Cistanche deserticola
Encyclopedia
Cistanche deserticola is a holoparasitic
member of the Orobanchaceae
family of plants.
It is a perennial herb 40 centimetre tall. The plant lacks chlorophyll
and obtains its nutrients and water from the saxaul
(Haloxylon ammodendron) and white saxaul
(Haloxylon persicum), whose roots it parasitises.
, Shaanxi
, and Qinghai
, and the Autonomous Regions of Xinjiang
, Ningxia
, and Inner Mongolia
.
Cistanche is a hardy, shrub-like plant native to the desert regions of Mongolia and northern China. It is shaped somewhat like a cross between a pine cone and a pineapple, with thick, fleshy stems and large, yellow flowers that grow smaller as the plant¡¯s apex.
Cistanche deserticola is found only in China but is widely distributed in China's deserts including in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai Provinces, and the Autonomous Regions Xinjiang Uygur, Ningxia Hui, and Inner Mongolia.
This particular species is known in the Chinese herb trade as suosuo dayun. Cistanche deserticola parasitizes the roots of the desert shrub Haloxylon (mainly H. ammodendron) which grows at elevations of 225–1150 meters.
It is collected in the spring when the sprouts have not come out of the ground or have just come up. Inner Mongolia is the top native-producing area of the species; annual production is about 70 tons.
The stems are gathered in the spring, dried in the sun and cut into slices for medicinal use.
, commonly called Rou Cong Rong. Pharmaceutical materials, known in Chinese as suosuo dayuan , are produced by slicing the stems of the plant. Cistanche deserticola has been placed on CITES Appendix 2, a list of endangered species not banned from trade but requiring monitoring. With increased consumption of cistanche, the population of the species has decreased and its area of distribution has shrunk. Aside from over-collection or indiscriminate collection, an important factor in the diminished supply of cistanche is a loss of the saxaul
host, which is widely used for firewood.
An in vivo
study reported that high concentrations (250 μg/ml) of Cistanches extract (250 μg/ml) increased nerve growth factor
induction in isolated nerve cells.
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
member of the Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family, is a family of flowering plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera were formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae sensu lato...
family of plants.
It is a perennial herb 40 centimetre tall. The plant lacks chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
and obtains its nutrients and water from the saxaul
Haloxylon ammodendron
The saxaul, black saxaul, sometimes sacsaoul or saksaul , is a plant belonging to the Amaranthaceae.-Description:The saxaul ranges in size from a large shrub to a small tree, 2-8 m tall. It has a brown trunk 4-10 cm in diameter. The wood is heavy and coarse and the bark is spongy and water-soaked...
(Haloxylon ammodendron) and white saxaul
Haloxylon persicum
Haloxylon persicum, the white saxaul, is a small tree belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. Its range is Western Asia, including Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Sinai, South Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman, UAE, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, to Central Asia , and China .-Description:The Haloxylon persicum has...
(Haloxylon persicum), whose roots it parasitises.
Distribution
The plant is widely distributed in China's deserts including the provinces of GansuGansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, and Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
, and the Autonomous Regions of Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
, and Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
.
Cistanche is a hardy, shrub-like plant native to the desert regions of Mongolia and northern China. It is shaped somewhat like a cross between a pine cone and a pineapple, with thick, fleshy stems and large, yellow flowers that grow smaller as the plant¡¯s apex.
Cistanche deserticola is found only in China but is widely distributed in China's deserts including in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai Provinces, and the Autonomous Regions Xinjiang Uygur, Ningxia Hui, and Inner Mongolia.
This particular species is known in the Chinese herb trade as suosuo dayun. Cistanche deserticola parasitizes the roots of the desert shrub Haloxylon (mainly H. ammodendron) which grows at elevations of 225–1150 meters.
It is collected in the spring when the sprouts have not come out of the ground or have just come up. Inner Mongolia is the top native-producing area of the species; annual production is about 70 tons.
The stems are gathered in the spring, dried in the sun and cut into slices for medicinal use.
Traditional uses
Along with other members of the Cistanche genus, Cistanche deserticola is a noted source of the Chinese herbal medicine cistancheCistanche
Cistanche is a worldwide genus of holoparasitic desert plants in the family Orobanchaceae. They lack chlorophyll and obtain nutrients and water from the host plants whose roots they parasitize.-Uses:...
, commonly called Rou Cong Rong. Pharmaceutical materials, known in Chinese as suosuo dayuan , are produced by slicing the stems of the plant. Cistanche deserticola has been placed on CITES Appendix 2, a list of endangered species not banned from trade but requiring monitoring. With increased consumption of cistanche, the population of the species has decreased and its area of distribution has shrunk. Aside from over-collection or indiscriminate collection, an important factor in the diminished supply of cistanche is a loss of the saxaul
Haloxylon ammodendron
The saxaul, black saxaul, sometimes sacsaoul or saksaul , is a plant belonging to the Amaranthaceae.-Description:The saxaul ranges in size from a large shrub to a small tree, 2-8 m tall. It has a brown trunk 4-10 cm in diameter. The wood is heavy and coarse and the bark is spongy and water-soaked...
host, which is widely used for firewood.
An in vivo
In vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
study reported that high concentrations (250 μg/ml) of Cistanches extract (250 μg/ml) increased nerve growth factor
Nerve growth factor
Nerve growth factor is a small secreted protein that is important for the growth, maintenance, and survival of certain target neurons . It also functions as a signaling molecule. It is perhaps the prototypical growth factor, in that it is one of the first to be described...
induction in isolated nerve cells.