Double Troubles Of Constipation And Kidney Deficiency? Cistanche Tubulosa Moistens The Intestines, Promotes Bowel Movements, And Nourishes The Kidneys

Modern people have a fast pace of life, high stress, and a refined diet. Two problems at the same time plague more and more people: one is poor bowel movements, which occur every few days and are difficult to resolve due to dryness and constipation; the second is soreness and weakness in the waist and knees, fear of cold, and lack of energy. Many people are unaware that there is a close internal connection between constipation and kidney deficiency, and the traditional Chinese medicine Cistanche tubulosa, which has been passed down for thousands of years, can kill two birds with one stone. It not only moistens the intestines and promotes bowel movements, but also warms and nourishes kidney yang, making it a "desert ginseng" that can solve these two major problems.

Constipation and kidney deficiency may seem unrelated, but they are actually of the same origin

In Western medicine, constipation is mostly caused by insufficient intestinal motility, inadequate dietary fiber intake, or dysbiosis of the microbiota; Kidney deficiency is often related to the endocrine and urinary systems. But in the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine, the two often originate from the same root.

Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that "the kidneys control the two bowels", and the yang energy of the kidneys drives the gasification and excretion of the whole body. When the kidney yang is insufficient, the human body is like a boiler with insufficient firepower - weak spleen and stomach circulation, slow conduction in the large intestine, imbalanced water and liquid metabolism, food stays in the large intestine for too long, water is excessively absorbed, and becomes dry and hard to solve. The typical symptoms of this type of constipation are: dry and granular stools resembling sheep feces, difficult defecation, accompanied by obvious fear of cold, soreness and coldness in the waist and knees, frequent nocturia, shortness of breath, and difficulty in holding back.

That's why many elderly constipation patients rely solely on taking laxatives and drinking honey water to relieve temporary urgency, but repeatedly experience it - because the problem has not been solved from the root of "tonifying the kidney".

Chinese herb cistanche-improve kidney function

The "Compendium of Materia Medica" reveals the natural mechanism in one sentence: "Cistanche tubulosa is a nourishing herb that nourishes the gate of life, nourishes kidney qi, and replenishes essence and blood... This is a tonic that is warm but not hot, nourishing but not strong, warm but not dry, smooth but not leaking; hence it is called calm." Because of its "calm" nature, Cistanche tubulosa has become the preferred medication for traditional Chinese medicine to treat "kidney deficiency constipation".

Cistanche tubulosa: the "desert ginseng" born in the desert

Cistanche tubulosa is a dry fleshy stem with scaly leaves of Cistanche tubulosa or Cistanche tubulosa in the family Rhamnaceae. It is mainly produced in northwest desert areas such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Gansu. It is a unique parasitic plant that parasitizes on the roots of desert plants such as red willows, accumulating nutrients in arid and barren environments, thus containing extremely strong vitality.

Cistanche tubulosa

Cistanche tubulosa has a sweet and salty taste, a warm nature, and belongs to the kidney and large intestine meridians. It was first recorded in the "Shennong Bencao Jing" and is classified as a top-grade product. Throughout history, medical practitioners have highly praised it. It combines three core functions:

Firstly, tonify kidney yang. For diseases caused by insufficient kidney yang, such as fear of cold limbs, soreness and weakness of waist and knees, premature ejaculation due to yang deficiency, and uterine cold infertility, Cistanche tubulosa can warm and supplement kidney yang, enhancing reproductive function. Modern pharmacological research has found that its phenylethanoid glycosides can regulate the function of the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, promote the secretion of ketones, and improve male sexual function.

Secondly, it benefits the essence and blood. The kidneys store essence, and the essence and blood are of the same origin. Cistanche tubulosa not only warms the yang but also nourishes the essence and blood, improving problems such as dizziness, tinnitus, premature graying of hair, and pale complexion caused by deficiency of essence and blood. It is particularly suitable for middle-aged and elderly people as well as postpartum women.

