Astragalus herb information and medical uses for immune health function

Astragalus is used by traditional Chinese doctors to stimulate the immune system. It contains various compounds including astragaloside. This plant is native to Northern China and Mongolia. It inhabits mostly pine forests and sandy soils. Chinese doctors have used astragalus to fight the flu and the common cold.

Astragalus Extract, 500 mg
Planetary Formulas

 Full Spectrum Astragalus combines a standardized astragalus herb extract with whole high grade astragalus root, to ensure the presence of the full spectrum of astragalus constituents.

Astragalus Supplement Facts:
Astragalus Root Extract - 500 mg*
   (standardized to 0.4% methoxyisoflavones)
Astragalus Root (high grade) - 500 mg *

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Chemistry of the herb and ingredients
Astragalus contains polysaccharides that are thought to play an important role in influencing the immune system. Astragalus also contains saponins called astragalosides, along with flavonoids and triterpenes.

Supplements and Herbs that, in some people, support the immune system:
Astragalus
Andrographis herb is used frequently in China for immune system enhancement.
Beta glucan extract
Cat's Claw herb. You can find this product at Physician Formula.
Citrus bioflavonoid, flavonoid antioxidant
Vitamin  E dose
Selenium mineral
Zinc mineral

Potential uses of astragalus herb
Astragalus herb could be helpful in some cases of aplastic anemia, congestive heart failure, and improving the immune system. For more astragalus information.

Chronic aplastic anemia
Clinical study on effect of Astragalus Injection and its immuno-regulation action in treating chronic aplastic anemia.
Chin J Integr Med. 2007 June. TCM Hospital of Langfang City, Chinese Hemopathic Therapeutic Center of TCM, Hebei, 065000, China.
To observe the clinical effect of Astragalus Injection and its immuno-regulatory action in treating chronic aplastic anemia. Sixty patients with chronic aplastic anemia were randomly assigned to two groups equally, both were treated with Stanozolol three times a day, 2 mg each time through oral intake, but astragalus injection was given additionally to the patients in the treated group once a day via intravenous dripping. All were treated for 15 days as one therapeutic course and the whole medication lasted for more than 4 months totally, with follow-up adopted.  Astragalus could promote the recovery of hemopoietic function, which might be through improving T-lymphocyte subsets and reducing the release of negative regulatory factors such as TNF-alpha and IL-2 to alleviate the inhibition on hemopoietic function.

Congestive heart failure
Astragalus has protective effect on ischemia/reperfusion injury. May be helpful in congestive heart failure.

Study on effect of Astragalus injection in treating congestive heart failure.
Zhou ZL, Yu P.Third People's Hospital, Hangzhou 310009.
To observe the clinical efficacy and side-effects of Astragalus Injection in treating congestive heart failure (CHF). Eighty-three patients of CHF with heart function of II-IV grade assessed by NYHA (New York Heart Association) classification were randomly divided into 2 groups. The 42 patients in the treated group were treated with AI 40 ml (equivalent to 80 g crude drug) by adding in 5% glucose solution 500 ml for intravenous dripping, once a day and the 41 patients in the control group were treated by nitrolingual injection 15 mg by adding in 5% glucose solution 500 ml for intravenous dripping once a day. The therapeutic course in both groups was 2 weeks and the patients were followed-up for 1-6 months. The clinical heart function improvement rate and the total effective rate in the treated group after 1 month treatment were 26% and 78%, and after 6 months were 34% and 81% respectively, which were superior to those in the control group significantly. The levels of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), fractional shortening of left ventricular short axis, the ratio of maximum blood flow between the advanced and early atrial systole, stroke volume, cardiac output and the cardiac index were all improved in both groups, but better improvement was shown in the treated group. Follow-up study showed that the incidence of cardiac event was lower in the treated group than that in the control group. Astragalus injection can be took as one of the important auxiliary drugs for treatment of congestive heart failure especially in severe cases.

Immune system
Astragalus has been shown to enhance certain aspects of the immune system.

Astragalus extract availability by herbal suppliers
Astragalus extract is available in a number of concentrations and extract potencies including a 10 to 1 extract and 0.3 percent astragalosides.

Astragalus herb emails
Q. Dear Valued Customer, If astragalus root has been one of the products in your herbal and nutraceutical business, obviously, will you consider to update your products to higher quality with astragaloside IV? Astragaloside IV is one of the active ingredients in astragalus root (Astragalis membranaceus Bge.). It’s proved one of the most valuable natural ingredients for human body by modern scientific research. It’s indicated to promoting urination, tonicfying the heart, protecting liver, lowering blood pressure, broadening blood vessel, restraining myocardial infarction. I am excited to tell you Herbasin can provide more options of Astragaloside IV. With efforts of R&D team, we are able to volume-produce astragaloside IV with a wide range of contents from 10% to 98%. If you’re interested to develop a new product with astragaloside IV, we’re glad to send more info. to support.

Q. I am taking astragalus herb extract and want to know if enlarged breast is a known reaction to taking this herb?
   A. As of January 2008, we have not heard of enlarged breast as a side effect with the use of astragalus herb supplement.

Is AHCC helpful for the immune system like astragalus herb?
    AHCC and astragalus are different in how they work.

I am a consultant for thousands of baby calves and I am looking for a natural product to boost their immune systems. The product would need to be in powder form for both practical and economical shipping and administering - due to the large numbers at the calf ranches. Please let me if know if a powdered form of astragalus root is available. If so, what the dosage would be for 100 lb of body weight, and the cost per pound.
    We don't sell this raw material in bulk form and since we don't deal with animals, we have no idea whether this herb would be helpful and if so in what dosage.

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