It is shaped somewhat like a cross between a pine cone and a pineapple, with thick, fleshy stems and large, yellow flowers that grow smaller at the plant's apex.

[citation needed] Cistanche deserticola is widely distributed in China's deserts including the provinces of Gansu,[1] Shaanxi, and Qinghai, and the Autonomous Regions of Xinjiang,[1] Ningxia,[1] and Inner Mongolia.

The stems are gathered in the spring, when the sprouts have not come out of the ground or have just come up, dried in the sun and cut into slices for medicinal use[citation needed].

Cistanche deserticola has been placed on CITES Appendix 2, a list of endangered species not banned from trade but requiring monitoring.

Aside from over-collection or indiscriminate collection, an important factor in the diminished supply of cistanche is a loss of the saxaul host, which is widely used for firewood.