Cistanche
cistanche deserticola
The desert hyacinth of Chinese herbal tradition, its phenylethanoid glycosides protect muscle from wasting and help it grow thicker and stronger.
What the evidence shows
Every line below is carried on the blend page that makes the claim. Follow it to the pathway and its sources.
Cistanche, the desert parasite of the saxaul tree, brings phenylethanoid glycosides that turn up the kidney's inborn shield against oxidative wear.
In a double-blind trial in 48 men training with weights, one-rep-max bench and squat, maximal isometric force and reps-to-failure all beat placebo; an earlier trial raised free testosterone.
Cistanche's phenylethanoid glycosides hold rods and cones alive under intense light, preserving the cells that turn photons into sight.
A desert parasite with no leaves and no chlorophyll, living on the roots of saxaul shrubs in the Gobi, and one of the deepest restoratives in the Chinese materia medica.
Echinacoside, the phenylethanoid in cistanche, raises SIRT1 in living animals, calms the protein-folding stress that builds up in aging cells, and holds down oxidative damage.
Randomized controlled trial, four institutions, 48 men over 8 weeks of resistance training, with diet controlled by two 5-day records: testosterone improved in both trained and untrained strata, cortisol reduced, CRP and CK improved.
Echinacoside, cistanche's marker compound, raised SIRT1 and stopped cartilage matrix from being broken down in animals whose knee joints had been surgically destabilized to bring on osteoarthritis.
Where it appears
9 blend pages carry this ingredient. Open it and you will find this ingredient in the list.
- Gainz (Muscle, Strength & Recovery)
- Hormesis (Adaptive Stress Conditioning)
- Jing Force (Kidney Restoration)
- NAD+ Booster (Cellular Energy Currency)
- Nebula (Warrior Mode Rocket Fuel)
- Ocular (Retinal & Macular Support)
- Thunder (Erectile Performance)
- Titanium (Skeletal & Articular)
- Victorious (Antiviral Immunity)