People who should not eat Cistanchis are those with weak spleen and stomach with loose stools (thin and unformed stools), heat evidence of hyperactivity of Yang, and kidney yin deficiency and fire exuberance.
Cistanchis are the dried fleshy stems with scaly leaves of Cistanchis or Cistanchis tubiflora in the family of Ledebouriidae, which are sweet, salty, and warm, and belong to the kidney and large intestine meridians. It has the effect of tonifying kidney yang, benefiting essence and blood, moistening the intestines and laxatives, and is mainly used for treating kidney yang deficiency, essence and blood deficiency, impotence and infertility, lumbar and knee weakness, sinew and bone weakness, and intestinal dryness and constipation. It can be combined with other medicines and boiled for internal use, or put into pills and swallowed with warm water.
Since Cistanchis has the effect of laxative, it should not be taken by those who have loose stools due to deficiency of spleen, otherwise it may cause diarrhea. Cistanchis are warm and hot in nature, and therefore should not be taken by people with heat evidence of hyperactivity of yang or yin deficiency.
People taking Cistanchis should follow the doctor’s advice.