Identification & Quality Standard
Cistanches Herba
Botanical Origin
The dried fleshy stem with scales of Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma, Cistanche tubulosa (Schrenk) Wight.(Orobanchaceae).
Production Regions
Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Shaanxi.
Quality Requirements
Superior medicinal material has thick strip, dense growing scales, soft and moist texture.
Macroscopic Features
Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma: flat cylindrical shape, slightly curved, 3~5cm long, 2~8cm diameter, externally brown or grayish-brown, densely covered with fleshy scales that are arranged like tiles, apex often is broken. Heavy in weight, hard texture, slightly soft, not easily broken, fractured surface is brown, with pale brown spotted vascular bundles, arranged in wavy rings. faint odor, sweet and slightly bitter taste. Cistanche tubulosa (Schrenk) Wight.: Flat cylindrical, flat fusiform, flat oval, flat round and other irregular shape, 6~8cm long, 4~6.5cm diameter, externally reddish-brown, grayish-yellowish-brown or brown, often wrinkled. Densely covered in fleshy scales that are arranged like tiles, dense top and loose bottom, apex of scale is often broken, remnants of base is often more than 1cm, intact scale is slightly long triangular shape, about 1cm tall. Heavy in weight, hard texture, not pliable, difficultly broken, fractured surface is granular, often grayish-brown, some has black hard colloid-like outer layer. Black-brown spotted vascular bundles, irregularly scattered, with small cracks. faint odor, sweet and slightly bitter taste.
