How to identify wild Cistanche deserticola

Wild Cistanche deserticola is an uncommon item. Many people have never even heard of the name, let alone seen or identified it. In fact, wild Cistanche has rich nutritional value and is expensive, and is enthusiastically sought after by people who know the business. Today I will introduce to you several types of wild Cistanche and how to identify it.

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.

Medicinal pieces: in the form of cross-sectioned irregular round slices, 4-6.5cm in diameter. The surface is reddish brown, grayish yellow brown or tan, and fleshy scales can be seen in some cases. The width of the remaining scales is mostly more than 1 cm. The cut surface is gray-brown, some with a black hard gelatinous outer ring, numerous dark-brown dot-like vascular bundles scattered irregularly, some with small cracks, and the texture is hard and not tough. It has a faint smell 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 inflexible, 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 to 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.

The above content is the relevant knowledge about wild Cistanche introduced to you today, but knowledge is endless. More detailed production methods require you to collect and analyze them by yourself. It is recommended that you spend more time studying and asking others for advice, so that you will be confident when purchasing wild Cistanche deserticola and will not be easily deceived by illegal merchants.