagandha.

I was afraid to take it before bed (I heard it is a good replacement for coffee), but this morning I woke up before 5:00 and I wasn't able to fall asleep. Then I took schizandra and in few minutes I felt relaxed, calm and fall asleep in few minutes. For me it is definitely sedative supplement.

There is also a bad side:
- 1000 mg taken within short period (lets say 500 mg at 7:00 and 500 mg at 12:00) gave me more anxiety. I thought that with higher dose I will make myself even more calm but all I got was completely opposite effect.

It seams that schizandra is similar to rhodiola. When taken in higher doses the effect is bad and completely opposite to the one you expect. But this is only my personal experience and I understand that we all don't react in a same way.

Edited by Andrey_81, 08 January 2013 - 08:50 AM.

[Andrey_81]

Does anyone know if schizandra has something to do with GABA??

When 500 mg of extract taken on empty stomach it makes me relaxed, calm and but in the same tame alerted and confident. I become more talkative and social. Effect is similar to the one I'm getting from Ashwaganhda but different so I was wondering does it act on GABA in the same or similar way as ashwagandha?

Thank you!

[tea76]

What do you think about this product and its proprietary blend of herbs?

Schisandra Fruit, Chinese Yam Rhizome, Poria Sclerotium, Asian Water Plantain Rhizome, Rehmannia Root, Chinese Dodder Seed, Asian Plantain Seed, Palm-Leaf Raspberry Fruit, Lycium Fruit Extract (4:1) and Asiatic Dogwood Berry Extract (5:1)

http://www.iherb.com...blets/1605?at=0

I'm looking into getting supplements for adrenal support. I'm also considering the others, like Ashwagandha and Bacopa, but I'm unsure what to try first. I've tried Ginseng but didn't really notice any difference.

Edited by ecglsd, 15 January 2013 - 09:12 PM.

[Andrey_81]

What do you think about this product and its proprietary blend of herbs?

Schisandra Fruit, Chinese Yam Rhizome, Poria Sclerotium, Asian Water Plantain Rhizome, Rehmannia Root, Chinese Dodder Seed, Asian Plantain Seed, Palm-Leaf Raspberry Fruit, Lycium Fruit Extract (4:1) and Asiatic Dogwood Berry Extract (5:1)

http://www.iherb.com...blets/1605?at=0

I'm looking into getting supplements for adrenal support. I'm also considering the others, like Ashwagandha and Bacopa, but I'm unsure what to try first. I've tried Ginseng but didn't really notice any difference.

I have no experience with 'blend of herb'. In my opinion, it is better to use one to three herbs together than 'mixure' of all kind of herbs in one pill. When you take let's say 3 herbs, like me (ashwagandha, rhodiola, schizandra), you know exactly how much you have to take and you know that you took enough considering daily dosage that you need to take to fell all the benefits. If you don't take enough, you will never feel the effect completely. I don't like 'all in one pill' because it's hard to put amount that is needed in one small pill.

[calm--]

I took Nature's way Schizandra 580mg. It didn't make me drowsy or giving me energy, but it's making me lazy. I just felt like laying down even when I'm supposed to work. Just felt lazy to do anything. If I took 2 caps (like the recommended dosage on the bottle), it made me super lazy. It did make me relax though.

[Andrey_81]

I also don't find Schizandra as stimulant. This is the reason why I take it before bed. It relaxes me and I can sleep better. I will continue with it but in the same way, before bed only.

In comparison with ashwagandha and rhodiola, I cannot feel that is works so strong and so fast. It's quite mild herb. Maybe I'm wrong, it could be that it takes more time to start working (cca after 3 months).

[calm--]

Both ashwagandha and schizandra made me relax, but ashwagandra made me more cheerful and social. I seems to made joke more often and able to response with smarter comments. Schizandra made me lazy to talk with people.

[Andrey_81]

Both ashwagandha and schizandra made me relax, but ashwagandra made me more cheerful and social. I seems to made joke more often and able to response with smarter comments. Schizandra made me lazy to talk with people.

For me the best works the following.... 150 mg of rhodiola (less is more!!!) after I wake up on empty stomach, at 6:0. At 7:00 one espresso or any other caffeine + 250 mg of ashwagandha. This turns me into talkative, social and confident monster. If needed (if i'm sleepy or I start to feel that I'm getting anxious) i take again 150 mg of rhodiola at 6 pm + 250 mg ashwagandha (or just ashwagandha). Before bed I take 500 mg of schizandra extract. I sleep like a baby with very interesting and vivid dreams.

Believe me... this regime is worth trying!!! I had real problems with confidence, anxiety and fear but this changed my life completely. I cannot imagine my life without following this. In the morning, at my work, I feel like my IQ is raised. I think fast, smart, no brain fog, focused, confident, organized, able to make many tasks at once, stress free, anxious free... just perfect and what is the best... this feeling lasts whole day. Nothing can drain my energy, but when I go to bed I sleep in 5 minutes!

PS: coffee is not important! You can also skip it if you don't like it.

Edited by Andrey_81, 28 March 2013 - 08:19 AM.

[Erebus]

Does anyone know if schizandra has something to do with GABA??

When 500 mg of extract taken on empty stomach it makes me relaxed, calm and but in the same tame alerted and confident. I become more talkative and social. Effect is similar to the one I'm getting from Ashwaganhda but different so I was wondering does it act on GABA in the same or similar way as ashwagandha?

Thank you!

There might be something to that. Interestingly, this study suggests a positive interaction between aqueous fructus schisandrae extracts & GABA(A): http://www.ncbi.nlm..../?term=11207061

And here's a study which describes sedative activity (in mice and rats): http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/17127021

All in all, I'm inclined to believe that it's much more of a sedative than a stimulant.

