Astragalus: Health Benefits, Dosing, Side Effects

ASTRAGALUS:

HEALTH BENEFITS, APPROPRIATE DOSE, SIDE EFFECTS

INTRODUCTION

Astragalus has been consumed in Asia for more than 2,000 years for heart health, autoimmune and allergic diseases, boosting the immune system, and for cancer treatment or in conjunction with chemotherapy. It can be prepared and consumed as a tea, in soups, liquid tinctures, capsules, and sometimes intravenously (in certain hospitals).

Astragalus membranaceus (known as Huang Qi) is a plant belonging to the Luguminosae family. The active ingredient is Astragalus membranaceus (the same name as the plant) and it comes from the root of the plant. When it comes to disease prevention, and possibly treating various diseases, it checks multiple boxes for maintaining health with the following properties observed either in scientific studies or anectodatally :

• Anti-diabetes
• Anit-inflammatory
• Anti-oxidant
• Anti-cancer
• Anti-viral
• Cardioprotective
• Diabetic nephropathy (complication of diabetes mellitus reference: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11155431/)
• hepatoprotective
• Neuroprotective
• Immune regulation/immunostimulation

The active ingredients of Astragalus are saponins polysaccharides, and astragaloside IV (AS-IV) which are known to affect immune system activity to help in preventing chronic diseases. These actives make it one of the most frequently used cancer-fighting herbs, diabetes-fighting herbs and heart disease-fighting herbs in alternative medicine.

TRADITIONAL USES

Astragalus has been traditionally used in formulations with other herbs and in some more acclaimed Chinese medicine products such as Yupinfeng granule and Wui Baifeng pill [1]. As previously mentioned, it is known as Huangqi in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Radix Astragali in Latin [2]. Traditional Chinese medicine states that astragalus improves chi, sore support and benefits water in the body.

CLINICAL STUDIES

The disease prevention and disease-fighting potential of Astragalus has been documented and there is science-based evidence on its potential. For instance, clinical studies in China have shown good efficacy in treating allergic diseases in children with asthma [1]. Additional studies on its effect as a cancer-fighting herb and in other diseases are published. Here’s a small sampling of it’s potential:

• Astragalus restored graft versus host reaction in cancer patients when compared to healthy controls (n=20). It restored immune system response which exceeded some of the controls after administration of the drug, which helps show its potential as an herb that can fight cancer.
• In patients with small cell lung cancer, patients survived an additional 3 – 17 years longer when given Astragalus in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation. In 120 patients those given an intravenous (IV) dose of astragalus had decreased disease progression, less white blood cell and platelet toxicities, increases in CD4/CD8 ratios, and higher Karnofsky scores when compared to a control group.
• Patient with system lupus erythematosus (SLE) lowered their natural killer cell activity when given astragalus extract (n=28)
• In over 1000 patients with radiation-induced lung injury, Astragalus (formulated with other herbs) improved the incidence of radiation-induced lung injury. It also improved lung injury and reduced inflammatory factors [3, 4]

SAFETY

Astragalus membranaceus has demonstrated low side effects and toxicity in human and animal studies. However, those taking hypotensives and antihypertensive medications should avoid large doses of the herb [5].

Several studies have specifically looked at safety in various patient types. For example, in patients with solid tumors, doses of 4600 mg and 9800 mg of astragalus were administered with mild adverse reactions of dizziness and nausea [6].

DOSE

Astragalus dosage for adults will depend on the form of the herb (e.g., root, liquid tincture), the person’s health condition, intended use and your age.

General Guidelines:

Capsules

The cancer-fighting herb of Astragalus can be found in a capsule form, with safe doses ranging from 250 mg to 1,000 mg a day. It is best to divide the dose into 2 – 3 doses per day.

Tincture or Liquid Extracts

A common way to consume this cancer-fighting herb is to ingest many drops of an astragalus tincture. The astragalus dose can vary depending on how the liquid tincture is prepared, however, it is recommended to take between 40 – 80 drops of liquid tincture/extract of a 1:5 tincture, 2 – 3 times a day.

Tea

You can use astragalus as a cancer-fighting tea alone or with other herbs. Simmer 3 – 6 grams of dried astragalus root in hot water for 30 minutes to 1 hour and you’ll have a nice tea to sip on throughout the day.

Food (soups, decoctions)

Astragalus can be eaten and is considered in a group of foods that fight cancer. Consuming between 1 – 15 grams of dried astragalus root a day is safe for most adults.

DISCLAIMER

The information in this article are for educational purposes and is not meant to treat, diagnose or prescribe medications or herbs. For questions on the information contained in this article, please consult with your healthcare provider.

REFERENCES

[1] Yu S, Pen W, Qiu F, Zhang G:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332222013786?via%3Dihub).

[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7167792/) 

[3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10980465/

[4] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/1534735403256419

[5]  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/1534735403256419

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39469996/