Is Cistanche deserticola the same as Cistanche deserticola?

At present, everyone has a certain understanding of what Cistanche is. In fact, different Cistanches have different therapeutic effects. Is wine Cistanche the same as Cistanche deserticola? Because different Cistanches have different utilization values ​​and their effects are also very different. Because Cistanches can also make various delicacies, some people will easily confuse wine Cistanche with Cistanche deserticola. If the two are the same, what is the difference?

What are the differences between Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche deserticola

Cistanche is a traditional Chinese medicine. It is precious because of its special origin. There are many varieties of Cistanche. So how do consumers distinguish between different varieties? Let me teach you.

Cistanche deserticola: flat cylindrical, slightly curved, 3 to 5 cm long, 2 to 8 cm in diameter, with brown or gray-brown surface. Densely covered with fleshy scales arranged in a shingle-like pattern, usually with broken tips. Heavy, hard, slightly soft, not easy to break, brown in cross section, with light brown dot-like vascular bundles arranged in wavy rings. Slight smell, sweet and slightly bitter taste.

Cistanche tubulosa: irregular shapes such as flat cylindrical, flat spindle, flat oval, flat round, 6 to 8 cm long, 4 to 6.5 cm in diameter, with reddish brown, grayish yellow brown or tan surface, and often twisted. Densely covered with fleshy scales arranged in a slightly shingle-like manner, dense in the upper part and sparse in the lower part, the tips of the scales have mostly broken off, and the remaining parts are mostly more than 1 cm wide. The whole scale is slightly long triangular and about 1 cm high. Heavy, hard, not tough*, difficult to break, with granular cross-section, mostly gray-brown, and some with a black, hard, gelatinous outer ring. There are numerous dark brown dot-like vascular bundles, scattered irregularly, some with small cracks. It has a slight odor and tastes sweet and slightly bitter.

Salt-raw Cistanche deserticola: cylindrical, with scale leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 2.5 cm long and 4 to 8 cm wide. The inflorescence spike is cylindrical, with short, ovate-lanceolate bracts. The epidermis is yellowish brown with adventitious stomata, hard and non-soft, and the cross section has light brown vascular bundles arranged in chrysanthemum-like patterns. It has a faint smell and tastes slightly salty and bitter.

Cistanche deserticola: The stem is single, straight, 15 to 35 cm long, 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter, dark yellow-brown or brown, with longitudinal grooves and short white hairs. The leaves are alternate, scaly or lanceolate, slightly wrinkled, 0.8~1.5 cm long, and yellowish brown. The upper part of the stem is a spike inflorescence, 5 to 10 cm long and covered with hairs. The flowers in the lower part are relatively sparse, while the flowers in the upper part are dense. The flowers shrink and become lip-shaped when flattened. They are 1.5 to 1.8 cm long and yellowish brown or lavender in color. Some panicles have capsules at the bottom, which are oval, about 1 cm long and brown. It is hard and brittle, easy to break, and the cross section is white with an irregular brown ring in the middle. Odorless, light taste.

Through the introduction of the above content, do you think that Cistanche deserticola is the same as Cistanche deserticola? There are differences between the two, and they are not the same substance. Cistanche deserticola is very valuable, and there are many ways to cook it, and it can also be made into a delicacy. There are differences in their growing places and utilization values. I still think that the nutritional value of Cistanche deserticola is higher.