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Astragalus Overview

Astragalus, also known as Huang Qi (黄芪), is a perennial herb that grows to a height of 50-100 cm. It has a thick, woody main root that often branches, and is grayish-white in color. The stem is erect, with many branches at the upper part, featuring fine ridges covered with white soft hairs. It is mainly produced in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Gansu, Heilongjiang, and other regions.

Distribution of Astragalus

The genus Astragalus contains about 2000 species, found in subtropical and temperate regions worldwide, but mainly in the northern temperate zone. China has over 270 species, distributed from the northeast to the southwest. Astragalus is produced in North China, Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, and Northwest China, with major production in Gansu, Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Hebei provinces, as well as in Sichuan, the former Soviet Union, North Korea, and Mongolia. The membranous pod Astragalus is mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China, Gansu, Sichuan, and Tibet; Mongolian Astragalus is primarily produced in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Heilongjiang, and is now widely cultivated.

Medicinal Value of Astragalus

Astragalus has the effects of tonifying Qi and stabilizing the exterior, promoting diuresis and detoxification, expelling pus, and promoting tissue regeneration. It is used for symptoms of Qi deficiency such as fatigue, poor appetite, loose stools, prolapse of the middle Qi, chronic diarrhea, rectal prolapse, blood in stools, and excessive sweating due to exterior deficiency. It is also indicated for abscesses that are difficult to heal, chronic non-healing wounds, blood deficiency with sallow complexion, and internal heat with thirst. The Shennong Bencao Jing states: “It is indicated for abscesses, chronic non-healing wounds, expelling pus and relieving pain. It tonifies deficiency and is beneficial for all diseases in children.” The Rihua Zibencao states: “It helps to tonify Qi, strengthen muscles and bones, and nourish blood.”

Enhancing Anti-Fatigue Effects

Astragalus can enhance the muscle strength of rats and mice. Administering an Astragalus decoction to rats for 6 or 14 days can improve their swimming endurance and significantly increase the plasma cortisol levels in stressed rats, surpassing those in the blank stress group and normal control group. Astragalus can also increase the adrenal weight of stressed rats, thicken the adrenal cortex, and enlarge the volume of zona fasciculata cells, indicating that Astragalus enhances the stress resistance of rats by improving adrenal cortex function.

Astragalus for Qi and Blood Nourishment

Regular consumption of Astragalus has benefits for Qi and blood nourishment, which is beneficial for internal injuries, physical fatigue, spleen deficiency with cold, chronic diarrhea, symptoms of Qi deficiency, Qi decline, and blood deficiency. Daily consumption of Astragalus can help tonify Qi and nourish blood, protecting the body from the harm of these diseases, but it must be consistent. For example, consuming Astragalus daily can achieve excellent results in tonifying Qi and nourishing blood.

Slowing Natural Aging

Astragalus can extend the average lifespan of silkworms and fruit flies, slowing the natural aging process of human diploid lung cells in vitro, extending cell lifespan to 98 generations compared to only 61-66 generations in the control group, thus increasing lifespan by one-third. It also has protective effects on mouse kidney cell cultures. Astragalus exhibits antioxidant properties, reducing the levels of lipid peroxides in animal serum and lipofuscin in the liver. Hydrogen peroxide damage to Chinese hamster lung cells (V79) reduces SOD activity, while total flavonoids from Astragalus can restore SOD activity, reducing lipid peroxides’ damage to biological membranes.

Methods of Consuming Astragalus

1. Soak 3 slices of Astragalus in water daily. This is especially effective for those with Qi and blood deficiency.

2. Take 2 slices of Astragalus and decoct them. Use the decoction to cook rice or porridge, resulting in Astragalus rice or porridge, which is also very beneficial.

3. You can also add some Astragalus when cooking meat, chicken, or duck to enhance the nourishing effect, which works well.

Astragalus Chicken Porridge

Ingredients include 10 grams of Astragalus, 160 grams of rice (one cup), chicken breast (or any bone-in chicken), and goji berries (do not add goji berries in the first week after childbirth). Do not use old hens that lay eggs. Wash the rice clean, add an appropriate amount of water, and add the Astragalus. Use a rice cooker to cook porridge. Cut the chicken into small pieces, add salt, shrimp powder (ground shrimp to replace MSG), and minced ginger, and marinate. When the porridge is boiling and the rice is mushy, about ten minutes before the rice cooker switches to keep warm, open the lid, add the chicken, and stir to break it up without clumping. Finally, add goji berries. Adjust the water amount according to personal preference; if you like thicker porridge, add less water, and if you prefer thinner porridge, add more water. If too much water is added and you want it thicker, simply cover the rice cooker again for a while, and the porridge will thicken.

Precautions for Astragalus

Astragalus is a commonly used Chinese medicine with good preventive and therapeutic effects for diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and osteoporosis. However, when using Astragalus, it is important to pay attention to the dosage to avoid excessive use, which can lead to heat symptoms or other side effects. Here are six precautions for using Astragalus:

1. Avoid raw and cold foods, as well as smoking, alcohol, and strong tea.

2. Avoid excessive fatigue, worry, anger, and fear.

3. Not recommended for newborns and infants.

4. Avoid use in individuals with allergies.

5. Not suitable for those with spleen and stomach damp-heat.

6. Strictly avoid incompatible combinations.

Choosing Astragalus

When selecting Astragalus, first check the outer skin; it should be white, and the inner part should be yellow for the best quality. Then examine the cut surface of the Astragalus slices for any holes, as Astragalus is prone to mold and pests; black holes indicate poor quality. It is best to chew a piece; a bean-like aroma is preferable.

Astragalus should have a mild aroma, and when close to the nose, a slight bean-like smell is ideal. The taste should be slightly sweet. When selecting Astragalus, choose those that are dry, thick, with few wrinkles, sufficient powdery texture, firm yet soft, not easily broken, sweet in taste, and without black hearts. If the cut surface shows no or minimal golden veins, it may indicate that the Astragalus has absorbed moisture and deteriorated.

Of course, there are basically no wild Astragalus available in the market now; they are all cultivated, so this is important to note.

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