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Schisandra and acute cognitive performance: grade C

Limited evidence. Direction: Benefit.

C LimitedSingle research groupIndustry-funded

Educational guidance, not medical advice

Why this grade

Rubric condition met: One small randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot of a combination product. Industry-funded modifier (policy 3.3 arithmetic): the only supporting trial is industry-run, with two of six authors at the Swedish Herbal Institute, the ADAPT-232 maker

In a phase IIa pilot in 40 healthy women aged 20 to 68 who reported long-term stress, a single 270 mg tablet of ADAPT-232 (Rhodiola rosea, Schisandra chinensis and Eleutherococcus senticosus) improved attention, speed and accuracy on the d2 test 2 hours later compared with placebo (p < 0.05). The product combines three herbs, so the result cannot be attributed to schisandra, and we found no trial of schisandra alone on cognition in healthy adults. Two of the six authors were affiliated with the Swedish Herbal Institute, which made the ADAPT-232 product in a later trial. The grade is therefore C and applies only to the combination.

How we grade evidence

Studies this grade rests on

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study of single dose effects of ADAPT-232 on cognitive functions.

Aslanyan G, Amroyan E, Gabrielyan E. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study of single dose effects of ADAPT-232 on cognitive functions Phytomedicine, 2010. PMID 20374974

Result not recorded
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot (phase IIa), single dose, two parallel groups
Sample
n = 40
Population
Healthy women aged 20-68 reporting long-term stress
Funding
not stated in the PubMed or Crossref record; full text not read

Search and history

Search (): (schisandra[tiab] OR omija[tiab] OR schizandra[tiab]) AND (cognit*[tiab] OR memory[tiab] OR attention[tiab]) AND (trial[tiab] OR randomized[tiab] OR placebo[tiab])

  • Graded C (proposed): Proposed in the monograph draft
  • C to C (approved): Editor sign-off November 13, 2026: grade matches the editor-approved final page