What it is:
This herb is the root of Astragalus membranaceus Bge. var.mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao or Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge (family Legumino-sae). It is produced mainly in Shanxi, Gansu, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia. It is dug in spring or autumn, sliced, dried in the sun and used unprepared or stir-baked with honey.

Property:
Flavour and channel tropism: sweet in flavour, warm in property, acting on the spleen and lung channels.

Effects:
Toni-fying the qi, lifting the sunken yang, strengthening the defensive energy and superficial resistance, promoting pus discharge and tissuere generation, and inducing diuresis tocure edema.

Used For:
1. Deficiency of the spleen qi and lung qi or syndrome of sinking of qi of the middle-jiao. For general debility due to deficiency of qi after an illness with manifestations of tiredness and lassitude. It is often used with ginseng, as in Extract of Ginseng and Astragalus( Shen Qi Gao). If deficiency of qi is accompanied by deficiency of yang a cold and profuse sweating, it can be used with expared lateral root of aconite, as in Extract of Astragalusand Aconite ( Qi Fu Gao). In cases of deficiency of qi and blood, it can be used with Chinese angelica root; for deficiency of the spleen-qi manifested as in poor appetite and loose stool or diarrhea, it can be used with white atractylo-des rhizome; for sinking of the qi of the middle-jiao characterized by visceroptosis, hys-teroptosis and proctoptosis due to chronic diarrhea. It can be used with gin seng, white atra-ctylodes rhizome, cimicifuga rhizomeand bupleurum root, as in Decoction for Reinforcing Middle-jiao and Replenishing Qi(Buzhong Yiqi Tang). For hemafecia, metrorrhagia or metrostaxis and others due to deficiency and failure of qi in keeping the blood flowing within the vessels, it can be used with gin seng, wild jujube seed and longan aril, as in Decoction for Invigo-rating the Spleen and Nourishing the Heart. (Guipi Tang).

2. Spontaneous sweating and night sweat resulting from general weakness and exterior deficiency due to deficiency of qi. For profuse sweating and suscepti-bility to common cold due to general debility, it is often used together with white atractylodes rhizome and ledebou-riella root, as in Jade-screen Powder (Yupingfeng San). It can be used together with oyster shell, light wheat and ephedra root, as in Oyster Shell Powder ( Muli San) also. For night sweat, it can be used with dried rehmannia root and phellodendron bark, as in Decoctionof Chinese Angelica with Six Yellow Ingredients( Danggui Liuhuang Tang).

3. To treat the non-rupture of carbuncles or slow healing long after ulceration of carbuncles. For nor-ruptureof carbuncles, it is often given along with pangolin scales, Chinese angelica root and honey locust thorn, as in Powder for Promoting Pus Discharge ( Tounong San); for slow healing carbuncles long after ulceration, it can be used with Chinese angelica root, gin seng and cinnamon bark , as in Decoction Ten Powerful Tonics (Shi-quan Dabu Tang); For diabetes accompanied with carbuncles, swelling, sores or boils, 9g of the mixture of the powdered unprepared astra-galus root and liquo-rice in the proportion of 6:1 can be used orally, 2-3 times a day, or decocted in water for an oral dose.

4. For the treatment of facial edema, scanty urine, palpitation and shortness of breath resulting from the dysfunction of the spleen in transport due to deficiency of qi, it is always used together with tetrandra root and white atractylodes, as in Decoction of Tetrandra and Astra-galus (Fangji HuangqiTang); for chronic nephritis, 15-30g of astragalus root is given, or used together with dangshen, decocted in water for oral administration and it has the action of relieving proteinuria.

5.Numb extremities due to deficiency of qi and stasis of blood or hemiplegia after apoplexy, withfull consciousness and weak pulse. For the former, it is often used with cinnamon twig and white peony root, as in Decoction of Five Drugs Including Astra-galus and Cinnamon Twig (Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Tang); for the latter, it is usually used with Chinese angelica root, saf-flower and peach kernel, as in Decoction Invigorating Yang for Recuperation ( Buyang Huanwu Tang). It can be used together with dried rehmannia root, ophiopogon root, trichosanthes root, Chinese yam and others to treat diabetes.

Dosage and administration: 10- 15g; 30-60g can be given in large dosages decocted in water for oral use. For replenishing qi and invigorating yang, it should be stir-baked; for other purposes, it should be used unprepared.

Precautions:
It should not be used in the following circumstances: exterior syndrome of excess type with excessive pathogenic factors, stagnation of qi and retention of dampness in the interior, retention of food due to dyspepsia, hyperactivity of yang due to deficiency of yin , initial carbuncles and boils, or protracted ulcera-tion still with excessive noxious heat. When it is given in big dosage, it may lead to stuffiness in the chest, abdominal distension, poor appetite, etc. In such cases herbs for promoting the circulationof qi and improving appetite such as tangerine peel, can be given according to the actual circumstances.