Species identification and chemical composition analysis of wild Cistanche plants from Kenya

This study employed plant morphology, histology, and DNA barcoding techniques to identify the species of wild Cistanche plant in Kenya, and HPLC to determine the contents of its main active components, phenylethanoid glycosides, sugar alcohols, and betaine, alongside its fingerprint. The results showed that the wild Cistanche plant collected from Kenya was taxonomically identified as Cistanche senegalensis (Reut.) Beck. Compared to cultivated C. tubulosa from China, Kenyan C. senegalensis exhibited lower levels of echinacoside, cistanoside A, acteoside, isoacteoside, and 2′-acetylacteoside, but higher concentrations than those in C. deserticola. Betaine content was comparable to C. deserticola, while glucose was undetectable. The fingerprint of Kenyan C. senegalensis showed closer similarity to C. tubulosa. This work establishes a foundation for conserving Kenyan Cistanche resources and supports further research into their potential applications.