The Father Of Cistanche Deserticola, Tu Pengfei, And The Origin Of Cistanche Deserticola

The origin of Tu Pengfei and Cistanche deserticola

In 1990, Tu Pengfei conducted postdoctoral research under the renowned pharmacologist Lou Zhicen. At that time, he chose the relatively obscure Cistanche deserticola as his research topic. At that time, the research on Cistanche deserticola in the field of traditional Chinese medicine was almost blank, and how its seeds parasitized on the host roots was an unsolved mystery. Tu Pengfei foresaw the extinction crisis of wild Cistanche deserticola and was well aware of the urgency of researching artificial cultivation techniques for Cistanche deserticola.
Tu Pengfei embarked on a difficult journey to Xinjiang. It takes 10 days one-way from Beijing to Xinjiang. First, take a four-day and three night train to Xinjiang, then cross the Tianshan Mountains and walk along the Taklamakan Desert for 6 days to reach Yutian County. Dariyabuyi, the town with the highest distribution of wild Cistanche deserticola, is located deep in the Taklamakan Desert and is not accessible by road. Starting from Yutian County, it takes countless sandbags and a bumpy day to arrive. Due to the harsh conditions, Tu Pengfei could only bring his own tent, which was exposed to the sun until it peeled off, and even had no water to wash up. But he overcame numerous difficulties and conducted multiple field studies to solve the mystery of the parasitic disease of Cistanche deserticola.
Tu Pengfei's interest in Cistanche deserticola stems from multiple sources. Cistanche deserticola is a parasitic plant, and its parasitic mode and process of obtaining nutrients are full of mystery; Growing up in the magical environment of the desert; Chinese ancient books record that it has good kidney tonifying effects; And at that time, there was a lack of relevant research, weak technology, and a large research space. Taking into account these factors, Tu Pengfei firmly established his goal of studying Cistanche deserticola. After the establishment of the "Eighth Five Year Plan" research project, he worked hard to obtain research work on Cistanche deserticola.
The magical properties of Cistanche deserticola

Father of Cistanche deserticola - Professor Tu Pengfei

As an endangered parasitic plant in the desert, Cistanche deserticola has unique growth characteristics. The germination process of its seeds is full of mystery, and the seeds of Cistanche deserticola have typical characteristics of parasitic plant seeds in the family Rhamnaceae, with only spherical embryos inside the seed coat and endosperm outside. Only when the root of the host red willow penetrates into the seed coat of Cistanche deserticola and stimulates its spherical embryo to produce a "bud like organ", which is connected to the host root, can the seed germinate. The main site of connection with the Cistanche deserticola seed is in the root hair area. Firstly, at the top of the "bud tube like organ" connected to the host root, it swells into a tumor like structure. Later, it differentiates internally to form transport molecules and connects with the host's vascular bundle. Then, at the end of the tumor away from the host root, it differentiates into a apical bud, which grows into a Cistanche deserticola plant.
The parasitic process of Cistanche deserticola is also very wonderful. The seeds of Cistanche deserticola, which have germination vitality, come into contact with the thriving red willow roots and germinate under suitable environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and soil acidity and alkalinity, stimulated by parasitic inducers. Red willow roots combine with seeds of Cistanche deserticola to form parasitic buds, which further develop into block shaped suckers. Cistanche deserticola plants grow on the block shaped suckers, completing the parasitic process.
After parasitizing on the red willow plant, Cistanche deserticola grows multiple spherical fruit shaped young. It cannot carry out photosynthesis on its own and mainly relies on the host red willow for water and nutrients, mainly transported through block shaped suction cups. The plant grows underground in the first and second years, and in the spring of the third year, if buried shallowly, it can grow out of the ground. If it fails to grow on the surface, the stem tip of Cistanche deserticola will continue to grow upwards.
Every year from Qingming Festival to Lixia (early April to early May), when the climate and environment are suitable, the flesh ear inflorescence is exposed to the ground. Under the stimulation of light, it rapidly blooms and emits a rich fragrance, attracting insects such as flies and bees for pollination. The inflorescence is an infinite inflorescence, where the flowers in the middle and lower parts bloom first, and the flowers at the top bloom last. The flowering period is from May to June. After flowering, Cistanche deserticola plants can grow from 30-40 centimeters in length to 2 meters or longer in length.
After being pollinated, the ovary develops and bears oval shaped capsules, which mature in June and July. The capsules change from yellow or brownish yellow to brown. After maturity, it splits into two halves and releases a large number of tiny brown oval seeds.
After flowering and fruiting, the aboveground stem of Cistanche deserticola becomes hollow and decayed, while the underground stem loses its vitality and is decomposed and decayed by soil microorganisms; Alternatively, after the stem is harvested, new Cistanche deserticola plants can sprout from the base block suction cup, repeating the above growth process. The block shaped suction cup can survive for many years, and as long as it is not damaged, new Cistanche deserticola plants can grow from it every time the plant blooms and bears seeds or is harvested.
Overcoming the difficulties in planting Cistanche deserticola

