Astragalus is a plant that often used in Chinese traditional herbal medicine. The plant is known to have several benefits for our health, such as anti-ageing, improving our immune system, and treating inflammation. Most Chinese people believe that Astragalus can also be used to treat various diseases including allergy, flu, diabetes, even heart disease. As quoted from Healthline, here are the health benefits of Astragalus:
- Improving our immune system
Astragalus is known to be able to improve our immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells in the body. As we all know, white blood cells help our body to fight diseases by producing antibodies as a part of our immune system. Some studies also showed that astragalus roots may also help to fight the growth of viruses in our body, which may help to treat flu and liver infection.
- Improving heart function
Astragalus is believed to be able to improve our heart function by widening our blood vessels and increasing the amount of blood pumped from the heart. According to some research, giving astragalus to patients with heart failure may improve their heart function better compared to using only conventional treatment.
- Relieving the side effects of chemotherapy
As we all know, chemotherapy has various side effects, such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, memory loss, and so on. Some research had proven that giving astragalus for chemotherapy patients may reduce their nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea up to 59%.
- Maintaining the sugar level in the blood of diabetes patients
The active compound contained in astragalus roots is known to be able to increase sugar metabolism in the body while also maintain the sugar level in the blood, which is very helpful for diabetic patients. Although further research is needed, astragalus root is a medicine that often prescribed for diabetic patients in China.
Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay
Source(s):
- Healthline - Astragalus: An Ancient Root with Health Benefits (2018). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/astragalus, August 15, 2018.