Also known as: Cuscuta, Cuscuta Chinensis Seed, Dodder Seed, To Si Ji, cuscuta
chinensis lam, semen cuscutae
Cuscuta Seed is widely used to nourish the sperm, prevent premature ejaculation,
reduce frequent urination and help impotence. It has also been used to strengthen
the eyes, bones, marrow and sinews as well as generally improve sexual performance
for both men and women. Cuscuta seed is an active ingredient in many leading herbal
penis and "penis enlargement" formulas. Chinese herbalists classify Cuscuta Seed
as sweet in taste and warm in nature. It nourishes the lungs and tonifies the
kidneys. Its often used to preserve the essence and reduce urination. It can nourish
both kidney yin and kidney yang. An ancient Chinese tale tells of a young man
who was hired to look after a farmer's bunnies. One day the man accidently broke
the spine of one bunny, and hid it in a soybean field. After the farmer discovered
he was one bunny short, he made the young man return to the field to recover the
rabbit carcass. Surprisingly, the injured rabbit was not only still alive but
could jump around actively. The young man then noticed that the rabbit was consuming
seeds of cuscuta, a parasitic plant living on the soybean plants. The young man
began to pick the cuscuta seeds and decocted them for his father, who was suffering
severe back pain. Soon afterwards, his father's backache was cured. Cusuta seed
has been known as "bunny seed" ever since.
Cuscuta (Dodder) is a genus of about 100-170 species of yellow, orange or red
(rarely green) parasitic plants. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family
Cuscutaceae, recent genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has shown
that it is correctly placed in the family Convolvulaceae. The genus is found throughout
the temperate to tropical regions of the world, with the greatest species diversity
in subtropical and tropical regions; the genus becomes rare in cool temperate
climates, with e.g. only four species native to northern Europe. Old folk names
include devil's guts, devil's hair, devil's ringlet, goldthread, hailweed, hairweed,
hellbine, love vine, pull-down, strangleweed, and witch's hair.