Cistanche tubulosa efficacy: Tonifying the kidney

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Thirdly, moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements. Cistanche tubulosa is salty and enters the colon meridian, which can nourish essence and blood, moisten dryness, and smooth the intestines. The galactitol and dietary fiber it contains can increase intestinal moisture, soften stool, and promote intestinal peristalsis, especially suitable for "intestinal dryness and constipation" caused by elderly deficiency, postpartum blood deficiency, and postoperative fluid deficiency. Clinical studies have shown that taking 15 grams of Cistanche tubulosa decoction daily for 7 consecutive days can improve constipation by over 85%.

effects of cistanche-treat constipation

It is worth mentioning that although Cistanche tubulosa is a warm and nourishing product, it is "warm but not dry, and nourishing but not waist". Unlike Fuzi and Suchu, which have a strong and pungent effect on internal heat, and unlike rhubarb and saltpeter, which have a strong and elegant effect on the body, Cistanche tubulosa is particularly suitable for long-term conditioning and slow recovery. In 2023, Cistanche tubulosa has been included in the list of substances that are both food and traditional Chinese medicine according to tradition. Its dual-use properties make it easier to integrate into the daily diet.

Why can Cistanche tubulosa simultaneously solve constipation and kidney deficiency?

To understand the "bidirectional regulation" ability of Cistanche tubulosa, it is necessary to return to the holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine.

Firstly, Cistanche tubulosa "returns to the kidney and colon meridians", and its medicinal power simultaneously acts on both the kidney and colon meridians. It warms and replenishes kidney yang, provides sufficient firepower in the kidneys, promotes spleen-stomach circulation and colon conduction; At the same time, it moisturizes and smooths the intestines, directly increasing the moisture level of the intestines and softening dry and sticky food. One supplement and one lubrication, both internal and external treatment.

Secondly, in traditional Chinese medicine, it is said that "the kidney governs the five fluids". If the kidney yang is sufficient, the body's body fluids will be distributed normally, and the large intestine will not become dry due to fluid deficiency. Cistanche tubulosa treats the root cause by tonifying the kidneys and the symptoms by moistening the intestines, while balancing the symptoms. This is the key difference between it and ordinary laxatives and kidney tonifying drugs.

Cistanche efficacy: Tonifying the kidney

Again, from a modern medical perspective, the active ingredients in Cistanche tubulosa have sex hormone-like effects, which can enhance immunity, delay aging, resist fatigue, while also regulating gastrointestinal function and improving intestinal motility. This means that while improving constipation, it can also enhance overall energy and physical fitness, providing comprehensive benefits for the regulation of "sub-health" states.

The combination is particular: common combinations of Cistanche tubulosa

In traditional Chinese medicine clinical practice, Cistanche tubulosa is often used in combination with other medicinal herbs to enhance efficacy and expand its applicability.

Combining 10 grams of Ba Zhantian and Du Zhong decoction can enhance the power of warming and tonifying kidney yang. It is suitable for those with obvious kidney yang deficiency, such as sour and cold waist and knee, and those who are afraid of cold limbs.

Combining 12 grams of Danggui and Baizhi can enhance the effect of nourishing blood and nourishing essence, suitable for those with deficiency of essence and blood, pale complexion, dizziness, and tinnitus.

The combination of Huoma Ren and Yuli Ren can enhance the function of moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements, making it suitable for elderly habitual constipation. However, it should be noted that the total amount of the three drugs should not exceed 20 grams to avoid causing diarrhea.

Chinese medicinal materials such as Cistanche tubulosa

Compatibility with Suoyang, Danyangxiao soaked in wine or decoction can further enhance the effect of promoting yang, suitable for adult males with kidney yang deficiency and decline.

Zhu Liangchun, a master of traditional Chinese medicine, is skilled in using the "tonifying the kidneys and strengthening the meridians" method to treat stubborn rheumatism and elderly diseases. He often uses Cistanche tubulosa combined with Ba Zhantian to warm and nourish the kidney yang while also moistening dryness; Combined with cooked Rehmannia glutinosa, Fructus Psorale, and Dioscorea opposita, it is used for treating symptoms such as cold waist, knee, and foot soreness, weakness, dizziness, tinnitus, Yang deficiency, and nocturnal emission caused by kidney yang deficiency, with significant therapeutic effects.