Professor Tu Pengfei and his team have made significant breakthroughs in the cultivation of Cistanche deserticola. They successfully solved key problems such as germination, parasitism, artificial inoculation, frost damage control, high and stable yield, and mechanized production of Cistanche deserticola, setting a precedent for large-scale planting of parasitic plants and achieving high and stable yield internationally.
Firstly, in terms of the germination of Cistanche deserticola, the team has found through extensive research that seed germination requires low-temperature stratification, and host hairy root signaling substances can induce seed germination. This discovery provides technical support for the large-scale promotion of Cistanche deserticola cultivation.
For the parasitic problem of Cistanche deserticola, the team has elucidated its parasitic mechanism for the first time internationally. The seeds of Cistanche deserticola can emit signaling substances, and the roots of the host actively grow onto the Cistanche deserticola. Then, the Cistanche deserticola will grow into a suction device and suck onto the roots of the host. Based on this, the team invented seeding methods such as "sowing method" and "three-dimensional inoculation method", achieving large-scale artificial planting of Cistanche deserticola.

Professor Tu Pengfei

In terms of frost damage prevention and control, after long-term research, the team has created effective prevention and control methods to ensure that Cistanche deserticola can grow normally even in cold environments. At the same time, they also invented a method for measuring the germination rate of Cistanche deserticola seeds and established inoculation techniques, further improving the success rate of Cistanche deserticola planting.
In order to achieve high and stable yields, in 2012, Tu Pengfei's team jointly applied with multiple units to obtain support from the National Science and Technology Benefit Plan project. Using Yutian County in Hotan Prefecture as a demonstration base, high-quality seeds were distributed free of charge to growers and various forms of training courses were held. After 3 years of project implementation, the average yield per mu of the 170000 mu Cistanche deserticola promotion base in Yutian County exceeded 100 kilograms, and large-scale planting of parasitic plants achieved high and stable yields.
In terms of mechanized production, the team has successively developed inoculation machines and mining machines, realizing the mechanization of Cistanche deserticola planting and harvesting. This not only improves production efficiency, but also reduces labor costs.
Nowadays, Cistanche deserticola has become an important industry in Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang and Alxa League of Inner Mongolia, with over 150000 farmers and herdsmen engaged in production, opening up a new path for targeted poverty alleviation in sandy areas. At the same time, the large-scale planting of tamarisk and red willow has also achieved sustainable management of large deserts.
The medicinal value of Cistanche deserticola

As a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, Cistanche deserticola has extremely high medicinal value.
Firstly, Cistanche deserticola has significant effects in nourishing the kidneys. It is sweet, salty, warm, and moist, warm but not dry, and nourishing but not greasy. It can not only tonify the kidneys and strengthen yang, but also benefit essence and blood. It can be used to treat symptoms such as impotence, infertility, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, and muscle and bone weakness caused by kidney yang deficiency and essence and blood deficiency. When combined with Rehmannia glutinosa, Cuscuta chinensis, and Cornus officinalis, it can treat symptoms such as kidney deficiency, impotence, nocturnal emissions, and premature ejaculation; Combined with Xuduan and Psoralea, it can treat cold pain in the waist and knees, as well as weak muscles and bones.

