Cistanche

Cistanche is a Chinese herbal medicine obtained from various species of the genus Cistanche, a genus of desert plants found worldwide. The main source of cistanche is Cistanche salsa and Cistanche deserticola, although it may also be obtained from Cistanche tubulosa, Cistanche sinensis, and Cistanche ambigua. The drug is collected in spring before sprouting.

Cistanche has been used as a medicine for about 1800 years and is recorded in the Shennong Bencao Jing and Bencao Gangmu as a tonic. In modern-day Chinese herbalism, cistanche is used for the treatment of male impotence, seminal emission, general lassitude of the loins and knees, constipation and infertility.

The active ingredients of cistanche include acteoside, echinacoside, and cistanoside.