Why Do We Have To Choose Guanhua Cistanche Instead Of Desert Cistanche For Popular Science On Purchasing Cistanche Deserticola?

The Cistanche genus of plants is a perennial parasitic herb in the family Rhamnaceae, with about 20 species. There are 4 species and 1 variety of Cistanche plants in China, including Cistanche tubulosa, Cistanche deserticola, Cistanche salina, Cistanche alba, and Cistanche deserticola. They are distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, and other regions.

Xinjiang Guanhua Cistanche and Desert Cistanche are the legally recognized original plants of the traditional Chinese medicine Cistanche, both recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition).

Cistanche deserticola Y.C.Ma

With the continuous increase in market demand and long-term indiscriminate mining, the resources of Cistanche plants have sharply declined, and they have been listed as second-class rare and endangered protected plants in China. To solve the resource problem of Cistanche deserticola, meet market demand, and promote sustainable development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry, large-scale cultivation of Cistanche deserticola has been developed in the southern Xinjiang region of Xinjiang, and large-scale cultivation of desert Cistanche deserticola has been developed in Inner Mongolia, effectively alleviating the resource problem of Cistanche deserticola and protecting wild resources. There are always people on the market asking about the difference between Guanhua Cistanche and Desert Cistanche. Today, we will introduce it in detail. Don't be deceived by illegal vendors under the pretext of defrauding money.

Cistanche deserticola

Different origins

The suitable cultivation areas for Cistanche deserticola are distributed in the arid regions of northwest China, including northern Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces.

The most suitable areas for Cistanche deserticola production are mainly distributed in the Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert, Ulan Buhe Desert, Gurbantunggut Desert, Taklimakan Desert, and the surrounding areas of Qinghai Qaidam Basin.
The main production area of desert Cistanche deserticola is Alxa League in Inner Mongolia, with secondary production areas in Gansu and northern Xinjiang.
The exclusive production area of Cistanche deserticola is in Hotan, Xinjiang, specifically in the Taklamakan Desert.
Different hosts

The development of the root system of the host plant of Cistanche deserticola is a prerequisite for maintaining active life by obtaining nutrients such as water and minerals from the soil; It is also a positive feedback between host plants and soil structure and nutrients, which is in line with the basis for whether biogeochemical cycles can reach a wider and deeper range.
The survival ability and nutrient acquisition ability of the host of Cistanche deserticola determines the effective content of Cistanche deserticola.
The host of desert Cistanche deserticola is Haloxylon ammodendron. Haloxylon ammo dendron is a tough and brittle material with strong combustion power, known as "sand coal." It is a high-quality fuel in the production area, a good material for building livestock sheds, and can also be used for windbreaks and sand fixation, so it has a certain economic value.

The host of Cistanche deserticola is tamarisk (also known as red willow), which is an important afforestation tree species for windbreak, sand fixation, and improvement of saline-alkali land due to its characteristics of resistance to cold, high temperature, drought, salt alkali, barrenness, wind erosion, and disease and pest.
Red willow is still an important feed for camel farming in arid areas of China. Its tender branches and leaves are rich in nitrogen-free extracts and ash content, with moderate crude protein content. The total amount of 9 essential amino acids accounts for 4% of its dry matter, similar to that in grains and corn, and has high nutritional value.
In some areas of the northwest, people use red willow branches to skewer lamb for grilling, and these skewers are particularly delicious due to the aroma of red willow.

desert ginseng

Artificial planting time varies.

The artificial cultivation of desert Cistanche deserticola was successful in 1985, and it has now been extensively planted with Haloxylon ammodendron and inoculated with desert Cistanche deserticola in areas such as Alxa League in Inner Mongolia. The artificial cultivation of Cistanche deserticola began in the early 1990s, and it can only parasitize on the roots of Salix, while it cannot grow positively parasitically on the roots of Haloxylon ammodendron. Currently, large-scale cultivation has been carried out in areas surrounding the Taklamakan Desert, such as Hotan and Aksu in southern Xinjiang.

Different water sources

Desert Cistanche deserticola is supplied with water through artificial irrigation, with an appropriate amount of water irrigated 1-2 times a year. The water supply of Xinjiang Guanhua Cistanche comes from abundant underground Kunlun Mountain glacier meltwater and atmospheric precipitation. In addition, the application of drip irrigation technology in desert agriculture makes Guanhua Cistanche more nutritious and contains more trace elements under the nourishment of pollution-free Kunlun Mountain snow water.
Guanhua Cistanche has enjoyed scientific and comprehensive organic care, which ensures that it stores rich nutrients.

Harvest of Cistanche deserticola

Different traits

Desert Cistanche deserticola is mostly flattened cylindrical, measuring 3-5cm in length and 2-8cm in diameter. Its surface is dark brown or brown-black, with a hard texture. Its cross-section is dark brown or black brown, and most of them are yellow-brown point-like vascular bundles arranged in wavy curved rings or slightly radiating.
The Cistanche deserticola is mostly spindle-shaped, flattened oval-shaped, or taro milk-shaped, with a length of 6-8cm and a diameter of 4-6.5cm. Its surface is dark red and gray-yellow-brown, with a hard and tough texture and a light gray-brown cross-section. Some edges are black-brown gelatinous, and numerous black-brown point-like vascular bundles are irregularly scattered on the cross-section.
Different active ingredients

The content of pineal glycoside in desert Cistanche deserticola is about 0.3g per 100g. Due to scarce production, it has been heavily hyped up by unscrupulous merchants, and its market price is slightly higher than that of Cistanche deserticola. The content of echinacoside and verbascoside in fresh materials of Cistanche deserticola ranges from 1.5g-4g in 100g, with higher levels found in older years. According to the effective content regulations of the desert, Cistanche deserticola and tube flower Cistanche deserticola are included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2015 edition). The total amount of echinaceid (C35H46O20) and verbascoside (C29H36O15) in desert Cistanche deserticola shall not be less than 0.30%, and the total amount of echinaceid (C35H46O20) and verbascoside (C29H36O15) in tube flower Cistanche deserticola shall not be less than 1.5%. Its content is five times that of desert Cistanche deserticola.

