The efficacy and effects of cuscuta and how to eat

Cuscuta is a sweet and warm herb that belongs to the kidney, liver and spleen meridians. It is an ancient Chinese medicine and is listed as a "superior" herb in Shennong Ben Cao Jing. What are the efficacy and effects of cuscuta and how to consume it?

Beneficial to liver and kidney

Cuscuta seeds are pungent to moisten dryness and sweet to nourish deficiency. It can be used to treat kidney deficiency and back pain, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees.

Strengthening essence and reducing urination

Cuscuta can tonify the liver and kidney, consolidate sperm and reduce urination, and can be used to treat impotence, spermatorrhea, excessive urination or incontinence and other conditions of Yang deficiency.

Anesthetize fetus

Cuscuta can tonify the liver and kidney and calm the fetus. It can be used to treat kidney deficiency, fetal restlessness and slippery fetus.

Brightening eyes

Cuscuta sinensis can nourish the liver and kidney, benefit the kidney meridian and nourish blood to improve eyesight, and can be used to treat deficiency of the liver and kidney, dizziness and tinnitus.

Stopping diarrhea

Cuscuta can nourish the spleen and kidney meridians and benefit the spleen to stop diarrhea, which can be used to treat loose stools and diarrhea caused by deficiency of both spleen and kidney.

Dispelling wind and eliminating blemishes

Cuscuta can be used externally to dispel wind and eliminate blemishes, and can be applied to the skin after soaking in wine to treat vitiligo.

Enhance gonadal function

The flavonoids contained in cuscuta seeds have estrogen-like effects, and they also have effects on the placenta and chorion cells, which can reduce the rate of miscarriage to achieve the purpose of fetal preservation. In addition, cuscuta has similar effects to the protection of human sperm, and the aqueous extract of cuscuta has a protective effect on sperm ultrastructural damage caused by reactive oxygen species.

Enhancement of immune function

A moderate amount of Cuscuta can effectively enhance the immunity of the body by increasing the wet weight of thymus and spleen immune organs, enhancing the phagocytosis of abdominal macrophages, promoting the proliferative response of splenic lymphocytes, and inducing interleukin production.

Anti-cancer

Cuscuta sinensis has certain ability to inhibit cancer cells and can reduce the incidence of cancer. The alcohol extract of Cuscuta sinensis can inhibit the division and proliferation of human gastric cancer cells cultured in vitro.

Glucose lowering

The glucose value and body mass of Cuscuta sinensis polysaccharide decreased significantly and the content of liver glycogen increased after gavage in diabetic model mice, showing its anti-diabetic effect. In addition, Cuscuta polysaccharide can lower blood glucose in vivo by increasing the level of superoxide dismutase, and in vitro by inhibiting amylase activity.

Lowering blood lipids

Cuscuta flavonoids induced a significant decrease in blood triacylglycerol levels and a significant increase in the number of estrogen receptors in smooth muscle cells of thoracic aorta in bilaterally depressed female rats. The aqueous extract of Cuscuta sinensis promoted the release of free fatty acids from isolated rat adipose tissues in vitro, and also accelerated the catabolism of isolated adipose tissues and showed a quantitative-effect relationship.

Anti-aging and antioxidant

The polysaccharides in Cuscuta sinensis also have anti-aging and protective effects on brain tissues. For example, polysaccharides in Cuscuta can play an anti-aging role by scavenging oxygen free radicals and anti-lipid peroxidation.

How to take Cuscuta seeds

Cuscuta seed powder

Directions: 150g of Cuscuta seeds, 100g of lotus seeds and yam, 30g of Poria, finely grind into powder. Take about 15g each time with warm water. Effects: Cuscuta seeds nourish the liver and kidney, replenish kidney yang, lotus seeds and yam nourish the spleen and benefit the kidney, and both can fix sperm; Poria nourishes and benefits the spleen. For the elderly with deficiency of liver and kidney, weakness of spleen qi, tiredness, dizziness and tinnitus, and reduced diet.

Omelette with codonopsis and wolfberry

Ingredients: Cuscuta sinensis 10g, Chinese wolfberry 5g, 1 egg. Directions: Crack the egg into a bowl, mix with Cuscuta and Lycium and fry in oil. Effect: It can nourish the liver and kidney, and the egg nourishes the blood, which together can help to improve the eyesight. It can be used for deficiency of liver and blood, or deficiency of liver and kidney, and dimming of vision.

Semen Cuscutae Tea

Directions: Use 10 grams of cuscuta seeds. Wash and mash, add brown sugar, brew with boiling water and drink as tea. Effect: It can nourish the kidney and benefit the essence, nourish the liver and brighten the eyes. It can also cure infertility in men and women with kidney deficiency.

Cuscuta seeds and dog meat soup

Ingredients: 15 grams of codonopsis, 300 grams of dog meat, salt, monosodium glutamate, ginger and onion. Directions: Wash the dog meat, blanch the whole piece into boiling water, remove the blood foam and cut into pieces. Put the dog meat into the pot, stir-fry with ginger, add cooking wine, then pour the dog meat and ginger into the casserole together. Then put the cuscuta seeds in a cloth bag and tie it tightly, put it into the casserole with salt and onion, add the right amount of broth, boil it with high fire and then change the fire to low fire until the meat is rotten. Efficacy: Regular consumption can warm the kidneys and strengthen the yang, replenish the essence.