Astragalus

Latin Name: Astragalus membranaceus

Chinese Name: HuangQi

Traditional Uses

Actions: Supplements qi or chi (vital energy), increases yang, controls diaphoresis (excessive perspiration), regulates body fluids, disperses swelling, and discharges pus.

Applications: Boosts immune system, thereby restoring health, after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. In China, it has been administered to patients with advanced lung cancer, and liver cancer. It is also used to treat impairment of the spleen, diarrhea, and diseases caused by insufficient qi or chi.

Reference: Hung-yen Hsu, Ph.D. and Associates: Oriental Materia Medica A Concise Guide 1986, Keats Publishing