Yongping Suoyang

Yongping Suoyang

　　Suoyang is one of the rare medicinal herbs found in the Baotai Mountain forest area. Also known as the "immortality herb," it goes by other names such as ground hairball, rusty iron rod, and Suoyan Zi. It mostly grows wild in forested areas at altitudes above 2,500 meters.

　　Suoyang is a fleshy parasitic herb that lives on the roots of Nitraria (also known as bubble thorn). Yongping Suoyang is primarily produced in the primeval forests of Baotai Mountain, and is also found in forested areas such as Yongguo Temple and Tiesiwo.

　　The reproductive process of Suoyang is unlike that of most plants and is remarkably similar to that of humans and animals. Around May and June each year, Suoyang begins to emerge from the ground, and by July and August, it matures. The male and female parts of the same plant pollinate each other and produce seeds. Suoyang seeds are extremely small—under a microscope, their shape resembles a human fertilized egg, and they weigh only about 2 grams per thousand seeds. Because the head of the Suoyang is covered with scales, the seeds are tightly enclosed and cannot fall off on their own. At this time, a small white insect emerges from the root of the Suoyang. Experts have named it the Suoyang insect. This insect starts at the base and gradually moves upward inside the Suoyang, eating its way through bit by bit until it reaches the top. This creates a hollow cavity inside the Suoyang, and the seeds fall down through the cavity into the bottom of the plant. With the reverse flow of moisture inside the Suoyang, the seeds enter the root of the Nitraria plant through a channel about 2 millimeters in diameter that connects the Suoyang and the Nitraria. Inside the Nitraria root, the seeds follow the flow of water to a suitable parasitic location. By then, winter has arrived, and the Nitraria stops growing. The Suoyang seeds absorb nutrients from the Nitraria and grow rapidly. The parasitic part swells into a lump the size of a fist. After a winter of gestation, the seeds begin to sprout in March of the following year, breaking through the soil in a burst of growth. Within just a few dozen days, they mature, pollinate, produce seeds, and start a new growth cycle.

　　Historical records of Suoyang date back to the pre-Qin period, and it began to be used in medicine during the Han Dynasty. It has been valued in medical cases by famous doctors throughout the ages. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* states: “Sweet, warm, non-toxic. Greatly replenishes yin energy, nourishes essence and blood, and aids bowel movements. Moistens dryness and nourishes tendons, treats atrophy and weakness.” The Ming Dynasty writer Tao Zongyi described it in Volume 10 of his *Collected Records of Ceasing Farming*: “In the land of the Tatars, wild horses sometimes mate with dragons, and their semen falls to the ground. Over time, it sprouts like a bamboo shoot, full at the top and slender at the bottom, with scales like a comb, veins interconnected, and a shape very much like a male organ. It is called Suoyang, belonging to the same category as Roucongrong (Cistanche). Some say that lustful local women engage with it, and once it receives yang energy, it grows vigorously. Locals dig it up, wash and peel it, slice it thinly, and dry it for use as medicine—its efficacy is said to be a hundred times greater than that of Roucongrong.” *The New Materia Medica* states: “Nourishes essence and invigorates yang, moistens dryness and nourishes tendons, treats atrophy and weakness, and lubricates the intestines.” *Illustrated Materia Medica* states: “Nourishes yin and essence, moistens dryness and nourishes tendons. Essential for treating constipation, weak waist and knees.” *Chinese Herbal Medicine* states: “Nourishes kidney, lubricates intestines, strengthens waist and knees. Treats male impotence, female infertility, blood deficiency with constipation, and weak waist and knees.”

　　Medical clinical trials have shown that Suoyang can treat conditions such as impotence, premature ejaculation, yin deficiency and blood depletion; weak qi and yin deficiency, dry and hard stools, frequent urination, hematuria, and incomplete urination; sore and weak waist and knees, fatigue and lack of strength; fear of cold and cold limbs, pain in the limbs; irregular menstruation, cold uterus, and excessive vaginal discharge; female infertility and male sterility; insomnia, forgetfulness, hair loss, premature greying, stomach acid, and ulcers. Additionally, Suoyang can promote cell regeneration and metabolism, enhance immune regulation, and has significant anti-cancer, antiviral, and anti-aging effects.

　　Source: Dali Prefecture Tourism Development Management Committee