The Current Application Status And Development Panorama Of Cistanche Tubulosa Extract At Home And Abroad

Cistanche tubulosa is known as the "desert ginseng" and is a traditional precious medicinal herb in China, mainly produced in northwest desert areas such as Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia. Its extract is rich in various core active ingredients such as phenylethanolic glycosides, polysaccharides, iridoids, oligosaccharides, etc. It has multiple pharmacological activities and health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-fatigue, immune regulation, neuroprotection, improvement of reproductive function, and intestinal maintenance. In 2023, Cistanche tubulosa will be officially included in the "Catalogue of Substances that are Both Food and Traditional Chinese Medicine", completely breaking down its application barriers in the fields of food, health products, and medicine. With its safe, efficient, and natural characteristics, Cistanche tubulosa extract not only deeply cultivates the domestic market but also exports to regions such as Japan, South Korea, Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, forming a differentiated domestic and international application system and becoming a popular category in the field of natural plant extracts.

Main Chemical Constituents of Cistanche tubulosa

Core activity and mechanism of action of Cistanche tubulosa extract

The application value of Cistanche tubulosa extract relies on clear active ingredients and scientific mechanisms of action, with different ingredients corresponding to exclusive effects, providing core support for diversified applications at home and abroad. Among them, phenylethanolic glycosides (such as echinacoside and verbascoside) are the core active ingredients, mainly exerting the effects of tonifying the kidney and nourishing essence, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, protecting nerves, and delaying kidney aging. They can inhibit cell apoptosis and oxidative stress by regulating multiple signaling pathways; Cistanche polysaccharides and total oligosaccharides are mainly used to resist exercise fatigue, regulate intestinal flora, improve immune function, reduce the accumulation of fatigue metabolites in the body, and promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. The cyclohexene ether terpenes have the effects of protecting the liver, being anti-inflammatory, and regulating metabolism. The synergistic effect of multiple active ingredients makes Cistanche tubulosa extract suitable for multiple scenarios, such as medical treatment, daily health care, and skincare, which is also the core reason for its continuous global research and application.

Phenylethanol glycoside is the main active component of Cistanche tubulosa

Domestic application: full industry chain layout, covering multiple scenarios of medicine, food, and health care

China is the origin and main production country of Cistanche tubulosa, with the most complete planting, processing, research, development, and sales industry chain in the world. Relying on local resource advantages and policy support, the application of Cistanche tubulosa extract is mainly in medical clinical, health food, functional food, and daily chemical skincare, with mature application scenarios and rich categories.

(1) In the field of medicine: modernization of traditional efficacy and precise clinical application

The domestic medical field focuses on the combination of the traditional medicinal value of Cistanche tubulosa extract and modern pharmacological research, focusing on the application of tonifying the kidney and essence, moistening the intestines and catharsis, anti-fatigue, neuroprotection, organ maintenance, etc., and related traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations and hospital preparations are widely used in clinical practice. In the field of reproductive health, phenylethanolic acid in extracts can improve symptoms of kidney yang deficiency, enhance sperm vitality, repair ovarian function damage, and is commonly used as an adjuvant therapy for kidney deficiency type diseases in male and female departments; In the field of metabolism and exercise health, total oligosaccharides and glycosides can reduce blood lactate and blood urea nitrogen levels, enhance muscle glycogen reserves, and alleviate physical fatigue and weakness.

At the same time, the domestic scientific research team continues to explore its new clinical value. Research has confirmed that Cistanche tubulosa extract can delay kidney aging, improve spinal cord injury repair, inhibit the development of sarcopenia through regulating signal pathways, and also has a certain inhibitory effect on tumor cells, such as lung cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer, which can be used as an auxiliary tumor conditioning agent, providing a new direction for chronic disease intervention and rehabilitation treatment. 

Cistanche tubulosa extract

(2) Health food field: compliant and mature, focusing on immunity and anti-fatigue

Relying on the policy advantage of food and medicine sharing the same origin, the development of health food extracted from Cistanche tubulosa in China has matured. As of October 2024, there are a total of 34 approved health food products in China, mainly in the form of tablets, oral liquids, and powders, with core functions focused on enhancing immunity and relieving physical fatigue, suitable for sub-healthy, sedentary fatigue, and immunocompromised populations.

In addition to standardized health foods, the domestic market has also developed diversified compound health products, including Cistanche tubulosa health wine, rose lozenges, compound oral liquids, functional yogurt, health tea drinks, etc. By compounding with food and medicine ingredients such as red dates, roses, and Codonopsis pilosula, they balance taste and health value, meeting the daily health needs of the public. This type of product focuses on gentle conditioning, avoiding the dry and hot drawbacks of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, and is suitable for daily maintenance of all ages.

