6 effects that taking Cistanche can have on your body

Cistanche (Rou Cong Rong) is a popular herb in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is used to treat kidney disease, infertility, constipation, erectile dysfunction, and abnormal vaginal discharge and bleeding.

Although more research is needed to better understand the benefits of cistanche, it is currently sold as a dietary supplement that can improve your physical and mental health. Knowing all the potential benefits of cistanche can help you decide if it’s a good option for you.

Your immune system protects your body against infections and disease. Cistanche may support immune function because it:

1. Contains beneficial ingredients: An ingredient is phenylethanoid glycoside (PhG), which has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune system stimulating properties.
2. Supports white blood cells: Cistanche may promote the growth of white blood cells (lymphocytes), which repel harmful invaders.
3. Activates immune cells: Some researchers have also linked cistanche’s immunoregulatory properties to its ability to activate dendritic cells (a type of immune cell that helps the body fight infections and disease).

Supplementing with cistanche may protect nerve cells. It can promote recovery and regeneration of the nervous system, including its cells (brain neurons), structure and function. It can help improve learning and memory.

Research shows that cistanche can prevent permanent damage to neurons in the brain, which may help improve your ability to:

• Learn new information
• Store memory
• Recall stored information

In an older study, researchers suggest that cistanche may be effective and safe in treating Alzheimer’s disease. However, more studies and larger trials are needed to confirm this.

In traditional Chinese medicine, people have used cistanche for centuries to treat fatigue caused by kidney yang deficiency, a condition in which you feel cold and have little energy.

Modern research has also shown that cistanche helps improve physical and mental fatigue in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition that causes continuous fatigue. However, this study mixed cistanche extract with the herb ginkgo biloba, so it’s unclear whether cistanche alone would have the same effect.

Cistanche extract can treat infertility because it can:

• Improve premature ovarian failure, which causes permanent damage to the ovaries
• Regulate sex hormones
• Act as an aphrodisiac (a substance that increases sexual desire)
• Helps improve testosterone levels
• Treat erectile dysfunction, a condition that makes it more difficult to get and keep an erection.

However, few studies on the effect of cistanche on fertility and sexual performance have been conducted in humans. Additional high-quality research is needed to validate the effectiveness of cistanche for these benefits.

Cistanche may help relieve constipation by moistening and making stool easier to pass. In traditional Chinese medicine, providers use it to treat constipation in older adults.

Although cistanche has been shown to possibly improve bowel movements, this effect of taking the supplement is not yet fully understood.

Cistanche may be able to regulate bone metabolism, reduce bone loss and prevent osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bones, in postmenopausal people.

Although cistanche has been shown to reduce bone loss with low toxicity and without significant side effects, more research is needed.

Cistanche is primarily available in capsule form in the United States and comes in doses of 400 to 600 milligrams. Many manufacturers recommend taking one or two capsules daily with food. However, you can also get it in tea bag form or as a raw herb that needs to be ground before use.

Cistanche is available in the following forms:

• Desert Cistanche
• Cistanche lanzhouensis
• Cistanche mongolica
• Tubular Cistanche
• Cistanche sinensis

Cistanche deserticola and tubulosa are the two most common forms in dietary supplements, probably because they are well documented in China’s official collection of drug literature.

Dosage

In many studies, the daily dose used was between 600 and 1,000 milligrams. However, in one study, cistanche extract was used at 300 milligrams per day for about 48 hours to improve cognition (thinking and learning) in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Cistanche is generally considered safe. No cases of toxicity have been reported during its use in traditional Chinese medicine. Its use is also well documented in the official medical literature of China and Japan.

Researchers found no serious side effects from using cistanche up to doses of 1,800 milligrams when used daily for three months.

There are currently no known drug interactions between cistanche and other medications. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Always talk to your doctor before using this herbal supplement, especially if you have other underlying health conditions or are taking medications.

Side effects: Although Cistanche is generally considered safe, especially for short-term use, you may experience mild side effects such as:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Dizziness

Unlike medications, herbal supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The National Institutes of Health recommends purchasing supplements that have been independently tested by reputable organizations such as NSF International, USP (United States Pharmacopeia), or ConsumerLab. These organizations confirm that supplements contain the ingredients listed on the label and are free of harmful contaminants.