Cistanche Tubulosa, aka Rou Cong Rong, is an adaptogen that has been shown to have many health benefits.
This incredible plant has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years and has been commonly recommended for those seeking to support erection size and strength, a normal healthy immune system, female fertility, as well as kidney and brain health.
The two most common forms of Cistanche on the market include Tubulosa and Deserticola, both of which contain power chemical compounds that include volatile oils, non-volatile phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs), iridoids, lignans, alditols, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides (1).
While Cistanche has numerous health benefits, we chose to highlight a few that our Warriors would find most interesting.
3 Scientifically Supported Benefits of Cistanche
Benefit #1: Erection Support, Testosterone, and Libido
The most common concern our Warriors have is maintaining peak hormone levels to support their physical training, as well as maintaining a youthful sex life.
This is understandable, as these areas of life tend to deteriorate as we get older; that is, unless you take care of yourself and take targeted nutrition to support them.
This is where Cistanche can help.
A promising study from 2015 showed that an extract of Cistanche Tubulosa supported the release of steroidogenic enzymes in the testicles leading to an increase in sex hormone levels. (2)
Two other studies showed that the Acteosides and Echinacosides present in Cistanche Tubulosa significantly shortened the latency period between erections, as well as improved the overall health of cells in the testes.
This research also showed that the Echinacosides had a vaso-relaxing effect resulting in improved erection size and blood flow to the genitals. (3)(4)
While more research is needed, we think everyone can cheer these findings.
Benefit #2: Supporting a Healthy Immune System
Having a strong immune system is important for obvious reasons; no one wants to spend their life sick, weak, and beaten down because they are unable to fight off preventable illnesses.
Important research in this area has shown that Cistanche Tubulosa extract can activate lymphoid cells and increase the kill rate of rogue cells in the body. What most people don't realize is that these cells can be present at any time, so identifying them and eliminating them before they can proliferate is incredibly important. (5)
Other research has shown that certain individual compounds such as oligosaccharides in Cistanche Tubulosa had an impressive effect on the spleen activity of mice, increasing the proliferation of antibody-producing cells in the body. (6)
Note: Most of the research we found was conducted in mice or rats, thus human trials are likely needed to support these benefits further. However, due to their biological similarities, these studies are very encouraging and support the dietary use of Cistanche extract (assuming it is recommended for you by your physician).
Benefit #3: Brain Health and Mental Performance
I don't know about you, but I hate forgetting other people's names or what I ate for breakfast. In fact, nothing is more embarrassing than having your spouse introduce his/her self so you don't have to blank out on the names of people close to you.
Believe me, I have had my wife do this many times on my behalf.
Well good news! research shows that Cistanche may help you to maintain the ability to learn, store, and recall information. Problem solved.
Numerous studies in the area of Cistanche and brain health even show promise for supporting normal cognitive health and mental performance.
While much of this research has been performed on rats and mice as previously noted, researchers have shown that key chemical constituents in Cistanche may help protect neurons in the brain from degeneration, thus helping to reduce or slow age-related mental health decline. (7)
Wait, what were we just talking about? Oh yeah, try our Cistanche so you don't have to worry about forgetting these benefits.
Conclusion: While more research is always needed, studies support many of the health benefits of Cistanche Tubulosa, including it's effect on blood flow, erection strength, brain health, and normal immune function.
We have only scratched the surface here, so we highly recommend you visit the resources below to learn more about Cistanche Tubulosa its benefits, uses, and more.
Sources:
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Wang T., Chen C., Yang M., Deng B., Kirby G. M., Zhang X. (2015). Cistanche tubulosa ethanol extract mediates rat sex hormone levels by induction of testicular steroidgenic enzymes. Pharm. Biol. 54 481–487. 10.3109/13880209.2015.1050114
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Ma J. J., Zhao F., Sun Y. (2009). The effects of acteoside on nourishing kidney and strengthening Yang in Yang deficient mice. J. Yangzhou Univ. 30 22–25.
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Yoshikawa M., Matsuda H., Morikawa T., Xie H., Nakamura S., Muraoka O. (2006). Phenylethanoid oligoglycosides and acylated oligosugars with vasorelaxant activity from Cistanche tubulosa. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 14 7468–7475. 10.1016/j.bmc.2006.07.018
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Maruyama S., Akasaka T., Yamada K., Tachibana H. (2009). Bioactivity of high-molecular-weight constituents of Cistanche tubulosa. Pharmacology 1 913–921.
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Maruyama S., Hashizume S., Tanji T., Yamada K., Tachibana H. (2008). Cistanche salsa extract enhanced antibody production in human lymph node lymphocytes. Pharmacology 2 341–348.
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Tian X.-F., Pu X.-P. (2005). Phenylethanoid glycosides from Cistanches salsa inhibit apoptosis induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion in neurons. J. Ethnopharmacol. 97 59–63. 10.1016/j.jep.2004.10.014
