Cistanche Deserticola Polysaccharide Powder

Water-extracted from the fleshy stem of Cistanche deserticola Y.C.Ma, a parasitic desert plant, this polysaccharide powder holds the ethanol-precipitated carbohydrate fraction of the herb. It is purified, dried and milled into a light yellow powder that dissolves in water without the glycosides and fiber of the whole stem.

Polysaccharide content is ≥30% by UV-Vis (phenol–sulfuric, as glucose), moisture and total ash are each ≤5.0%, and particle size is 80 mesh. It is supplied for dietary supplements, drinks and functional foods, with the percentage always stated next to its method.

SKU: BOT-BPS-0010 Category: Botanical Polysaccharides Tags: Bark & Stem, Cistanche, Gummies & Chews, Polysaccharides, Water Extracted, Water-Extracted Fractions

Cistanche Deserticola Polysaccharide Identity

The source is the fleshy stem of Cistanche deserticola Y.C.Ma, a holoparasite that has no chlorophyll and lives on the roots of desert shrubs such as saxaul. The scaly, succulent stem is the only plant part used. Flowers, seeds and the host plant are not part of the material, and Cistanche tubulosa, a related species often traded under the same commodity name, is a separate raw material.

Stem tissue is rich in water-soluble matter. Hot-water extraction brings out phenylethanoid glycosides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides together, and ethanol precipitation then keeps the large polymers while the small glycosides and free sugars remain in the supernatant. Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide is described as a heteropolysaccharide fraction with a glucose-rich backbone and smaller shares of other sugars.

Some protein and uronic acid carry through the precipitation, and the exact monosaccharide profile of Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide depends on the extraction conditions, the age of the stem and the drying of the raw material. No molecular weight is stated for this grade.

Related Cistanche deserticola materials serve different questions. Cistanche Extract Powder keeps the whole water-extract profile, Cistanche Powder is the milled stem, and Cistanche Extract 1–50% Echinacoside is the glycoside-standardized grade, which is a different analyte from a polysaccharide figure.

Polysaccharide Content & Test Method

The content figure, polysaccharides ≥30% by UV-Vis, comes from the phenol–sulfuric method. Hot sulfuric acid hydrolyses polymers to monosaccharides, phenol converts them into a colored product, and absorbance is read against glucose. The result is a total carbohydrate figure expressed as glucose.

That makes the method a poor judge of purity for any stem extract. Free sugars and oligosaccharides react exactly like polymer-bound sugar, so a crude water extract can read very high while holding little polymer. Ethanol precipitation removes most of them before drying, and the 30% value applies to the finished Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide powder, not to the extract before purification.

Gravimetric ethanol-precipitate weights include protein and other co-precipitated matter, so they run higher than a carbohydrate assay on the same material. A specific enzymatic assay exists only for β-glucan and does not apply here.

For these reasons, the figure should be compared only with other UV-Vis results that use glucose as the reference sugar. Echinacoside and acteoside, the phenylethanoid markers of the genus, are measured by HPLC and do not appear in this assay. A buyer comparing Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide against a glycoside-rich extract is therefore comparing two different analytes, and the percentages cannot be set against each other.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Cistanche deserticola
Plant Part	Bark & Stem
Processing	Water Extraction & Purification
Common Name	Cistanche (desert cistanche)
Ingredient Type	Polysaccharide Extract
Polysaccharide Type	Heteropolysaccharides
Content	Polysaccharides ≥30% (UV-Vis, as glucose)
Appearance	Light Yellow powder
Solubility / Dispersibility	Water Soluble
Quality Parameters
Moisture	≤5.0% (LOD)
Total Ash	≤5.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤1,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤100 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Cistanche Deserticola Polysaccharide Solution Behavior

The powder dissolves in cold or warm water into a pale yellow to light tan solution that is clear to slightly hazy. Viscosity stays low to moderate at normal use levels, because Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide is a branched heteropolysaccharide and not a gelling glucomannan. Dissolution is quicker in warm water, and sifting the powder into a stirred vortex prevents the surface clumps that form when it is dumped in.

The solution is stable through ordinary pasteurization and across the mildly acidic to neutral pH range of drinks. Prolonged boiling at low pH can cleave glycosidic bonds and thin the liquid. Heating with amino compounds drives Maillard browning, and residual sugars make the color deepen from yellow toward amber.

The aroma is faint, slightly sweet and malty with a mild bitter edge. Clear drinks can show slight haze when mineral content is high, and demineralized water gives the cleanest result. Protein carried through the precipitation can interact with polyphenols from tea or fruit bases and cloud the drink, so a trial in the final matrix precedes scale-up.

The dry powder is hygroscopic and cakes in open air, so drums are resealed after each draw. No viscosity values are stated for this grade.

Metal ions matter in clear drinks. Iron contact deepens the color of any phenolic residue in the fraction, so stainless steel equipment is preferred, and the Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide solution is filtered through a fine screen before bottling to remove any undissolved flecks.

Application Areas

Dietary Supplement Capsules and Tablets

The purified powder fills capsules cleanly and is far less sticky than the milled stem. Tablets need dry granulation or a controlled drying endpoint, because the polysaccharide surface turns tacky when wetted. Fill weight and hardness are checked at both ends of a run.

Functional Drink Powders and Stick Packs

Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide dissolves into a pale solution and suits dry drink mixes and stick packs. Acidic bases keep the color lighter, and hot holding is kept short to limit browning. The finished drink is checked for haze after a week in cold storage.

Liquid Shots and Concentrates

In ready-to-drink shots and syrups, the polysaccharide adds soluble solids with gentle viscosity. Mineral-rich waters cloud the solution, so demineralized water is used for the batch, and viscosity is compared with a control after storage at room temperature.

Herbal Formula Powder Blends

Herbal powder blends combine the polysaccharide with other water-soluble fractions. Its light color and low viscosity mix evenly into dry blends, and a flow check before filling avoids bridging in the sachet hopper of this fine powder. Dose weight is verified on samples from throughout the run.

Gummy and Chew Bases

Gummy and chew bases tolerate the fraction at moderate inclusion because it dissolves into the cooking syrup. Acid added late preserves color, and batch pH is recorded since pectin and gelatin gels respond to it. A test batch confirms that set time is unchanged.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.