I never quite know what I am going to write about each month until I sit down at my desk and open up the laptop. Sometimes I can deliberate for days about which subject matter to share with you all.
“What’s been presenting in clinic lately?”
“How am I feeling right now?”
“What’s growing plentifully at the moment?”
are just some of the conversation starters I use to get the ideas flowing.
The answer invariably comes in that moment of stillness as I sit staring at the screen with my eyes closed; a word will come, sometimes an entire sentence if I’m lucky.
This month I’d like to share with you the magic of Astragalus membranaceus; one of my all time favourite all-rounder medicines. I use it mostly as an immune modulator and enhancer, for the prevention of illness and also in convalescence, aiding the body to rebuild its fortification against disease.
Astragalus is a key herb in Yu Ping Feng Pian, a Classical Chinese formula which is used to provide a protective shield for the body, for keeping invading pathogens at bay. The Wei Qi which governs the subcutaneous tissue under the skin provides adaptive-type energy to the immune response in the body. This particular quality is also used in Chinese medicine (CM) to treat conditions of the extremities and is thought to encourage “Upright Qi”, helping to tonify prolapsed states in the body and to generally keep the spine straight and tall.
A native to Northern China and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, this woody legume has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine (and later adopted by Western Herbal medicine) as a Qi or energy tonic. It tonifies and supports the digestive system and the lungs, which is where we get most of
our energy from – food and air. This medicine is relatively fast acting; you should notice a difference in energy levels after just a few days of taking therapeutic doses. Its action of restoring energy (in CM) is by tonifying the spleen and lung organ meridian systems.
Of its active constituents, it is the triterpenoid saponins (astragalosides) that help to strengthen the body’s immune system and defence against invading pathogens. The flavonoids and isoflavonoids present in Astragalus help to protect against free radical damage, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and hormone dependent cancers, by providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
Astragalus nourishes and fortifies the blood. Studies have shown its benefit to the cardiovascular, renal and hepatobilliary systems, with some clinical trials demonstrating significant improvement of health to patients with congenital heart disease and chronic kidney disease. This herb has also shown to prevent
and repair damage done to the liver and kidneys from use of medications and viral infections.
This tonifying herb definitely falls into the category of “food as medicine” and is safe (for most people and conditions) to take for long periods of time. It makes for a wonderful and nutritional addition to soups, stews, broths and casseroles, and can be added to water when cooking rice and other grains. It is the perfect adjunct to autumn and winter health protocols, so go get yourself some today and add it to EVERYTHING!
Wishing you a warm and cosy, happy and healthy autumnal season, free from colds and flu.
Blessed Be