Cistanche deserticola flower

Secondly, Cistanche deserticola has the function of moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements. Cistanche deserticola is salty and moist, which can nourish essence and blood, moisten dryness and smooth the intestines. It is particularly suitable for elderly people with kidney yang deficiency and essence and blood deficiency leading to constipation caused by dryness of the intestines. It can significantly improve the propulsion speed of the small intestine, shorten the defecation time, facilitate excretion, and has a true moisturizing and laxative effect.
In addition, Cistanche deserticola has shown excellent anti-aging performance. It contains various natural antioxidants that can eliminate free radicals in the body, slow down cell aging, and improve skin pigmentation. Meanwhile, Cistanche deserticola can also repair and protect nerve cells, enhance memory, and have a significant effect on preventing and treating senile dementia.
In terms of anti Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, Tu Pengfei's team found that phenylethanol glycosides of Cistanche deserticola had significant new effects in the early stage, and created a new drug for vascular dementia, total glycosides of Cistanche capsule. Research has shown that the representative pharmacological component of Cistanche deserticola phenylethanoid glycosides, pineal glycoside, induces conformational changes in the CK2 α 'protein by specifically modifying the 171 lysine position. It activates the Wnt signaling pathway and promotes mitochondrial fusion in a way that is independent of CK2 classical kinase activity, ultimately exerting a protective effect against cerebral ischemic nerve injury.
At present, the medicinal value of Cistanche deserticola has been widely recognized, and the research and development of related new drugs is also constantly advancing. Based on long-term research, Professor Tu Pengfei's team actively developed new products and successfully used Cistanche deserticola to develop new drugs for the treatment of vascular dementia, such as "Cistanche total glycosides capsules" and "Pinecone chrysanthemum glycosides tablets". At the same time, the effective parts of the mutated Cistanche deserticola were extracted and developed into a new drug for treating constipation, especially elderly constipation. Cistanche deserticola was combined with other traditional Chinese medicines to develop a series of Cistanche deserticola health products.
With the solution of medicinal resources of Cistanche deserticola, the top priority for industrial development is downstream product development and industrialization. At present, desert Cistanche has been included in the list of pilot varieties of edible and medicinal Chinese medicinal materials, which is a very good development opportunity for desert Cistanche. However, the inclusion of Cistanche deserticola in the list of edible and medicinal Chinese medicinal materials will seriously affect the development of the ecological industry of Cistanche deserticola in various regions of southern Xinjiang. Therefore, it is urgent to include Cistanche deserticola in the catalog of edible and medicinal Chinese medicinal materials, in order to facilitate the development of related products and industries.

Effects Of Cistanche-Tonifying kidney

The Development of Cistanche Industry

The vigorous development of the Cistanche deserticola industry has brought strong impetus to local economic growth and the increase of farmers' income and wealth. In terms of planting scale, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and other places vigorously promote the planting of host plants of Cistanche deserticola, such as red willows and tamarisk. Currently, the planting area has reached millions of acres. Taking Xinjiang as an example, the artificial inoculation of Cistanche deserticola covers an area of about 1 million mu, forming three concentrated contiguous production areas around the Tarim Basin, Turpan Basin, and the Junggar Basin. It has become the largest raw material base for Cistanche deserticola in China, with an annual output of more than 6000 tons of dry materials for Cistanche deserticola medicinal materials, accounting for about 80% of the national output.
In terms of product development, with the inclusion of Cistanche deserticola (desert) in the "Catalogue of Substances that are Both Food and Traditional Chinese Medicine", the industry has ushered in new development opportunities. Many enterprises actively invest in the research and development of Cistanche products, such as Xinjiang Life Nuclear Power High tech Co., Ltd., which has developed solid beverages, compressed candies, raw materials, formulated wines, and other food and cosmetic products; Yaman Co., Ltd. relies on the research strength of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to develop solid beverages, Cistanche extract and other products, promoting the transformation of the enterprise from planting to deep processing. In addition, Dong'e ass hide glue's "Zhuangben" brand and Peking University Modern Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine signed a scientific research strategic cooperation agreement to jointly build a scientific research barrier for "Zhuangben" cistanche products, and ass hide glue cistanche crude and cistanche crude have been launched.
As the main distribution area and authentic production area of Cistanche deserticola, Yutian County actively attracts Chinese herbal medicine deep processing enterprises to settle down, holds the Cistanche deserticola industry high-quality development conference and product purchase and sales fair, establishes the Cistanche deserticola industry development alliance, signs multiple cooperation agreements, and initially forms a full industry chain of planting, processing, sales, and research and development, achieving a good situation of desert greening, industrial development, collective income increase, and farmers' benefits.
The development of the Cistanche deserticola industry not only brings economic benefits, but also plays an important role in ecological protection. Cistanche deserticola is a parasitic plant, and its host plants such as red willow and tamarisk have significant effects in windbreak and sand fixation. Large scale planting of host plants provides an effective way to green deserts. At the same time, the development of the Cistanche deserticola industry has also provided employment opportunities for local farmers, with tens of thousands of farmers and herdsmen engaged in Cistanche deserticola production. For example, in Ruoli Township, Jingyuan County, the Cistanche deserticola industry has driven more than 1000 farmers to increase their income and become prosperous; In Qiaoren Village, Qiaoren Township, Qitai County, the planting industry of Cistanche deserticola has driven the collective economic growth of the village and increased the income of the villagers.

