Cynomorium songaricum Rupt. Known in China as Suo Yang (Family: Cynomoriaceae) is an achlorophyllous parasitic herb found in the northwest of China. Parasitic plants and fungi have often had special powers attributed to them in antiquity. This particular plant has specific antioxidant and radical scavenging activity and was the subject of some recent research of a novel DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method.

The stem is used as a tonic in Chinese medicine for treating kidney complaints and recently extracts were claimed to be effective against aging (Lu et al., 2009).

The herb produces some interesting medicinal components including various fructofuranosides (Zhang et al., 1996), lignans (Jiang et al., 2001), ursane type triterpenes, steroids (Ma et al., 1993), flavanoids and condensed tannins (Ma et al., 1999). Ursolic acid isolated from the stem is stated to be inhibitory against various viruses (Ma et al., 1999).

References

Jiang Z.-H., Tanaka T., Sakamoto M., Jiang T., Kouno I., (2001) Studies on a Medicinal Parasitic Plant: Lignans from the Stems of Cynomorium songaricum Chem. Pharm. Bull., 49,pp. 1036—1038
Liu, Y., Li, H., Wang, X., Zhang, G., Wang, Y., Di, D. (2011) Evaluation of the Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. by a Novel DPPH-HPLC Method. J. Fd. Sci., 76(9) pp. C1245-1249
Lu, Y., Wang, Q., Melzig, M.F., Jenett-Siems, K. (2009) Extracts of Cynomorium songaricum protect SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cells against staurosporine-induced apoptosis potentially through their radical scavenging activity. Phytotherapy Res., 23(2) pp. 257-261
Ma, C.M., Jia, S.S., Sun, T., Zhang, Y.W. (1993) Triterpenes and steroidal compounds from cynomorium songaricum. Yao Xue Xue Bao 28(2) pp. 152-5
Ma C., Nakamura N., Miyashiro H., Hattori M., Shimotohno K., (1998) Inhibitory effects of ursolic acid derivatives from Cynomorium songaricum, and related triterpenes on human immunodeficiency viral protease. Phytotherapy Res., 12 (S1), pp. S138-142
____________________________________________________ (1999) Chem. Pharm. Bull., 47, pp. 141—145

Zhang, C-Z., Xu, X-Z., Li, C. (1996) Fructosides from Cynomorium songaricum. Phytochemistry 41(3) pp. 975-976