Edited by Erebus, 28 March 2013 - 09:17 AM.

[calm--]

Both ashwagandha and schizandra made me relax, but ashwagandra made me more cheerful and social. I seems to made joke more often and able to response with smarter comments. Schizandra made me lazy to talk with people.

For me the best works the following.... 150 mg of rhodiola (less is more!!!) after I wake up on empty stomach, at 6:0. At 7:00 one espresso or any other caffeine + 250 mg of ashwagandha. This turns me into talkative, social and confident monster. If needed (if i'm sleepy or I start to feel that I'm getting anxious) i take again 150 mg of rhodiola at 6 pm + 250 mg ashwagandha (or just ashwagandha). Before bed I take 500 mg of schizandra extract. I sleep like a baby with very interesting and vivid dreams.

Believe me... this regime is worth trying!!! I had real problems with confidence, anxiety and fear but this changed my life completely. I cannot imagine my life without following this. In the morning, at my work, I feel like my IQ is raised. I think fast, smart, no brain fog, focused, confident, organized, able to make many tasks at once, stress free, anxious free... just perfect and what is the best... this feeling lasts whole day. Nothing can drain my energy, but when I go to bed I sleep in 5 minutes!

PS: coffee is not important! You can also skip it if you don't like it.

Thanks for the tips . Right now I'm also taking rhodiola and ashwagandha, and I can certainly feel it's helping. Coffee is fantastic but I have stop taking it after reading about it's tolerance and addiction. Too bad I already throw away my Schizandra. Probably I should have try it as a sleep aid.

[Andrey_81]

Thanks for the tips . Right now I'm also taking rhodiola and ashwagandha, and I can certainly feel it's helping. Coffee is fantastic but I have stop taking it after reading about it's tolerance and addiction. Too bad I already throw away my Schizandra. Probably I should have try it as a sleep aid.

This is the reason why I drink coffee only 2-3 time a week, and only in the morning. Every weekend is coffee free and ashwagandha free. From time to time I make break from rhodiola (one week) but I'm not planing to make a break from schizandra and I will continue to use it every day before bed.

[V_Sal]

Try Dr. Christopher´s Mind Trac. This is a formula. It includes some of the remedies you already took, but also a number of others, and it definitely works; however, I had to go down to one capsule (which I take in tea form with honey) twice a day, instead of two capsules three times a day. Dr. Christopher´s has other formulas as well that you might want to try. I am also taking a formula which I made up of White tea, White Mulberry, Hibiscus, Garcinia (1 tsp of each), plus a pinch of Green tea, which sometimes I leave out. I feel very energetic with this (as well), very little caffeine.  

So, I take Mind Trac (a home-made similar, since I cannot get the original where I am at) in the morning and at about 6PM (sometimes later, or even before sleeping), and the White tea mid afternoon. They do me great.  I just got Rhodiola, Schizandra and Ashwagandha to try out. My first try with Rhodiola this morning, first, gave me energy, but then made me sleepy.  It was 200mg.  I will go down to 50mg.

 

Reishi produces a definite feeling of calm, but I wouldn't describe it as strictly sedative. I did find it helped me go to sleep easily at night, but conversely I would wake up in the morning and be almost instantly very alert. I would sleep for less time than I normally would, but feel more rested, which makes me think that perhaps it somehow induced a REM state more quickly than normal. Taken during the day it certainly helps promote a feeling of well-being, which I would attribute to the positive effects it has on all kinds of body-systems. Initially I was taking a raw reishi powder which I bought from Indigo-Herbs in the UK and using an attack dose of 2-3 teaspoons a day blended into apple or orange juice (herbalists advise you take reishi with a vitamin C source, as this helps the body breakdown and assimilate the polysaccharides). At high doses however reishi can exhibit an anti-androgen effect in the body, which would certainly be of benefit to someone suffering from a DHT related condition, but does have the side effect of temporarily reducing the libido - not entirely wiping it out, but making it harder to maintain interest/arousal (The bacopa I find helps with this, as it usually boosts my sex-drive in a big way). After a time I switched to an organic capsule blend of reishi, maitake and shitake, which works very well too. Cordyceps has the opposite effect in that it definitely elevates libido, but at the same time, even though it seems to improve endurance in the gym, it makes me feel unmotivated and irritable.

Thanks ! Would you recommend taking it in the morning at all ? I suffer from unexplained fatigue and have trouble getting up and going in the morning even after 8-10 hours of sleep. I have pretty much tried everything from ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, ginseng to finally Schizandra. Nothing really helps. Green tea extracts help a bit but I can't take anything too stimulating as well. Did Schizandra ever give you any dizziness ?

 

 

[Ekscentra]

I took Nature's way Schizandra 580mg. It didn't make me drowsy or giving me energy, but it's making me lazy. I just felt like laying down even when I'm supposed to work. Just felt lazy to do anything. If I took 2 caps (like the recommended dosage on the bottle), it made me super lazy. It did make me relax though.

I took the same, but I get no such laziness, nor an increase in energy. Like most adaptogens, I simply get an "evening out" effect. Schizandra modulates the effects of amphetamines, reducing the tendency to excess. Along with Chaga, it's one of my favorite adaptogens.

 

The only adaptogens that cause any form of laziness for me are those that are more than simply adaptogens - Cordyceps especially. The adaptogenic effects themselves don't seem to have any direct lean in one direction or another. Diet and other personal factors may affect the way adaptogens work, but in which way I couldn't be sure.