Identification method of Cistanche deserticola

There are many types of Cistanche deserticola. If you are completely different from them, you may be deceived by the merchants, so you should know a little about the identification methods of Cistanche deserticola. The first is the wild Cistanche deserticola that grows in the desert. This kind of Cistanche deserticola is flat and cylindrical, slightly curved, and has gray-brown or brown color. It has a slightly sweet smell, but tastes slightly bitter. There is also the salt-raw Cistanche, which is a cylindrical Cistanche with a yellowish-brown skin, some adventitious pores, and a slightly salty and bitter taste.

Wild Cistanche deserticola in the desert: It is flat and cylindrical, slightly curved, 3 to 5 cm long, 2 to 8 cm in diameter, and has a brown or gray-brown surface. Densely covered with fleshy scales arranged in a shingle-like pattern, usually with broken tips. It is heavy, hard, slightly flexible, not easy to break, and has a brown cross section with light brown dot-like vascular bundles arranged in wavy rings. Slightly sweet and slightly bitter.

Medicinal pieces: cross-sectioned oblate or quasi-circular pieces, 2-8 cm in diameter, brown or gray-brown in surface, some with visible fleshy scaly leaves. The cross section is brown with light brown dot-like vascular bundles arranged in wavy rings or scattered in strips. It is hard but flexible, has a slight odor, and tastes sweet and slightly bitter.

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 on the upper part and sparse on the lower part; the tips of the scales have mostly broken off, with the remaining parts mostly more than 1 cm wide; the entire scale is slightly long triangular and about 1 cm high. It is heavy, hard, not tough, difficult to break, and has a granular cross-section. It is mostly gray-brown in color, and some have 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.

There is also Cistanche deserticola, which has a single, straight stem that is dark yellowish brown or brown with long hairs. It is very hard and brittle, easily broken, and has a slightly bland taste. There are also some, such as the Xinjiang Shadong Cistanche, which is a kind of Cistanche in the shape of a flat cone or spindle. It has a very hard texture and is not easy to break. It tastes sweet and slightly bitter.