Herb of the Week: Astragalus

First thing is to note that astragalus membranaceous is the same as astragalus propinquus and it's also an adaptogen. Now that that's out of the way. Let's talk about this herb.

The root of this plant is what's been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) where it's called "huang qi". Most of us know that the word "qi" means "life force", right? "Huang" also means "bright, shining" so their name for this plant's root literally translates to "bright, shining life force".

Astragalus is considered an adaptogen and has shown a tremendous positive impact on the immune system by activating more white blood cells in the body. Its usage ranges from being an immune support herb that's helpful in fighting viruses to even being able to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. This herb's powers are so impactful for so many things, including: cardiovascular health, controlling blood sugar levels, healthier kidney and liver function, and it may even have some anti-aging benefits.

Western medicine will say that we don't have enough evidence to prove that this root can do all of these things, but can we dismiss the empirical information that we have available from centuries of TCM usage? One thing is for sure, there are some groups of people who should avoid this herb/adaptogen so make sure you can tolerate it before you decide to try it out.

We are currently working on a blend that will include astragalus to help improve your immune system response to viruses - we're not curing or diagnosing anything, just putting it out there in case people want to try it.

Have a blessed week!