Cistanche deserticola
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| Cistanche deserticola | ||||||||||||||
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| Cistanche deserticola |
Cistanche deserticola is a holoparasitic member of the Orobanchaceae family of plants. It is a perennial herb 0.4-1.6 m 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. The plant is widely distributed in China's deserts including the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai, and the Autonomous Regions of Xinjiang, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia.
Along with other members of the Cistanche genus, Cistanche deserticola is a noted source of the Chinese herbal medicine cistanche (Chinese: 肉苁蓉, pinyin ròucōngróng). Pharmaceutical materials, known in Chinese as suosuo dayun, 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.
