Astragalus

Tonic herbs have been used for centuries to help people cope with the stress and strain of living. This stress, both physical and mental, can weaken our immune system response. To determine your immune function, ask yourself the following questions; if you answer “yes” to any of them, your immune system would probably benefit from the support of a tonic herb:
· Do you catch cold easily?
· Do you get more than two colds a year?
· Are you suffering chronic infection?
· Do you get frequent cold sores or have genital herpes?
· Are your lymph glands sore and swollen at times?
· Do you have now or have you ever had cancer?
· Are you tired most of the time?
Recurrent or chronic infections - even very mild colds - occur only when the immune system is weakened. Under such circumstances, there is a repetitive cycle that makes it difficult to overcome the tendency towards infection; a weakened immune system leads to infection, infection causes damage to the immune system, which further weakens resistance. Enhancing the immune system by taking tonic herbs like Astragalus http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/44624/Astragalus-Tincture-215ml/ and/or Ginseng http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/40296/Floradix-Siberian-Ginseng-Elixir-250ml/will often provide the answer to breaking the cycle.
I’ll look at Astragalus, a herb which is rapidly gaining fame in the West as an immune stimulant. To classify it as an immune herb, however, is to overlook its broader use as a tonic. It strengthens the body systems (especially the lungs), improves the digestion and builds up the blood. Also, it increases endurance and body weight in animals.
In the Chinese world-view, Astragalus acts like the protective shield around the body, not unlike the shield around the starship Enterprise on the popular TV series, Star Trek. When overall Qi is weakened, or energy becomes depleted, this protective Qi is weakened, and we become more susceptible to colds and sweat more easily. A deficiency of protective Qi (or immune system weakness) is what makes AIDS patients so susceptible to opportunistic infections; Astragalus has a demonstrated effect in strengthening AIDS patients. Astragalus is a bit like Scotty in the Enterprise engine room, working feverishly to restore overall power, and then circulating it to the shield before the Klingons can destroy the ship.
Astragalus gained fame in scientific circles in the 1980s as a possible immune-stimulating and anti-cancer herb. In one trial with 19 cancer patients, it restored the function of the T-cells in 90% of the patients (T-cells are the main immune cells that attack tumours). In another trial, Astragalus, along with other tonic herbs, increased the survival time of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Unfortunately, funding for this promising research in the US was closed because any eventual product could not be patented, and a drugs company would not be able to recoup its investment.
Astragalus can be combined with Ginseng if there is a lot of fatigue along with poor immune system functioning. Astragalus is not used if you have a strong infection; otherwise it has no known toxicity. The Chinese also use this herb along with others to combat allergies like rhinitis and asthma.
Many people use Echinacea to strengthen their immune response, whereas Astragalus would be a much better choice. Echinacea should be left for the inset of a cold, where it is very effective and able to stop a cold in its tracks.