Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus and Astragalus mongholicus)

This is another adaptogen used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Like all Chinese herbs, it is often combined with other herbs.

Astragalus provides many anti-aging and disease-preventing functions:

  • Antioxidants that protect the DNA and prevent cell damage
  • Protects the liver, kidneys, heart, brain, lung and intestines
  • Increases testosterone levels in men, in a healthy way
  • Supports the immune system
  • Speeds wound healing
  • Antimicrobial properties
  • Protects the kidneys of people with type II diabetes
  • Protects the arteries and veins from inflammatory damage
  • Has been used to treat seasonal allergies

Antioxidant

Research in the U.S. has shown that Astragalus helps people who have been subjected to chemotherapy or radiation recover faster and live longer.

Chinese researchers showed that the antioxidant properties in Astragalus may help people with serious heart disease by relieving symptoms, lowering cholesterol levels, and improving heart function.

Scientists at the Centre for Kidney Disease Research School of Medicine, The University of Queensland in Brisbane Australia put it better than I can:

“Specifically, constituents of the dried roots of Astragalus spp. (Radix Astragali) provide significant protection against heart, brain, kidney, intestine, liver and lung injury in various models of oxidative stress-related disease. Different isolated constituents of Astragalus spp., such as astragalosides, flavonoids and polysaccharides also displayed significant prevention of tissue injury via antioxidant mechanisms.”

Increases testosterone levels in men, in a healthy way

Chinese doctors have been treating male sexual problems with Astragalus for thousands of years, but until recently there was no scientific evidence that showed it increased testosterone levels. However, recently scientists in China and the USA cooperated in a study to determine what the effect of Astragalus is on male hormones.

They published a report in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2015 describing the pathway Astragalus uses to up-regulate the production of rat Leydig cells. Leydig cells comprise about 2 to 4 percent of the cells in testicles, and their primary job is to make testosterone.

Some herbs that increase testosterone levels do so by stimulating the existing Leydig cells to over produce, eventually burning them out. By creating more Leydig cells, Astragalus corrects the imbalance without causing more problems down the line.

Immune system support

Like many of the adaptogens, Astragalus moderates the immune system. It uses several pathways, but most importantly it stimulates the production of the white blood cells, T- and B-cells and neutrophils. It also stimulates an increase in cytokines (communication proteins), the antimicrobial interferon gamma, and the signaling protein, TNF-α. TNF-α is involved in many immune cell functions, including induction of inflammation and generating apoptosis (cell death) of malignant or damaged cells.

The information above was taken from a human in vivo study at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Tempe, AZ, the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Arizona, and Arizona State University. They also determined that Astragalus promoted an increase in platlets.

Platlets are the blood cells that clump together to form clots and stop bleeding when blood vessels are damaged. Abnormal clotting causes heart attack or stroke. If you have thrombocytosis (too many platlets) or your platlets malfunction and clump too much, this probably isn’t a good herb for you.

Speeds wound healing

Researchers at Ege University in Turkey explored the traditional use of Astragalus as an aid to wound healing and found that it increased both the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts (stem cells) to wound areas.

Antimicrobial properties

Astragalus has been tested against a few bacteria. It has been found effective against M. mycoides Capri, B.

Sliced-up Astragalus root. Slicing makes it easier to dry.

subtilis, and S. aureus. It was not effective against E. coli, or C. albicans. However, in all cases the tests were against bacteria in the petri dish, not in humans. Scientists found that Astragalus stimulated the antimicrobial, interferon gamma, which, combined with a strengthened immune system, should provide protection against several types of invaders. More study is needed.

Protects the kidneys of people with type II diabetes

For people with diabetes, eventual kidney disease and failure is almost a given. However, researchers at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in China injected diabetic mice with Astragalus in an attempt to determine if it protected the kidneys and if so, the mechanics involved. They found that it inhibited the proteins that cause kidney fibroids and up-regulated the gene that protected the kidneys. It didn’t stop kidney degradation, but it slowed it considerably and reversed advanced cases, and it also helped control involuntary weight gain. It did not improve blood sugar levels.

Many studies have been done that show similar results, but the pathways involved had not been identified.

While diabetes patients won’t find a total cure or even complete kidney protection by taking Astragalus, I have used it in combination with a ketogenic diet in my practice and believe it is more powerful when the cause of the kidney damage is removed.

Protects the arteries and veins from inflammatory damage

The saponin astragaloside IV has for years been viewed as the primary chemical in Astragalus for the treatment of inflammation induced cardiovascular disease.

However, a study in China published in 2014 discovered that, while astragaloside IV has vein protective action, it is not the same, nor as powerful, as the protective action of Astragalus complete saponins.

