Cistanche

Cistanche deserticola · Cistanche tubulosa

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Muscle strength and recovery¹ Walking ability in older adults² Memory and executive function^3–5 Hair density^{6, 7}	Pregnancy⁸ Breastfeeding⁸

Cistanche (Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche tubulosa) is a tonic herb of traditional Chinese medicine whose polysaccharides and phenylethanoid glycosides carry antioxidant and immunomodulatory activity^9–11. Supplementation is used for muscle strength and recovery in men, for walking function in older adults with early locomotive decline, and for memory and executive function when paired with Ginkgo biloba. It is also used for hair density in androgenetic alopecia, as a combined extract.

The cognitive and hair findings come from network meta-analyses of combination products, so the effect cannot be assigned to Cistanche alone. A 2021 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel opinion on a water extract of Cistanche tubulosa stems concluded that safety had not been established, citing severe adverse events, including cerebral haemorrhage and epilepsy, in vascular dementia patients¹². Sixty-eight products listing Cistanche are sold as powders, liquids, and capsules; see Form comparison.

Per Health Canada labels, use alongside prescription medications is routed to a health care practitioner rather than avoided⁸.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

43 sources, 25 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources