Astragalus, a powerful cardio and immune tonic

Astragalus membranaceus is one of the key herbs used in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and has a history of use for millennia. It is known as huang qi in TCM. I have it it both in pots in my garden and some forgotten (aka neglected) plants made their appearance beside the asparagus in spring. It's been easily grown from seed and seems to grow well without much special attention (always good in my cottage garden). The slugs and snails tend to give it a wide berth too.

Astragalus is a member of the bean and pea family. It has feathery leaves that bring to mind the 'weed' vetch and this is topped by rows of ivory coloured flowers. It is a herbaceous perennial which dies down in winter and emerges in spring. In the wild it has been overharvested so most astragalus is from cultivation. The root is the part used medicinally so when this is harvested the whole plant is gone too.

Maybe astragalus is a herb that we should turn to more often in Western Herbal Medicine. This is also something we can use as a mellow tasting root vegetable, with the added health benefits, as the Chinese do.

Astragalus is indicated for:

🌿Cardiovasular system - is supports healthy blood pressure (in the case of hyertension) and is a cardiotonic.

🌿It has adaptogenic actions meaning it may be indicated for people who are under stress and fatigued from stress.

🌿It has immune enhacing and tonic actions meaning it may be supportive when the body has cancer, fibromyalgia of post-viral syndromes. It may be safe to use alongside many chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy.

Please note, this herb is not to be used when you have an acute infection. Consult your naturopath or medical herbalist if you wish to take it while on any immune suppressive drugs as it may be contraindicated.

Astragalus membraneceus