Cistanche Herba is one of precious traditional Chinese medicine, which original wild plant resources dropped sharply in recent years. It is urgent to make sustainable utilization. The genus of Cistanche is a total parasitic plant, its physiological ecology and nutrition transfer are very particular. The status of the studies on habitat characteristics, parasitic mechanism and nutrient transport of Cistanche was reviewed, prospect was also given. It can provide reference for the further basic and applied studies on the nutrition transfer, germplasm quality and agriculture practice.