CUSCUTA EXTRACT 4:1
Product No. P03493
Cuscuta is the name of a group of plants in the morning glory family, of which the species Cuscuta epithymum is most commonly used in healing. They are found almost everywhere in the world, although cuscuta is more often called dodder in English-speaking countries. Other names include hellweed, devil's gut, beggarweed, strangle tare, scaldweed, dodder of thyme, greater dodder, and lesser dodder. In Chinese, cuscuta seeds are called tu si zi.
Cuscuta is a parasitic plant. It has no chlorophyll and cannot make its own food by photosynthesis. Instead, it grows on other plants, using their nutrients for its growth and weakening the host plant. Agriculturalists consider cuscuta a destructive weed and attempt to eradicate it. For medicinal purposes, herbalists prefer C. epithymum that grows on thyme.
Cuscuta is a leafless plant with branching stems ranging in thickness from thread-like filaments to heavy cords. The seeds germinate like other seeds. The stems begin to grow and attach themselves to nearby host plants. Once they are firmly attached to a host, the cuscuta root withers away. The mature plant lives its entire life without attachment to the ground. The stems of cuscuta are used in Western herbalism and the seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Cuscuta has a long history of folk use. In Western herbalism, cuscuta was traditionally used to treat liver, spleen, and gallbladder disorders such as jaundice, and to support liver function. It is still used, although rarely, in that way by modern herbalists. It is also a mild laxative. Other traditional Western claims for cuscuta are that it is a mild diuretic, and that it can be used to treat sciatica and scurvy. Externally, it can be gathered fresh and applied to the skin. Extracts of the herb have a very bitter taste.
According to traditional Chinese healers, cuscuta seeds have a neutral nature and a pungent, sweet taste. They are associated with the liver and kidneys and are used in formulas that help both yin and yang deficiencies, depending on the patient's condition and the other herbs in the formula. Cuscuta was considered both an aphrodisiac and a longevity herb because it slowed down the loss of fluids from the body.
Contemporary herbalists use cuscuta in formulas to treat a range of conditions, including:
impotence
premature ejaculationsperm leakage
frequent urination
ringing in the ears
lower back painsore knees
white discharge from the vagina (leucorrhea)
dry eyes
blurred vision
tired eyes
Cuscuta is also used in the Indian system of Ayurvedic healing to treat jaundice, muscle pain, coughs, and problems with urination.
Little scientific research has been done in the West on cuscuta. A purgative compound has been isolated from the herb, which supports its traditional use as a liver and gallbladder tonic. Other research at Asian universities indicates that cuscuta seeds contain a complex carbohydrate that stimulates the immune system and has some antioxidant properties as well.
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