How To Choose A High-quality Cistanche Deserticola? Look At These Key Points.

Distinguish the three kinds of Cistanche deserticola in the medicine market there are many varieties of Cistanche deserticola, including authentic Cistanche deserticola deserticola, nonauthentic Cistanche tubulosa, and fake salt cistanche. Professor Li Tianxiang gave a detailed introduction to Cistanche deserticola from its host, origin, appearance, and other aspects to help distinguish it.

1. Desert Cistanche deserticola

Cistanche deserticola ma

The host of desert Cistanche deserticola is Haloxylon ammodendron, which is mainly produced in Inner Mongolia, with Alxa League producing the most. In addition, Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, and other places also produce. "Bright oil, heavyweight, fat, dense scales, soft texture, and sweet taste" are the intrinsic quality characteristics of desert Cistanche deserticola. The appearance of the fresh product is white, with a length of about 40cm; The cross-section of the medicinal materials is arranged in a Vascular bundle pattern, with 16-22 deep waves.

2. Cistanche tubulosa

The host of Cistanche tubulosa is the root of Tamarix (Red Willow), which is mainly produced in Xinjiang, with the largest yield in Niya County and Yutian County, and was recorded in the Pharmacopoeia 2005. The appearance of the fresh product is brown, with a length of 10-30cm; The cross-section of the medicinal material is scattered in dots.

3. Salty Cistanche

Desert ginseng

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The host of Cistanche salsa is Chenopodiaceae, which is mainly produced in Gansu and Ningxia. It is not included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, but there is market circulation. Fresh products have a yellow surface and a length of 10-20cm; The cross-section of the medicinal materials is arranged in a Vascular bundle, with less than 15 shallow waves.

Two critical growth periods

Can be used as a basis for classifying product specifications and grades

Main Chemical Constituents of Cistanche deserticola

The authenticity of Cistanche deserticola can be simply judged by its origin and appearance, but how to further distinguish the rank of authentic Cistanche deserticola? Professor Li Tianxiang said that it can be judged according to the growth and development period of Cistanche deserticola when it is harvested, that is, those that have just been unearthed but have not bolted are high-quality products, and those that have bolted or formed inflorescence are inferior or unqualified products.

Professor Li Tianxiang further explained that the growth Developmental biology of Cistanche deserticola deserticola is typical and can be divided into two distinct stages, namely, the vegetative stage and the Genital stage.

Nutrient period: The growth period is relatively long, usually 2 or more years, completed underground and completely supplied by the host. It is a reserved stage for nutrient synthesis and accumulation, which reserves reproductive resources for the next reproductive stage.

Genital stage: The growth time is relatively short, generally no more than 30 days, and it is mainly completed on the ground. In a short time, the long-term accumulated nutrients in the vegetative period will be consumed to complete the Genital stage of bolting, flowering, and fruiting of Cistanche deserticola deserticola.

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At the end of the nutrition period, Cistanche deserticola deserticola has completed the synthesis and accumulation of nutrients, and its pharmacological active ingredients are the most abundant. When it is harvested at this moment, the medicinal materials present the high-quality characteristics of "shiny, heavy, fat, soft, and dense scales". After the Cistanche deserticola deserticola was unearthed, the nutrients were consumed rapidly. At the moment, the characteristics of the collected medicinal materials were inferior, such as "light, hollow, hard, strong firewood, and sparse scales".

Seven grades of Cistanche deserticola and relevant suggestions

The commodity specifications of Cistanche deserticola can be divided into seven grades according to its authenticity, appearance characteristics, and growth cycle.

Premium products: Market price ≥ 800 yuan/kg, average diameter in the middle>4.0 cm, mass>500g. It is extremely large, with dense scales, oily, without bolts, with a cross-sectional keratin-like appearance, heavy weight, flexibility, and cross-sectional keratin-like appearance.

First class product: Market price ≥ 400 yuan/kg, average diameter in the middle>3.0 cm, mass>300g. Large, scaly, oily, without bolts, with a keratin-like cross-section, heavy weight, and flexibility.

Second class product: Market price ≥ 300 yuan/kg, average diameter in the middle>2.0 cm, mass>200g. Large, scaly, oily, without bolts, with a keratin-like cross-section, heavy weight, and flexibility.

Third class product: Market price ≥ 200 yuan/kg, average diameter in the middle<2.0 cm, mass<200g. Small in size, with dense scales, oily, without bolts, with a keratin-like cross-section, heavy in weight, and flexible.

Unified: The average diameter and mass in the middle are not specified, but vary in size, with dense scales, oily, without bolts, with a keratinized cross-section, heavyweight, and flexibility.

Defective products: initial bolting, pinching (pinching), cross-sectional woodiness, varying sizes, lightweight, hard texture, often forming cracks, voids, and dense scales.

Superman herbs cistanche

Inferior products: Bolting flowering period, bolt retention (leading), cross-section woodiness, varying sizes, light weight, hard texture, often forming cracks, voids, and sparse scales.

The study found that the regularity of echinacea content could not be found in different grades of Cistanche deserticola deserticola. The polysaccharide content of superior Cistanche deserticola is basically ≥ 12%, and the higher the grade is, the higher the content is, up to 20%. The high content of polysaccharides reflects the genuine quality characteristics of Cistanche deserticola, which is "horny, weight, oily and soft". Professor Li Tianxiang suggested that polysaccharides could be used as a measure of the quality of Cistanche deserticola.