Astragalus

[beach sunrise]

Moss Report
Getting to the Root of the Problem
Astragalus (Astragalus propinquus, A. membranaceus a.k.a. milk vetch) is one of the most effective, innocuous, and inexpensive ways of enhancing the immune system. It has been tested along with chemotherapy, where it has been shown to increase tumor response and the patient’s performance status while also decreasing chemotoxicity.

(Tseng A, Yang CH, Chen CH, et al. An in vivo molecular response analysis of colorectal cancer treated with Astragalus membranaceus extract. Oncol Rep. 2016 Feb;35(2):659-68. doi: 10.3892/or.2015.4441. Epub 2015 Nov 23. PMID: 26719057; PMCID: PMC4689484)
Astragalus has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), usually in combination with other herbs, such as ginseng.
Astragalus has been used as a dietary supplement for many conditions, including for diarrhea, fatigue, anorexia, upper respiratory infections, heart disease, hepatitis, fibromyalgia, and as adjunctive therapy for cancer.
The root of the astragalus plant is also put in soups, teas, extracts, or capsules.
Astragalus is a relatively non-toxic and inexpensive herbal product that boosts immunity and fights cancer. It comes from the root of a pea-like plant, whose scientific name is Astragalus membranaceus. In China, where it is known as Huang Qi, astragalus has long been popular as an immune booster and spleen tonic. It was shown that astragalus protected animals against the well-known liver poison, carbon tetrachloride. It is also found in various Kampo formulas of Japanese traditional medicine.

The plant’s immune-enhancing ability was established by studying its impact on white blood cells (WBCs) in healthy donors. Chinese scientists isolated three active fractions of astragalus. They found that these extracts boosted immune reactions in cancer patients.

Chu DT, et al. Immunotherapy with Chinese medicinal herbs. I. Immune restoration of local xenogeneic graft-versus-host reaction in cancer patients by fractionated Astragalus membranaceus in vitro. J Clin Lab Immunol.l988;25:l 19-23.
Astragalus helps protect against the ravages of chemotherapy. Some standard anticancer drugs cause degeneration in the liver, which is detected by an elevation in key liver enzymes. But enzyme levels were not elevated in lab animals that received astragalus in addition to chemo. Although many oncologists issue blanket warnings against taking supplements with chemo,

Astragalus has no significant toxicity and, according to scientists, could be utilized alongside chemotherapy to minimize side effects. There was a meta-analysis (a so-called “study of studies”) in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology on the combination of astragalus and platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Zhang ZL, et al. Hepatoprotective effects of astragalus root. J Ethnopharmacol. l990;30:145-149.
The premise of the JCO study was that “some Chinese herbal medicines have been reported to increase chemotherapy efficacy and reduce toxicity. In particular, Astragalus has been shown to have immunologic benefits by stimulating macrophage and natural killer cell activity….”

The authors (affiliated with the Pine Street Clinic and the School of Public Health of the University of California, Berkeley) identified 34 randomized studies representing 2,815 patients. Twelve such studies (with 940 patients) “reported a reduced risk of death at 12 months” when patients used Astragalus in addition to chemo. Thirty studies also reported improved tumor response data. Their conclusions:

“Astragalus-based Chinese herbal medicine may increase the effectiveness of platinum-based chemotherapy….”
They called for a rigorous randomized controlled trial to definitively prove these assertions. But, at this writing, although there are 808 PubMed-indexed articles on astragalus and cancer, there are no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of astragalus and cancer. The only completed clinical trials are limited to Astragalus’s effect on fatigue in cancer patients.

According to the U.S. government, an astragalus-based formula didn’t extend the life of patients with advanced lung cancer, a small trial reported. This study was supported in part by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The first author was Barrie Cassileth, Ph.D., now retired from Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

Cassileth BR, Rizvi N, Deng G, et al. Safety and pharmacokinetic trial of docetaxel plus an astragalus-based herbal formula for non-small cell lung cancer patients. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology. 2009;65(1):67-71.
This was a small study of 21 patients of a formula called Jinfukang. Patients with advanced NSCLC who had progressed after prior platinum-containing chemotherapy then got a different form of chemo. Four days prior to their second chemo, a single dose of Jinfukang was given orally. Jinfukang had no significant impact on the pharmacokinetics of docetaxel. All of the patients eventually withdrew from the study. On that feeble basis, the “establishment” drew negative conclusions about an herbal treatment that has been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years!

One small ray of light was a study from Shanghai that showed that this same formula killed circulating tumor cells in the laboratory.

(Que Z, Zhou Z, Luo B, et al. Jingfukang induces anti-cancer activity through oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage in circulating human lung cancer cells. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019 Aug 7;19(1):204. doi: 10.1186/s12906-019-2601-x. PMID: 31391058; PMCID: PMC6686466)
So, how can it be that 14 years after the publication of a comprehensive positive article there have been no such trials of this most promising treatment? The short answer is money. Randomized trials cost millions of dollars, while Astragalus is ridiculously cheap. Thus, Big Pharma drug companies have no incentive to invest in something that cannot positively impact their bottom line. If you doubt this, we suggest you read our 2020 book, Cancer, Incorporated, which is available as a free eBook at: www.mossreports.com/cancerinc

Side Effects
Most supplements, and almost all drugs, can have unwanted side effects. With Astragalus these are usually minor but may include a rash, itching, runny nose, nausea and diarrhea.

