Cynomorium (Suo Yang)
Cynomorium songaricum
About Cynomorium (Suo Yang)
Cynomorium (Suo Yang) (Cynomorium songaricum) is a herb used in the Traditional Chinese Medicine tradition to help with Libido, Fatigue, Constipation, and Bone Health, among 1 other condition it addresses. The aerial parts and leaves are the parts traditionally used, taken internally.
Botanical background
Cynomorium is a genus of parasitic perennial flowering plants in the family Cynomoriaceae. The genus consists of only one species, Cynomorium coccineum (although one of its subspecies is sometimes treated as a separate species). Its placement in the Saxifragales was resolved in 2016 with the help of nuclear, plastid, and mitochondrial sequences obtained from next-generation sequencing . Common names include the misleading Maltese fungus or Maltese mushroom; also desert thumb, red thumb, tarthuth (Bedouin) and suoyang...
Source: Wikipedia, via iNaturalist