The Distribution And Utilization Status Of Cistanche Deserticola Resources

The genus Cistanche in China is mainly distributed in deserts and desert areas in the northwest region. Due to its remote habitat and inconvenient transportation, it has brought difficulties to specimen collection and resource investigation. There are over 10 effective species names of plants belonging to this genus in China. Ma Yuquan and Zhang Zhiyun successively sorted out the plants of the genus Cistanche in China, and the latter merged them into five species. The statement put forward by Professor Tu Pengfei and others from Peking University that there are four species and variations of the genus Cistanche in China is currently widely recognized in the industry, namely C. deserticola Y C.Ma, Salted Cistanche C.salsa (C.A. Mey.) G. Beck C.salsa var.albiflora P.F.Tu et Z.C.Lou, C.tubulosa (Schenk) R.Wight, and C.sinensis G.Beck. It is mainly distributed in the Ulanbuhe Desert, Tengger Desert, Badanji Desert, Hexi Corridor Sandy Land, Taklimakan Desert, and Gurbantunggut Desert within 36 °~37 ° north latitude. It spans five regions, including Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, from east to west.

cistanche deserticola ma

Desert Cistanche deserticola is naturally distributed in the Ulanbu Desert and Badain Jaran Desert of Inner Mongolia grassland within the range of 36 °~37 ° north latitude, and in the Junggar Basin, Gurbanton Desert and Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang along Ningxia, Gansu Hexi Corridor, Qinghai Qaidam Basin to the south. Born in desert dunes with Haloxylon ammodendron, at an altitude of 100-1500 meters, it mostly lives along alluvial fans and shallow groundwater. It parasitizes the roots of Haloxylon ammodendron (C.A. Mey.) Bunge and H. persicum Bge. exhale. The growth substrate consists of fixed dunes, sandy lands, sandy and gravelly deserts, gravelly deserts, and mild saline-alkali soil deserts. The wide range of its growth environment is rare in early plants. The references to Cistanche deserticola in various medicinal books in our country all refer to Cistanche deserticola.

Cistanche salsa is distributed in Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, and Xinjiang. It extends to the saline-alkali land of Yanchi lowland in Ningxia in the south and the saline-alkali soil of counties around the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang in the west. Born in the desert grassland zone, in the lowlands of lake basins and areas with heavy salinization in desert areas, with an altitude of 700-2650 meters. Salt-borne Cistanche has a wide range of hosts, and it has been found that it can parasitize the roots of various plants such as Kalidium, Ceratodes, Anabasis, Suaeda, Atriplex, and Reamuria. It is mainly distributed in dry areas such as deserts and deserts. According to data analysis, its natural conditions are even more harsh, ranging from general deserts to highly saline soils. It can even tolerate a high salt content of 3% to 4% in the soil. Therefore, the sustainable development of the host species of Salted Cistanche deserticola is more extensive than that of Wild Cistanche deserticola. Its variant, White Flower Salt Cistanche, is distributed in Ningxia (Yanchi) and Xinjiang (Chaiwopu); Born near salt lakes in desert areas; Parasitic on the roots of the pearl firewood Salsala passerine Bunge.

Desert living cistanche

Guanhua Cistanche is naturally distributed in the Taklamakan Desert and its surrounding areas in southern Xinjiang; Born in water-rich tamarisk thickets and dunes, at an altitude of 1200 meters; Parasitic on the roots of Tamarir L. plants. Tamarix, the host of Cistanche tubulosa, has its unique growth environment. It mostly grows in semi-fixed dunes and sandy land. The counties around the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang are its distribution centers, and its radiation area is very small. Guanhua Cistanche is distributed in southern Xinjiang. From the analysis of its wild state, it may have obvious zonality. When various conditions cannot meet its needs, it cannot survive, and even if it barely survives, it is still in a poor state. However, studies have shown that under artificial cultivation, Cistanche deserticola can be fully inoculated on tamarisk plants in the northern Xinjiang region.

chinese herb cistanche

Sand Cistanche is distributed in Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Gansu; Commonly found in sandy, gravelly, or hilly slopes of desert grasslands and desert areas, with an altitude of 1000-2240 meters; Common hosts include Reaumuria Soongarica (Pall.) Maxim, Salsola passerina Bunge, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus (Maxam.) Cheng f., Caragana tibetica Kom, Zygophyllum xanthoxylom (Bunge) Maxim, Tetraena mongolica Maxim, Potaninia mongolica Maxim, et al.

