Review of the botanical characteristics, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi).

Juan Fu, Zenghui Wang, Linfang Huang, Sihao Zheng, Dongmei Wang, Shilin Chen, Haitao Zhang, Shihai Yang

Journal: Phytotherapy research : PTR 2014;28(9):1275-83

PMID: 25087616

Full Text on Ovid Technologies, Inc. View on PubMed

Abstract

Astragalus membranaceus is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese herbal medicines. It is used as immune stimulant, tonic, antioxidant, hepatoprotectant, diuretic, antidiabetic, anticancer, and expectorant. The current paper reviews the botanical characteristics, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Astragali Radix. Information on Astragali Radix was gathered via the Internet (using Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI, and Web of Science) as well as from libraries and local books. More than 100 compounds, including flavonoids, saponins, polysaccharides, and amino acids, have so far been identified, and the various biological activities of the compounds have been reported. As an important traditional Chinese medicine, further studies on Astragali Radix can lead to the development of new drugs and therapies for various diseases. The improvement of its utilization should be studied further.

Address: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China; College of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jinlin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, China.

DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5188

Link outs

Free resources

Other Literature Sources:

Research Materials:

https://antibodies.cancer.gov/detail/CPTC-HLA-B-1

Subscription / membership required

Full Text Sources:

MeSH Terms: Astragalus Plant, Astragalus propinquus, Drugs, Chinese Herbal, Flavonoids, Polysaccharides, Saponins