astragalus

astragalus

[ə′strag·ə·ləs]

(anatomy)

The bone of the ankle which articulates with the bones of the leg. Also known as talus.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

astragalus

astragalus

A life-prolonging adaptogenic, vasodilator, anti-viral, anti-cancer antibacterial immunity-stimulating herb that produces extra interferon in the body. Used with cancer therapies because it counteracts the immune suppressing effects of cancer drugs and radiation. Extremely useful remedy for physical weakness and drained energy conditions like chronic fatigue, candida, herpes, hypoglycemia and exhaustion. Works great when used together with Ginseng. Great for spleen and lungs, increases “life energy” and stamina. Good for reducing night sweats and fluid retention. Vasodilating properties help noticeably lower blood pressure, improve circulation, break up blood clots to prevent heart disease. Boosts burned out adrenals for energy, helps normalize nervous system, balance hormones. Very good for lungs, respiratory conditions and helping regenerate bronchi cells. Beneficial to gastrointestinal tract. The root is the medicinally used part, and isn’t ready to be used until the 4th or 5th year of plant growth. Hairy stems with leaves made up of 12 - 18 pairs of leaflets. Other species of astragalus can be poisonous, but Astragalus membranaceus has no detrimental components and is used worldwide medicinally. Very popular in China. Sliced roots available in most chinese herbal stores. Unripe fleshy seed pods resemble green plums and are edible.

Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Astragalus

 

a genus of plants of the Leguminosae family. The plants are annual or perennial grasses, subshrubs, and more rarely lowbushes and bushes with complex, aperipinnate leaves. The flowers are in axil racemes and in capitate, spicate, or almost umbulate clusters. There are about 2,000 species, which grow primarily in the dry regions of the northern hemisphere. There are over 900 species in the USSR, chiefly in Middle Asia and the Caucasus. The stems of spiny bushes and lowbushes of the subgenus tragacanth plant contain gum which is used in the textile and paper industries, as well as in others. Many species are good fodder plants, and some are now cultivated. Infusions of the woolly-pod species of astragalus are used in medicine for heart and circulatory disorders and nephritis.

REFERENCES

Derev’ia i kustarniki SSSR, vol 4. Moscow-Leningrad, 1958.
Atlas lekarstvennykh rastenii SSSR. Moscow, 1962.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.