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Most people know that Astragalus (Huang Qi) is used to tonify Qi, and as a key herb for Qi replenishment, honey-fried Astragalus can enhance its ability to tonify the middle and benefit Qi. It is widely used in clinical practice, but Astragalus has many other benefits beyond just tonifying Qi.
1. Benefits the Lungs
Astragalus is slightly warm in nature and enters the lungs, making it a key herb for tonifying lung Qi.
It is primarily used for insufficient lung Qi, weakened defensive function, and conditions where external pathogens invade due to deficiency, such as colds, rhinitis, chronic cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. 
Astragalus can enhance the body’s immune function, suppress abnormal immune responses, and improve disease resistance, especially effective for conditions like allergic rhinitis, urticaria, bronchial asthma, and eczema, where normal immunity is low or abnormal.
2. Tonifies the Middle
Astragalus is sweet and warm, good at entering the spleen and stomach, and its sweet flavor nourishes the earth, promoting transformation and transportation, making it the first choice for tonifying the middle and nourishing the earth.
It is applied in cases of spleen and stomach deficiency, with symptoms like fatigue, stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Due to its ability to nourish the organs and strengthen the body, it can effectively adjust and promote gastrointestinal function, thus having excellent efficacy for digestive tract diseases.
3. Raises Yang
Astragalus is warm in nature, with a light and uplifting Qi that is good at raising Yang Qi.
It is mainly used for conditions where Yang Qi has descended and cannot be raised, leading to the inability to transport and nourish the organs with the essence of food and fluids, resulting in organ prolapse.
Astragalus contains various nutrients that strengthen the body and promote organ function, thus having certain efficacy for conditions like gastric prolapse, renal prolapse, and uterine prolapse.
4. Promotes Urination
Astragalus tonifies the middle, normalizing the central pivot, allowing for upward and downward communication, warming Yang and benefiting Qi, thus promoting urination.
It is primarily used for Qi deficiency, abnormal fluid metabolism, and Yang deficiency leading to edema. Conditions such as acute and chronic nephritis, mucinous edema, idiopathic edema, liver-related and heart-related edema can all be treated.
In particular, Astragalus has a significant diuretic effect, can accelerate the disappearance of urinary protein, protect the liver, and prevent the reduction of liver glycogen, making it effective for nephritis and liver-related edema.
5. Warms Yang
Astragalus is warm in nature and has a strong ability to warm and tonify the original Yang, especially effective in warming and tonifying heart Yang.
It is mainly used for heart Yang deficiency, with symptoms like palpitations, chest pain, and heart-related edema.
Astragalus can enhance myocardial contractility, improve heart function, and has a significant cardiotonic effect.
6. Detoxifies (Promotes Tissue Regeneration)
The “Shennong Bencao Jing” states that Astragalus “is used for abscesses and chronic non-healing wounds, expelling pus and relieving pain,” and it has been referred to as the “essential herb for wounds” by ancient practitioners.
It is commonly used for abscesses and sores caused by Qi and blood deficiency, where pus forms but does not drain or fails to heal after rupture, including conditions like peptic ulcers, chronic gastritis, oral ulcers, ulcerative colitis, Behçet’s disease, and skin diseases that do not heal after ulceration.
Astragalus can enhance the phagocytic function of the reticuloendothelial system and has inhibitory effects on both cocci and bacilli, thereby enhancing local disease resistance and promoting the healing of local lesions.
7. Activates Blood Circulation
Astragalus is warm and good at moving, can benefit Qi and warm Yang, stimulating blood circulation and preventing blood stasis, thus having a significant effect on activating blood circulation.
Clinically, it is mainly used for various conditions caused by blood stasis in the brain, such as transient ischemic attacks, vertebrobasilar insufficiency, and cerebral arteriosclerosis, leading to dizziness, headaches, and hemiplegia from stroke.
Due to its ability to stimulate the central nervous system, improve blood circulation, and promote the recovery of brain cell function, it can treat ischemic cerebrovascular diseases.
8. Astringes
Astragalus has a strong Qi tonifying effect, which provides good astringent and consolidating effects, controlling the leakage of blood and body fluids.
It is commonly used for bleeding and excessive loss of body fluids due to Qi and blood deficiency, such as chronic bleeding from organs, diabetes insipidus, nocturnal emissions, spermatorrhea, spontaneous sweating, and night sweats.
The components in Astragalus, such as glucuronic acid and various amino acids, have strengthening effects and can replenish the proteins lost due to spontaneous sweating, as well as block skin secretion pores to inhibit excessive sweating, thus having a sweating-stopping effect.
9. Generates Blood
The “Bencao Gangmu” states that “Astragalus is sweet, warm, and purely Yang, with five uses, including… activating blood and generating blood…”
It is commonly used for blood deficiency caused by various reasons, such as anemia from various causes and decreased blood cells after chemotherapy for malignant tumors.
This is because Astragalus can promote the proliferation of normal precursor cells in the bone marrow, and the folic acid contained in Astragalus is essential for red blood cell synthesis, thus Astragalus can generate and nourish blood.
10. Stops Thirst
The “Bielu” states that Astragalus “supplements the deficiencies of men, alleviates five labors and emaciation, stops thirst, abdominal pain, diarrhea, benefits Qi, and promotes Yin Qi.”
Clinically, it is used to treat the emaciation and thirst associated with diabetes, showing certain efficacy, as Astragalus can adjust the body’s immune state, suppress abnormal immune responses of the pancreas, and lower blood sugar levels.
11. Induces Sweating
Astragalus can benefit Qi and nourish blood while promoting Yin Qi, and it can also elevate Yang Qi, thus supplementing the source of sweat to induce sweating.
In clinical practice, it is often used for Qi and blood deficiency, with external invasion of wind-cold, where sweating cannot occur due to imbalance of Qi, blood, Yin, and Yang, and dysfunction of sweat glands, leading to conditions like weak constitution with cold, autonomic dysfunction, and Sjögren’s syndrome.
12. Dispels Bi Syndrome
Astragalus is warm in nature, moves without restraint, reaches both internally and externally, can warm the meridians, activate blood, and unblock collaterals, thus having the effect of dispelling wind, scattering cold, and eliminating dampness.
Clinically, it is widely used for various wind-cold-damp Bi syndromes, such as joint pain from arthritis, muscle pain, and neuralgia due to Qi and blood deficiency, invasion of wind-cold-damp evil, and blood stasis obstructing the collaterals.
Note: This article is for reference only; for specific treatment and medication, please follow medical advice!This public account is only for academic exchange.
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