This is Starwest's nitrogen-flushed double wall silverfoil pack.

Used as a decoction, extract, tincture and dietary supplement.

This legendary medicinal plant is a perennial with long, fibrous roots, native to North China and Inner Mongolia. It is sold in both wild and cultivated forms. Chinese pharmacies sell bundles of thin root-slices that resemble tongue depressors and have a sweet taste.

These are simmered in medicinal soups, the slices being removed before serving because they are too tough to chew. Obviously, the root powder can be swallowed along with the rest of the decoction.

Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine consider astragalus a true tonic that can strengthen debilitated patients and increase resistance to disease in general.

In contemporary Chinese medicine, it is also a chief component of zheng fu therapy, a combination herbal treatment designed to restore immune function in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Astragalus is a complex combination of polysaccharides, triterpene glycosides, flavonoids, amino acids, and trace minerals

Astragalus polysaccharides have been shown to stimulate pituitary-adrenal cortical activity and restore depleted red blood cell formation in bone marrow. Again, confirming traditional Chinese medicine, Astragalus has been shown to stimulate the body's natural production of interferon.

Astragalus is now prescribed, in both the East and the West, for immuno-compromised people, or people who easily 'catch' illnesses. The decoction is safe to use repeatedly on a daily basis.

Research in China has demonstrated increased survival in patients receiving both herbal and Western therapies, as well as protection from the immunosuppressive effects of the latter. Studies in the West confirm that astragalus enhances immune function by increasing activity of several kinds of white blood cells and boosting production of antibodies and interferon, the body's own antiviral agent.

Numerous scientific studies have confirmed the medicinal value of astragalus. Immunopharmacology (1990;20) and Mutation Research (1992) found enhancement response by Astragalus extract, Journal of Ethnopharmacology (1990) reported a hepatoprotective effect and indicated that ethanol extract of Astragalus alleviates liver injury, Archivos del Instituto de Cardiologia de Mexico (1993) announced the vasodilator and antihypertensive properties of Astragalus extract.

Since the 1950s, scientists have discovered the potential use of Astragalus for treatment of cancer (The Journal of Urology 1991;146:486-490). Investigations conducted by institutions for cancer research indicated that in areas where selenium content in foods is high, rate of stomache cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, colon cancer, etc, is low. Selenium content prevents cell damage caused by hydrogen peroxide and oxidative lipids. Antioxidation effect of selenium is 500 times that of vitamin E. Recently the immunity enhancing properties of Astragalus have led medical scientists to use it in experiments of AIDS treatment (Virology, March 1992).

http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb26.htm:

Clinical Trials

Sanhuang (Astragalus membranaceus, Coptis chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis) inhibits platelet aggregation in patients as well as aspirin 50 mg/day Huang 1995

Total cholesterol, triglyceride, apoproteins and lipoprotein-a decreased by Jian Yan Ling (Succinum, Pteria margaritifers & Astragalus membranaceus etc.) in a double blind study with 128 hyperlipemia patients Lu 1994

Erythrocyte sodium content decreased and the sodium pump activity increased after 14 days of A. membranaceus 24 g/d i.v. in 45 coronary heart disease patients compared with 22 controls Jin 1991

Adolescent brain dysfunction improved more with TCM (Bupleurum chinense, Scutellaria baicalensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula, Ligustrum lucidum, Lophatherum gracile & ivory thread) than with Ritalin Zhang 1990

Graft-versus-host reaction of mononuclear cells from 13 cancer patients increased to 151 from 57 mm3 by a fraction of Astragalus membranaceus. In rats it reversed the immunosuppressive effect of cyclophosphamide Chu 1989

Observational Studies/Case Reports

Left ventricular function and superoxide dismutase activity of red blood cell was increased in a study with 43 acute myocardial infarction patients Chen 1995

T-lymphocyte profile of peripheral blood is improved by A. membranaceus therapy in viral myocarditis patients Huang 1995

Angina relief was obtained with A. membranaceus in a study comparing it against nifedipine & Salvia in 92 ischemic heart disease patients Li 1995

Adding TCM (leaf of Asiatic Ginseng, root of Astragalus membranaceus Bge, etc) and other adjuvants to chemotherapy improved cancer survival in small cell lung cancer patients Cha 1994

Cardiac output increased from 5.1 to 5.9 L/min after 2 weeks Astragalus membranaceus in 20 angina patients Lei 1994

Chronic renal failure symptom scores was decreased from 12.5 to 5.6 in 36 patients by Baoyuan Dahuang Decoction (Panax ginseng, Astragalus membranaceus, Cassia cinnamomi, Glycyrrhiza uralensis & Rheum palmatum) Sheng 1994

In patients with positive ventricular late potentials, electrocardiogram was normalized in 13.6% (of 22) by Astragalus membranaceus and 12.5% (of 16) by lidocaine Shi 1994

320 patients with chronic hepatitis B had greater improvement with Yi-ganning (Astragalus membranaceus , Artemisia capillaris, Codonopsis pilosula, etc.) than oleanolic acid controls Zhang 1993

Ozone induced radicals are scavenged by Huayu (Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora, Ligusticum wallichii, Spathollobus suberectus, Hirudo nipponica, Tabanus bivittatus, Paeonia suffroticosa, Astragalus membranaceus) Zong 1993

Shen-Qi (Ginseng-Astragalus) reduced the toxic effects of chemotherapy in 176 cases of malignant tumor of the digestive tract, maintaining immunology parameters Li 1992

Ventricular late potential duration was shortened by Astragalus membranaceus in a small number of patients Shi 1991

Cardiac functional indexes improved in 26 patients by Kang Er Xin-I (Lonicera japonica, Ophiopogon japonicus, Astragalus membranaceus mainly). It also inactivates Coxsackie B3 virus Yan 1991

Chronic cervicitis treatment by interferon is synergized by Astragalus membranaceus Qian 1990

Coronary heart disease improvement of angina (episodes reduced 90%), ischemic ST-T in ECG (56%), treadmill exercise (348 to 503 M), left ventricular function, etc, by Yi-qi Huo-xue (Ginseng, Astragalus and Angelicae Sinensis Liao 1989

Graft reaction was increased in 18 healthy and 9 cancer patients by Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide extract FB Wang 1989

Stroke treatment with Salvia miltiorrhiza + Astragalus + Puraria Wu 1989

Synergism of Astragalus membranaceus with interferon in the treatment of cervical erosion and their antiviral activities ' (chinese, clinical trial, no abstract) Qian 1987

'Treating amenorrhea in vital energy-deficient patients with angelica sinensis-astragalus membranaceus menstruation-regulating decoction ' (no abstract) He 1986

Local graft versus host reaction (assay for T-cell function) is restored in 9 out of 10 patients by Astragalus membranaceus extract (10 microgram/ml) Sun 1983