Abundant harvest of Cistanche deserticola

Click here to view Cistanche Enhance Immunity products

【Ask for more】 Email:cindy.xue@wecistanche.com / Whats App: 0086 18599088692 / Wechat: 18599088692

In short, the development prospects of the Cistanche deserticola industry are broad and will continue to make greater contributions to local economic development and farmers' prosperity.
Cistanche deserticola and desert management

The cultivation of Cistanche deserticola is of crucial importance in desert management. Firstly, the host plants of Cistanche deserticola, such as red willows and tamarisk, have strong windbreak and sand fixation abilities. By planting these host plants on a large scale, it provides an effective way to green the desert. For example, in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and other places, the planting of host plants for Cistanche deserticola has been vigorously promoted, and the current planting area has reached millions of acres, effectively improving the local ecological environment.
Professor Tu Pengfei's team actively promoted the cultivation of red willows and red willows in the process of researching Cistanche deserticola. For over 30 years, the team has promoted red willows and red willows with a planting area of over 6 million acres, equivalent to over 4000 square kilometers of desert becoming an oasis. Taking Yutian County as an example, the surrounding area of 15 kilometers outside the county is surrounded by host plants, resulting in a significant reduction in floating dust weather.
In addition, the development of the Cistanche deserticola industry has also driven local farmers to actively participate in desert management. The cultivation of Cistanche deserticola is relatively simple, requiring little manual labor and minimal water consumption. Moreover, the increased yield can bring considerable income to farmers and boost the enthusiasm of the people. In Dengkou County, Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia, the planting of Cistanche deserticola industry has made the vast desert green and golden, improving the ecological environment by windbreak and sand fixation, and generating great economic benefits, driving rural revitalization. The forest and grass coverage in the desert area has increased from 0.04% in the past to over 37% now, and the severely desertified land has decreased by 78%. The annual sediment transport to the Yellow River has decreased by 94.7%, and the desert governance has shown a good trend of "overall improvement and accelerated improvement".
In short, the cultivation of Cistanche deserticola plays an important role in desert management, not only achieving the goals of greening the desert and improving the ecological environment, but also bringing economic benefits to local farmers and exploring a path with Chinese characteristics for sustainable desert management.
Future prospects

Harvest of Cistanche deserticola 

The future development of the Cistanche deserticola industry is full of hope and broad prospects.
Firstly, creating a large variety of traditional Chinese medicinal materials is one of the important goals of the Cistanche deserticola industry. At present, Cistanche deserticola has been widely planted in multiple regions of China, with an increasing annual yield, completely solving the problem of shortage of medicinal resources. With the continuous deepening of scientific research and the sustained development of the industry, Cistanche deserticola is expected to become a major variety of traditional Chinese medicine with an annual output value of over 50 billion yuan in the future. This requires joint efforts from the government, enterprises, and research institutions to increase research and development efforts on Cistanche deserticola, improve product quality and added value, and expand market share.
Secondly, in-depth research on pharmacological effects will provide a more solid scientific basis for the application of Cistanche deserticola. At present, research on pharmacological effects of Cistanche deserticola has made certain achievements, such as tonifying kidney yang, enriching blood essence, moistening intestines and relieving constipation, resisting Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and prolonging life. In the future, further in-depth research should be conducted on the pharmacological substances and mechanisms of action of Cistanche deserticola, in order to discover more new effects and clinical value, and provide support for the development of innovative drugs and health products.
Finally, it is of great significance to promote Cistanche deserticola to countries along the "the Belt and Road". As a Chinese medicinal herb with extremely high medicinal value, Cistanche deserticola has broad development space in the international market.