Astragalus complete saponins not only downgrade the production of inflammation-causing proteins, they also interrupt the process that causes apoptosis of normal cells as a result of inflammation. Researchers weren’t able to identify why the total saponins had different effects than astragaloside IV, but the implication here is that taking the whole herb affords more protection than taking the component that has been promoted for its arterial-protective abilities.

Since I’m a whole-herb supporter and don’t care for popularly-marketed supplements, this evidence is okay wih me.

Cancer

In studies Astragalus has been shown to stop or slow cancer cell growth, inhibit tissue invasion, and promote apoptosis of cancer cells in the gastric system. It has also been shown to increase the action of chemotherapy drugs.

Dosage

Astragalus membranaceus and Angelicae Sinensis work in a synergistic way: They both work better when taken together. The Chinese name for the combination is Dang-gui buxue tang.
They use a 5:1 ratio. Combine 30 grams of Astragalus membranaceus root and 6 grams of Angelicae sinensis to create Dang-gui buxue tang.

To supplement Astragalus membranaceus root extract take 30 grams.

To supplement the main bioactive compound in astragalus, The usual dose is 5 to10 mg.

Possible Interactions

Taking ashwagandha and astragalus together may cause insomnia.

People who take drugs for autoimmune diseases should not take Astragalus without discussing it with their doctor. Also, if you are taking drugs to reduce the chances of transplant rejection, or take steroids or lithium you should not take Astragalus without a doctor’s guidance.

People at risk for stroke or heart attack should not take Astragalus without consulting a qualified health professional.

References

Jiang X, Cao X, Huang Y, Chen J, Yao X, Zhao M, Liu Y, Meng J, Li P, Li Z, Yao J, Smith GW, Lv L., “Effects of treatment with Astragalus Membranaceus on function of rat leydig cells. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016; 2016:
6861078. Published online 2016 Apr 12. doi: 10.1155/2016/6861078. PMCID: PMC4844899

Karen Denzler, Jessica Moore, Heather Harrington, Kira Morrill, Trung Huynh, Bertram Jacobs, Robert Waters, and Jeffrey Langland, “Characterization of the Physiological Response following In Vivo Administration of Astragalus membranaceus.” J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Apr 12;134(3):844-50. doi:
10.1016/j.jep.2011.01.030. Epub 2011 Feb 1.

Sevimli-Gür C, Onbaşılar, Atilla P, Genç R, Cakar N, Deliloğlu-Gürhan I, Bedir E, “In vitro growth stimulatory and in vivo wound healing studies on cycloartanetype saponins of Astragalus genus.” BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014; 14: 148. Published online 2014 May 5. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-148. PMCID: PMC4023174

Yanna Nie, Shuyu Li, Yuee Yi, Weilian Su, Xinlou Chai, Dexian Jia, and Qian Wang, “Effects of astragalus injection on the TGFβ/Smad pathway in the kidney in type 2 diabetic mice.” BMC Complement Altern Med. 2015; 15: 261. Published online 2015 Aug 1. doi: 10.1186/s12906-015-0776-3. PMCID: PMC4522129

Xiaolong Jiang, Xia Cao, Yang Huang, Jianwei Chen, Xiaolei Yao, Miaomiao Zhao,
Yan Liu, Jinzhu Meng, Pengfei Li,Zhiyan Li, Jianbo Yao, George W Smith, and Lihua Lv, “Effects of treatment with Astragalus Membranaceus on function of rat leydig cells.” PLoS One. 2014; 9(7): e101504. Published online 2014 Jul 3. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101504. PMCID: PMC4081628

Qin-she Liu, Hai-fang Wang, An-ke Sun, Xue-ping Huo, Jin-lian Liu, Shu-hui Ma, Ning Peng, and Jun Hu. Srinivasa M. Srinivasula, Editor, “A Comparative Study on Inhibition of Total Astragalus Saponins and Astragaloside IV on TNFR1Mediated Signaling Pathways in Arterial Endothelial Cells. Diagn Pathol. 2013; 8: 179. Published online 2013 Oct 24. doi: 10.1186/1746-1596-8-179. PMCID: PMC3818446

Tao Wang, Xiaoyan Xuan, Min Li, Ping Gao, Yuling Zheng, Wenqiao Zang, and Guoqiang Zhao, “Astragalus saponins affect proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of gastric cancer BGC-823 cells. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014; 14: 401. Published online 2014 Oct 15. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-401. PMCID: PMC4210535

Yue Wang, Kathy K Auyeung, Xiaoyu Zhang, and Joshua K Ko, “Astragalus saponins modulates colon cancer development by regulating calpain-mediated glucose-regulated protein expression. Pharmacology. 2016;98(1-2):29-34.