Cynomorium

An older person with cold, weak knees and back, low libido and dry constipation, where warming without drying is needed

Wobbly, weak legs with a cold lower body and thin, dry stools

Overview. Suo yang is the dried fleshy stem of Cynomorium songaricum, a leafless, chlorophyll-free parasite that grows on the roots of Nitraria and other shrubs in the deserts and salt flats of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Xinjiang and Mongolia; botanists now treat it as a subspecies of the Mediterranean Cynomorium coccineum. The dark red, club-shaped stem pushes out of the sand in spring and is dug, sliced and dried. In Chinese medicine it is a warming Kidney tonic in the same family as rou cong rong: it lifts yang and essence while moistening the bowel, which makes it a favorite for the elderly.

Clinical Notes. Suo yang is the warming tonic for people who are cold, weak and dry at the same time: low libido or impotence, a cold aching lower back, weak legs, and constipation that stimulant laxatives make worse.

Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: warm. Taste: sweet. Channels: Liver, Kidney, Large Intestine. Actions: Tonifies Kidney yang and strengthens the lower back and legs; Nourishes essence and blood; Moistens the intestines and relieves constipation of deficiency type.

Conservation. Wild-harvested holoparasite of desert shrubs; overcollection and habitat loss have reduced wild populations in China and Mongolia, and it is under provincial protection in parts of China, so cultivated or sustainably harvested material is preferred.