https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
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Cistanche
- Cistanche
Xinjiang Flowering Stem Cistanche:
The water brewed from it tastes very good, sweet and mellow, somewhat like the black soybean drink from Chaoshan. Chewing it directly is also quite tasty with a bit of crispness.
After drinking, you can feel energy gathering in the lower abdomen (dantian), the entire waist area feels warm, and there is a tingling sensation in the back and the nape of the neck.
Inner Mongolia Desert Cistanche:
The brewed water is stronger than the former, with a sweet base tone, but much of it is covered by bitterness. Chewing it directly is somewhat bitter, but the texture is very peculiar, like white fungus, or one could say like jelly or meat jelly.
After drinking, you can clearly feel the energy first gathering in the supraclavicular fossa to the Tiantu point, then flowing to the dantian. Along the way, the heart and pancreas are nourished. The two livers are in a tough state; not only are they not nourished, but their own energy is drawn out and directed to the dantian. The branch going to the back rushes directly to the crown, wrapping the entire head and face (except the very middle line of the Ren Meridian).
Effects: Both can warm the abdomen, unblock meridians, benefit qi and activate blood, and assist yang. The flowering stem Cistanche is milder, the desert Cistanche is more intense. It is recommended that younger people use the more intense one, while middle-aged and elderly people should supplement more gently.
Cynomorium
- Cynomorium
Its appearance is somewhat similar to Cistanche, but compared to Cistanche, it is extremely unpleasant to drink. It’s unclear how it manages to be both bland and bitter at the same time.
After drinking, one can’t help but shiver, accompanied by trembling in the upper body. The Wei qi that was just gathered in the dantian by Cistanche disperses evenly throughout the torso — this is truly a Chinese herb that can raise and lift Yang qi, or the top choice herb for raising Yang qi (Xu Duan works on meridians, so not entirely the same).
Effects: Raises and lifts Yang qi, astringes essence and stops leakage, secures the kidneys and reduces urination, warms the lungs and relieves asthma, unblocks blood vessels in the neck and brain.