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(3) Functional food and daily chemical industry: scenarios continue to expand

With the implementation of the food medicine homology policy, Cistanche tubulosa extract has gradually entered the field of ordinary functional foods. The market has successively launched innovative products such as Cistanche tubulosa coffee, fermented low alcohol drinks, and grain meal substitutes, integrating anti-fatigue and antioxidant effects into the daily diet. In the field of daily chemical products, relying on its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and skin barrier repairing properties, extracts are added to skincare and wash products to improve skin oxidation, dullness, dryness, and sensitivity, achieving the extension of medicinal value to civilian consumer products.

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Foreign applications: Focus on precise research and development, high-end and refined implementation

There is no large-scale native cultivation industry of Cistanche tubulosa in foreign countries, and the core raw materials are all imported from China. The application characteristics are focused on scientific research, fine classification, high added value, and do not pursue popular products. It focuses on high-end medicine, precision health care, sports nutrition, and other subfields. Differentiated application systems have been formed in Japan, South Korea, Europe, America, and Southeast Asia.

(1) Japan: Deeply cultivating pharmaceutical research and development, leading in product refinement

Japan was the first country to conduct overseas research on the extract of Cistanche tubulosa, and the application research of Cistanche tubulosa has a history of decades. The dried stems of salt-grown Cistanche tubulosa, desert Cistanche tubulosa, and tube flower Cistanche tubulosa have all been included in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia and named the natural medicine "Nikujuyou", which is officially recognized for its medicinal value. The Japanese research team initially focused on the isolation, purification, and structural analysis of active ingredients in Cistanche tubulosa, with a focus on exploring the medicinal effects of phenylethanolic glycosides and iridoid compounds.

In terms of industrialization, Japan focuses on refined and deep processing, developing more than 30 high-end products such as pharmaceuticals, oral lozenges, health candies, and functional drinks by compounding high-purity extracts. The core applications include blood sugar regulation, liver care, physical and mental fatigue regulation, and vascular health improvement. Among them, the classic product "Nourishing Wine" uses Cistanche tubulosa extract as the core raw material and has become a national-level health product in Japan with high market recognition.

(2) European and American countries: focus on sports nutrition and immune anti-aging

The application of Cistanche tubulosa extract in the European and American markets relies on modern evidence-based medicine research, abandoning traditional Chinese medicine health concepts and focusing on the precise pharmacological effects of ingredients, with a focus on three major scenarios: exercise rehabilitation, immune enhancement, and anti-aging and antioxidant effects. Research institutions in the United States focus on studying the active value of pineal glycoside, developing high-purity extracts into high-end dietary supplements for enhancing human immunity, clearing free radicals, and delaying aging.

European clinical studies have confirmed that supplementing with 5g of Cistanche tubulosa extract daily for 8 weeks can significantly improve muscle strength and exercise endurance in the human body. By regulating hormone levels, reducing inflammatory reactions, alleviating stress injuries, and accelerating physical recovery after exercise. Based on the research results, multiple professional sports nutrition supplements have been launched in the European and American markets, suitable for fitness enthusiasts and professional athletes, becoming a niche high-end sports health category. In addition, the scientific research community in Europe and America continues to explore the potential value of its anti-tumor and neurodegenerative disease interventions, laying the foundation for new drug development.

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(3) Russia and Southeast Asia: Focusing on Traditional Conditioning and Public Health Care

Russia and Southeast Asian countries are one of the main import regions for Cistanche tubulosa raw materials, with application styles ranging from China, Japan, Europe, and America. Russia focuses on the application of extracts from Cistanche tubulosa for liver and kidney maintenance, as well as body deficiency regulation. They are often used to develop adult health dietary supplements that are suitable for the physical characteristics of people with body deficiency and weak metabolism in high-altitude regions. Southeast Asian countries rely on the characteristics of a humid and hot climate to focus on exploring the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and metabolic regulating effects of extracts, integrating them into local health systems, and developing compound health products that are suitable for a humid and hot constitution, with a focus on daily sub-health regulation.

With the global trend of natural health consumption heating up, the market demand for Cistanche tubulosa extract continues to expand. In the future, domestic and international applications will show a development trend of "deepening basic research, expanding application scenarios, improving standard systems, and upgrading industrial value". At the scientific research level, we will further explore the value of niche active ingredients, clarify the mechanisms of action of new effects such as anti-tumor, neural repair, and organ anti-aging, and broaden the clinical application boundaries of medicine; At the industrial level, China will accelerate the research and development of high-end refined products, break through technological barriers, and create independent high-end brands; Overseas markets will continue to expand, relying on China's raw material advantages to promote the transformation of Cistanche tubulosa extract from raw material exports to finished product and technology exports.

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At the same time, with the continuous implementation of the food and medicine homology policy and the continuous improvement of the global standardization system for natural plant extracts, Cistanche tubulosa extract will be widely used in chronic disease intervention, exercise rehabilitation, precision anti-aging, daily health preservation, and other fields, gradually growing into a characteristic food and medicine industry category with international competitiveness.