The use of Cistanche deserticola has a history of over 2000 years. At present, based on the acquisition situation, the regions with the highest production and most concentrated distribution of Cistanche deserticola in China are Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. Among several types of Cistanche deserticola, desert Cistanche deserticola, salted Cistanche deserticola, and tubular Cistanche deserticola have the highest yield and are most commonly used. The usage history of Cistanche deserticola varies in different regions. The development and utilization of Cistanche deserticola in North China has a long history, and its resources are nearing depletion. In the early days of liberation, the desert deserticola in Inner Mongolia was still abundant. In the 1950s, 800 to 1000 tons of deserticola could be purchased annually, but currently, only about 300 tons can be purchased annually, and the individual size is small and the quality is poor. The reason for this situation is that local farmers and herdsmen are unable to understand the growth habits of Cistanche deserticola and lack scientific knowledge. When picking and digging Cistanche deserticola, regardless of time, season, or size, indiscriminately pick and dig. To compete for speed and territory, and even dig out all the roots of the host without backfilling, the underground roots of the host are exposed to the outside and wither in large areas under strong sunlight exposure. In addition, the use of firewood by herdsmen and changes in natural conditions have accelerated the death of the Haloxylon ammodendron forest.

Cistanche deserticola

Xinjiang began to purchase a small amount of Cistanche deserticola in 1956, with less than 5 tons that year. The following year, it surged 13 times, reaching 66 tons. However, in the past 20 years, due to the insufficient supply of Cistanche resources in Inner Mongolia to meet market demand, the exploitation of Cistanche resources in Xinjiang has naturally begun. At present, the main types of Cistanche deserticola developed and utilized in Xinjiang include desert Cistanche deserticola, saline Cistanche deserticola, and tubular Cistanche deserticola. According to statistics, the area of Cistanche deserticola in Xinjiang is 2.73 million mu, with a storage capacity of 5283 tons and an annual purchase volume of over 600 tons. The area of Haloxylon ammodendron and Cistanche deserticola in northern Xinjiang is 933000 acres, with a storage capacity of 1762 tons and an annual purchase volume of 170.3 tons. The area of Chinese tamarisk tube flower and Cistanche deserticola in southern Xinjiang is 1.822 million mu, with a storage capacity of 2913.3 tons and a purchase volume of 510 tons. Among them, the area of Hotan area is 547000 mu, with a storage capacity of 1221 tons and an annual purchase volume of over 300 tons. With the continuous development of the economy and the increasing demand for people's health, the demand for Cistanche deserticola is also on the rise, and the amount of wild Cistanche deserticola harvested is rapidly increasing. To effectively protect wild resources such as seaweed and licorice, as well as the ecological environment and grassland resources, the State Council issued a notice on June 14, 2000, titled "Notice on Prohibiting the Collection and Sales of Seaweed and Stopping the Overexploitation of licorice and ephedra" (Guofa [2000] No. 13), proposing management measures such as limited collection and issuance of collection certificates for licorice, ephedra, and cistanche, effectively curbing the overexploitation of cistanche. The collection and excavation of wild cistanche have been well controlled, especially in the Alashan League. In recent years, measures such as wild resource management, wild nurturing, and reasonable collection have been increased, achieving significant results. The results have achieved an annual increase in the reserves of wild resources while still maintaining an annual output of around 150 tons. The government of the southern Xinjiang region also attaches great importance to the protection and management of wild resources of Cistanche deserticola. However, due to the opening of two desert highways, the previously inaccessible deep desert areas can also be reached. The production of wild Cistanche deserticola has significantly increased, reaching an annual output of about 500 tons. Due to the rise in medicinal material prices, the production of salted Cistanche has increased in recent years, with an annual output of 20-30 tons. In the 1990s, no one had ever dug up or seen it in the market. However, in recent years, it has been found in the market that a small amount of sand deserticola is mixed with the medicinal herbs of salted deserticola. The chemical composition of sand deserticola is significantly different from the other three types of deserticola, so this phenomenon is worth our attention.

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With the success and large-scale promotion of artificial cultivation of desert and tubular deserticola, the dependence on wild resources of deserticola has been decreasing year by year, and wild resources will be further protected.