The price of Cistanche varies widely, and origin and quality are key

Cistanche is a famous desert medicinal plant, a fleshy parasitic herb in the family Orobanchaceae that often grows attached to the roots of sand-dwelling plants such as saxaul and red willow. It is mainly produced in arid regions such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu and Ningxia, and because of its outstanding tonic effects it has long been known as desert ginseng.

On the market, the price of Cistanche spans a wide range, mainly affected by origin, variety, grade and processing method. Saxaul Cistanche produced in the Alxa area of Inner Mongolia has long enjoyed a good reputation, while the tube-flower Cistanche from Xinjiang is another common source. Prices differ for fresh and dried goods and for whole roots and slices; generally, goods with tight scale leaves, oily-looking cut surfaces and thick, plump flesh fetch higher prices.

Looking at market trends, wild Cistanche resources are protected and harvesting is restricted, so current market supply is mainly from artificially inoculated cultivation. After cultivation scale expanded, overall prices became more stable than in the wild-harvest period, but concentrated market arrivals during the new harvest season, the pace of inventory digestion and the arrival of the peak tonic-demand season still bring periodic fluctuations.

When buying, it is best not to focus only on low prices. It is advisable to purchase through proper channels and watch out for authenticity, as the market contains cases of similar medicinal materials such as Cynomorium being passed off as substitutes. Genuine Cistanche has a surface densely covered with scale leaves, and its cut surface shows wavy rings formed by dotted vascular bundles; the texture is oily and slightly flexible, and it can be judged comprehensively by appearance, smell and feel.