Parasitic plants are destructive agricultural pests.Today, parasitic plants have been recognized as serious pests causing considerable economic damage on crop and woods in China.Parasites are among the most destructive weeds known, and more and more people begin to pay more attention to the relationship between parasitic plant and host.Two cistanches and their hosts were analyzed and characterized by ICP-AES.The contents of K, P, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, B, Cu, Zn, Al and Mn in Tamarix chinensis, Haloxylon ammodendron, Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche tubulosa were determined.The results showed that the spectra of main elements of the two cistanches and their hosts are similar, but the content of each element is different.The content of K, P, N and Ca is higher than other element, The content of K and P in Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche tubulosa is higher than the content of theirs hosts.The present study provides a new scientific foundation for further study and general application of parasitic plant.