Astragalus: An Immune-boosting Herb

An organ toning and balancing herb, astragalus is indigenous to China and is used since ancient times in traditional Chinese medicine.  In fact, it has been applied for more than 2,000 years for the purpose of balancing the vital energy or what the Chinese termed as ‘qi’, which is believed to flow though all beings. 

Astragalus continues to become an important remedy in the West since its great effects upon the immune system came to light.   It is in fact given that astragalus, as a relative of licorice and the pea plant, appears to provide the immune system with a potent boost.  Since that discovery, most teas, tablets, and other healing formulations are then produced from astragalus’ flat and yellowish root.

 This certain herb is then taken as a tonic and is also thought to enhance vitality and stamina.  Through its fundamental constituents such as the glycosides, polysaccharides, choline, betaine, rumatakenin, and beta-sitosterol, the astragalus herb is able to hold a reputation for improving the overall health condition. 

Specifically, the polysaccharides of the astragalus have been demonstrated to enhance the phagocystosis of reticulo-endothelial systems, rouse the pituitary-adrenal cortical activity and rebuild the damaged red blood cell formation in the bone marrow.  Astragalus, with its constituents, is though to fight off viral and bacterial infections and greatly caused some ailments like colds, flu, bronchitis, and sinus infections. 

Astragalus is also known as an herb that rouses the body’s regular manufacture of interferon.  With that, the astragalus is then considered as an ideal remedy for those who might be immuno-compromised in any way.  Aside from that reputation, this particular herb is also an antioxidant that aids to thwart the cell depletion that is largely caused by unstable oxygen molecules that are known as free radicals.  And perhaps, one of the best qualities of astragalus is its versatility or its ability to be safely blended with many other traditional treatments. 

In order to make sure of effectiveness, you should choose an astragalus product that is composed of a standardized extract of the herb’s root, with 0.5 percent glucosides, as well as 70 percent of polysaccharides.  Astragalus is now offered in various stores and is made available in many forms.  Some of the Chinese drug stores offer the dry roots of the astragalus and some of them sell the powder form which is taken from the roots.   There are as well other drug stores in China that sell the extract, while the others make the extract as the main ingredient of herbal teas.  While some of them applied only the astragalus root, the others use the flowers and leaves.

With the astragalus, the body is believed to develop permissiveness if this immune-stimulating herb is taken over long stretches of period.  So, for those who are interested to take this medicinal herb, just know that for maximum effect, you should alternate the application of astragalus with the other immune-stimulating herbs like the Echinacea, cat’s claw, and pau d’arco. 

And if you are undergoing cancer treatment, it is best to consult your doctor before taking the supplement or adding it to your daily supplement routine.  And it is interesting to know that some of the Chinese experts recommend taking astragalus for about 9 to 15 grams per day in decoction form.