The potential dangers of Astragalus are basically threefold:

According to the U.S. government, Astragalus is considered safe for many adults. The most commonly reported side effects are diarrhea and other mild gastrointestinal effects. However, they say, it may affect blood sugar levels and blood pressure and be risky for people with certain health problems, such as blood disorders, diabetes, or hypertension.
Astragalus may interact with medications that suppress the immune system, such as drugs taken by organ transplant recipients and some cancer patients.
Some astragalus species, usually not found in dietary supplements, can be toxic. Several species that grow in the United States contain the neurotoxin swainsonine and have caused “locoweed” poisoning in animals. Other species contain potentially toxic levels of selenium.
At the melanoma and sarcoma service of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, they evaluated seven botanical extracts and fractions, including various mushroom preparations, echinacea, turmeric, and beta-glucans from yeast. The winners were Coriolus Versicolor (a.k.a. Trametes Versicolor or turkey tail) mushroom extract, maitake mushroom extract, beta-glucans, but especially alcohol (ethanol) extracts of astragalus. (A water extract of astragalus was not as effective.)

(Ragupathi G, Yeung KS, Leung PC, Lee M, Lau CB, Vickers A, Hood C, Deng G, Cheung NK, Cassileth B, Livingston P. Evaluation of widely consumed botanicals as immunological adjuvants. Vaccine. 2008 Sep 2;26(37):4860-5. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.06.098. Epub 2008 Jul 18. PMID: 18640165; PMCID: PMC2565601)
The seven botanical extracts and fractions were as follows:
H-48 (a Chinese mixture of herbs)
Coriolus (or Trametes) Versicolor, turkey tail shelf mushroom
Maitake mushroom extract
Echinacea (esp. alcohol/ethanol extract)
Astragalus root extract (water or alcohol)
The yellow spice turmeric (curcumin)
Beta-glucans derived from yeast.
The MSKCC authors looked at the ability of these substances to induce immune reactions in laboratory mice. Consistently significant activity was seen with four of the preparations:

Coriolus (Trametes versicolor) mushroom extracts (esp. PSK)
Alcohol (ethanol) extract of astragalus
Yeast beta-glucan; and
Maitake mushrooms
The authors wrote that:

“PSK [from Coriolus or Trametes Versicolor mushrooms] and astragalus were surprisingly active and are being further fractionated to identify the most active adjuvant components.”
The MSKCC authors were comprehensive and positive, thus worth quoting at some length:

“Preclinical studies showed anticancer properties of astragalus against gastric, colon hepatic and ovarian cancers…Astragalus also enhanced platinum-based chemotherapy and protected against oxaliplatin neurotoxicity. Its saponins were shown to reverse toxicities of fluorouracil (5-FU and Xeloda) and augmented the therapeutic benefit of vinblastine while reducing neutropenic and anemic effects.”
“Astragalus has been associated with prolonged survival times in acute myeloid leukemia patients, and data suggest beneficial effects when used with chemotherapy. Also, injectable forms of astragalus may alleviate cancer symptoms and improve quality of life in patients with advanced and metastatic cancers, but whether orally administered astragalus exerts similar effects is not known. In another study, an astragalus extract helped to manage cancer-related fatigue. Meta-analyses suggest astragalus to be associated with reductions in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and to have benefits in patients with hepatocellular cancers.”
To make a homemade alcohol extract, put 4 ounces of cut astragalus in a 750 mL bottle of good quality vodka and let it soak for six weeks. (Some good choices are Tito’s and Pinnacle.. Cheap vodkas contain impurities and these mixtures might do more harm than good.) In this way, you can make a homemade bottle of astragalus extract for about $20. This is a considerable saving over commercial alcohol tinctures of astragalus in the health food store (which run about $10 per ounce, or $120 for an equivalent 750 mL). Those who are averse to consuming even small amounts of alcohol can drop some of this extract into a cup of hot tea in order to disperse the alcohol.

The University of Maryland website once stated that a full adult dose of astragalus tincture is 3-5 milliliters (mL), taken three times a day. Since 5 mL equals one U.S. teaspoon, at the highest dose, 3 x 5 mL per day, a bottle should last 50 days. At the cost of $20 per bottle, that works out to 40¢ per day. One could take one teaspoon per day. The University of Maryland website cautioned:

“Astragalus may counteract the immune-suppressing effects of [high-dose, ed.] cyclophosphamide, a medication used to reduce the chances of rejection in transplant recipients, as well as corticosteroids.”
[NOTE: For reasons unknown, the University of Maryland’s excellent website on complementary medicine is no longer available.]
So if your doctors want to suppress your immune system for medical reasons, you probably should not take astragalus. On the other hand, if you are trying to stimulate your immune system, as most cancer patients are, this is an effective and inexpensive way of doing so.

[skb]

Thank you for the information @beach_sunrise.

What commercial product do you recommend to buy and use for getting some Astragalus in the body?

[beach sunrise]

I use the brand TCM Zone, Huang Qi. I take it in a shot glass along with 2 dropper fulls of tinctured Korean Red Ginsing annd Ginko Biloba, chug it 3x per day. With some tinctures you have to take twice rec'd dose.