Cuscuta Seed – 1 lb (454 g)

Cuscuta Seed, known in Chinese as 菟丝子 (Tùsīzǐ) and scientifically as Semen Cuscutae, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Cuscuta Seed carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Cuscuta Seed helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Cuscuta Seed provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Cuscuta Seed has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Cuscuta Seed, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Tusizi, Tusi Seed, Luosi Seed, and Dousu Seed. It is the mature seed of the Convolvulaceae plant Cuscuta chinensis Lam. It is mainly produced in Liaoning, Jilin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Jiangsu, and other regions. Harvested in autumn, dried in the sun, the seeds are extracted by threshing and winnowing to remove the seed coat and impurities.

[Properties] Taste: acrid and sweet; nature: neutral. Enters the Liver, Kidney, and Spleen meridians.

[Actions] Tonifies the Liver and Kidney, secures essence and stops enuresis, brightens the eyes, calms the fetus, and stops diarrhea.

[Applications]
1. Used for kidney deficiency with lumbar pain, impotence and seminal emission, infertility, frequent urination and enuresis, leukorrhea and turbid urine. To treat kidney essence deficiency and soreness of the waist and knees, often combined with Eucommia ulmoides (Duzhong); for kidney yang deficiency and impotence, often combined with deer antler, Aconite, Morinda officinalis (Bajitian), etc.; for liver and kidney deficiency with unstable essence and seminal emission, often combined with oyster shell and Rosa laevigata (Jinyingzi); for kidney deficiency with infertility, often combined with Lycium barbarum (Gouqizi), Schisandra chinensis (Wuweizi), Rubus chingii (Fupenzi), Plantago asiatica (Cheqianzi), as in the formula Wuzhuyanzong Wan; for urinary incontinence, often combined with Cicada slough, deer antler, Schisandra, as in Tusizi Wan; for leukorrhea and turbid urine, often combined with Poria, lotus seed, Euryale seed, as in Fuling Wan.
2. Used for liver and kidney insufficiency causing blurred vision, dim eyes, decreased visual acuity, dizziness, and tinnitus; can be combined with Rehmannia glutinosa (Shudihuang), Lycium barbarum, Plantago asiatica, as in Zhuchuan Wan.
3. Used for liver and kidney deficiency with threatened miscarriage and fetal restlessness; often combined with Dipsacus asper (Chuansuduan), Taxillus chinensis (Sangjisheng), and donkey-hide gelatin (Ejiao), as in Shoutai Wan.
4. Used for spleen and kidney deficiency with chronic diarrhea; often combined with Panax ginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala, Psoralea corylifolia.
Additionally, Cuscuta seed can treat kidney deficiency diabetes, often combined with Trichosanthes root (Tianhuafen), Schisandra, deer antler, etc.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 6–12 g; or incorporated into pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, stir-fried and ground into powder for topical application.

[Cautions] Contraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with fire blazing, exuberant yang without impotence, constipation with dry stools, or short and reddish urination.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: Cuscuta seed contains quercetin, astragalin, hyperoside, and quercetin 3-O-β-D-galactoside 7-O-β-D-glucoside.
2. Pharmacological effects: The combined alcohol and water extracts of Cuscuta seed administered orally significantly increase uterine weight in female mice and promote keratinization of vaginal epithelial cells, indicating estrogen-like activity; Cuscuta flavonoids have a significant protective effect against experimentally induced myocardial ischemia in dogs, reducing the extent and severity of ischemia, improving cardiac hemodynamics, slowing heart rate, and lowering blood pressure; subcutaneous injection of Cuscuta injection in mice promotes growth of granulocyte progenitor cells suppressed by cyclophosphamide; Cuscuta flavonoids enhance phagocytic function of mouse peritoneal macrophages, increase the rate of E-rosette formation, and antibody production; water extracts significantly inhibit the growth of dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced skin papillomas and the occurrence of skin cancer.
3. Clinical reports:
1) Impotence: Using 15 g each of Cuscuta seed and Epimedium, ground into fine powder, 5 g taken orally three times daily with yellow wine. Combined with perineal and genital self-massage and nightly sitz baths with 15 g each of Ligusticum chuanxiong and Asarum. Treated 50 cases: 38 cured, 8 improved, 4 ineffective; total effective rate 92%. [Yunnan Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1989, 10(6):13]
2) Male infertility: Cuscuta seed 9 g, powdered and taken in three doses or encapsulated. For obvious kidney yin deficiency, combined with daily chewing of 10–30 g Lycium barbarum for 2 months per course. Treated 19 cases: 7 oligospermia (4 cured, 2 improved, 1 ineffective); 6 asthenospermia (4 cured, 1 improved, 1 ineffective); 4 oligospermia with asthenospermia (2 cured, 2 improved); 2 cases of liquefaction disorder improved. Cure rate 52.6%, total effective rate 89.5%. [Hebei Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2001, 23(1):53]
3) Latent nephritis: 30 g Cuscuta seed decocted in 300 ml water, taken twice daily for 3 months. Treated 13 cases: 3 cured (23.08%), 9 improved (69.23%), 1 ineffective (7.69%), total effective rate 92.31%. [Zhejiang Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, 2000, 10(7):439]
4) Herpes zoster: Roasted Cuscuta seed powder mixed with sesame oil into a paste. After washing lesions with cool boiled water and drying, apply medicine 1–2 times daily. Treated 27 and 98 cases respectively, all cured (lesions resolved, symptoms disappeared), cure time 2–5 days. [Chinese Rural Doctor, 1997, (3):32; Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1993, 11(7):38]
5) Pediatric rickets: 70 g each of Cuscuta seed, Astragalus, and Atractylodes macrocephala decocted to 210 ml. 10 ml taken orally three times daily. Treated 55 cases, significant improvement in symptoms such as sweating, irritability, and night terrors. [Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1987, (6):9]
6) Acne: 30 g Cuscuta seed decocted in 500 ml water to 300 ml, juice used externally to wash or apply to lesions 1–2 times daily. Treated 50 cases with excellent results. [Zhejiang Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1996, (4):179]