Main Chemical Constituents of Cistanche deserticola

In addition, through the study and comparison of their fingerprint spectra (note: plant fingerprint spectra are equivalent to plant identity cards), the comparison of phenylethanoid glycosides and cyclohexene ether terpenes shows that the effective content of Cistanche deserticola is higher than that of desert Cistanche deserticola. The content of phenylethanoid glycosides in desert Cistanche deserticola is significantly lower than that in tube flower Cistanche deserticola, and the phenylethanoid glycosides in tube flower Cistanche deserticola are significantly higher than those in cyclohexene ether terpenoid glycosides. Among them, the phenylethanoid glycosides are mainly composed of two major components: pineal glycoside and verbascoside. From this scientific data, it can be concluded that the effective components of Cistanche deserticola are much higher than those of desert Cistanche deserticola.
Different flavors

Desert Cistanche deserticola is cold-resistant and has a high sugar content (as is well known, Chinese medicinal herbs with high sugar content have very low and weak medicinal properties). After being brewed with boiling water, its color turns black, and even after multiple infusions, it still turns yellow. Due to its high oil content, its moisturizing and laxative effects are better, but its kidney-tonifying effects are minimal. However, Cistanche deserticola has a strong woody nature and a bitter taste when soaked in water. Due to its lower sugar content and high content of echinacoside and verbascoside, it is widely used in pharmaceuticals and exports, especially in the male health market. Its kidney tonifying effect exceeds that of desert Cistanche deserticola by dozens of times.
Different applications

Desert Cistanche has better moisturizing and laxative effects (almost no kidney tonifying effect). For patients with severe constipation, choosing desert Cistanche has better effects. Generally, its traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces are widely used in Chinese pharmacies. Xinjiang Guanhua Cistanche deserticola is widely used in industries such as medicine, food, health food, and traditional Chinese medicine due to its effective ingredients (pineal glycoside and verbascoside), which have better kidney tonifying effects. Products such as Shenbao tablets, Hongmao medicinal wine, and Jingjiu all use Guanhua Cistanche deserticola as the main raw material.
Only Cistanche tubulosa can avoid waste, and maximize the extraction of effective ingredients, and the extracted essence is easier to absorb and used by the human body. The extract of Cistanche tubulosa in Xinjiang has been exported to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, and overseas markets for many years in succession, and has been processed into skin care products such as hair tonics of Cistanche tubulosa and facial masks.

On the market, the choice of Cistanche deserticola

At present, due to its good efficacy and wide application, many varieties of Cistanche deserticola have appeared on the market, misleading many consumers under the banner of "wild", "nonartificial cultivation", and "true and false". Below, Pepe will teach you how to distinguish them one by one.
Wild or artificial? At present, anyone who claims to be "wild Cistanche deserticola" on the market is just a facade! Cistanche deserticola is listed as a national second-class rare and endangered plant, and all products sold in the market are artificially cultivated. It is not allowed to indiscriminately harvest and dig Cistanche deserticola. Whenever the word "wild" appears, consumers are advised to keep their eyes open and not fall for it.
True or False?
Due to the increasing application of Cistanche deserticola in the pharmaceutical and men's health industries in recent years, its reputation has been growing. As a result, a group of people has emerged who defame Cistanche deserticola and believe that it is a "fake" Cistanche deserticola. Unscrupulous merchants have misled consumers, so everyone must keep their eyes open.
Guanhua Cistanche deserticola is recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition) and is the legal base plant of the traditional Chinese medicine Cistanche deserticola. It is also a national second-class rare and endangered protected plant. Since ancient times, it has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine with the same origin as medicine and food.
Ordinary or enzyme inactivation?
The processing of Cistanche deserticola is divided into natural air drying, oven drying, microwave drying, microwave enzyme inactivation, and other processing methods.

Cistanche deserticola slices

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The common sliced Cistanche deserticola sold on the market is usually dried by natural air drying, oven drying, microwave drying, and other common processes. The content of active ingredients such as echinacoside and verbascoside will be decomposed by the hydrolytic enzymes in Cistanche deserticola itself by about 80% during the drying process, leaving only about 15% of the effective content. The efficacy is also minimal, and it is not easy to store and prone to spoilage.

The sliced Xinjiang Cistanche deserticola processed by microwave enzyme inactivation technology is a fresh Cistanche deserticola microwave enzyme inactivation method invented and disclosed by the company. This method not only requires the quality and freshness of Cistanche deserticola but also the duration of enzyme inactivation varies for different sizes of Cistanche deserticola. This enzyme inactivation technology achieves enzyme inactivation of fresh Cistanche deserticola slices, retaining high levels of echinacoside and verbascoside. The content of active ingredients is several times higher than that of ordinary Cistanche deserticola slices, and it is conducive to storage, with a longer storage time and less susceptibility to mold and decay. When purchasing Cistanche deserticola, we hope that consumers will keep their eyes open and want good quality and good effect. Whether it is the dried Cistanche deserticola tablets treated by enzyme-killing technology or the essence of Cistanche deserticola deserticola with excellent efficacy, we must choose the genuine medicinal herb Cistanche deserticola from Hetian, Xinjiang, which has a better kidney tonifying effect.