PubMed · 2026-05-20
Researchers reviewed how polysaccharides from Cistanche—a desert parasitic plant used in traditional medicine—interact with gut bacteria to deliver health benefits like relieving constipation and reducing fatty liver disease, and how processing methods change these compounds' effectiveness.
Cistanche polysaccharides modulate the gut microbiome and intestinal barrier function, contributing to benefits such as constipation relief and reduction of alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Processing techniques (e.g., drying, steaming, fermentation) cause physical and chemical changes that significantly alter the content, structure, and biological activity of the polysaccharides.
Systematic structural characterization and quality-control frameworks for Cistanche polysaccharides are still lacking, highlighting a gap in standardizing herbal medicine production.
