Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Astragalus membranaceus
Family: Fabaceae
Part used: Root
Taste: Sweet
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Neutral

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Use with caution

While breastfeeding

Insufficient data; traditional Chinese use postpartum for Qi and Blood tonification. Moderate dietary-therapeutic use generally considered compatible.

For children

Generally considered safe; used in food preparations

Cautions

Not for use during acute illness or fever

General contraindications

Generally avoid; limited safety data

Stewardship

Astragalus is cultivated in northeast China (Inner Mongolia, Shanxi); wild overharvest is a concern. Choose cultivated sources or sustainably-wildcrafted certified. Stewardship: honor the Chinese farming tradition; avoid boutique 'wild' labels that drive depletion.

In the traditional record

Astragalus — Huang Qi referenced in Shennong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer's Herb Classic, ~200 CE) as a superior tonic

Which herbs suit your body?

The same herb can calm one person and wire another. Our free assessment reads your pattern across temperature, moisture and tone, then matches herbs to it.

Take the free assessment Open Astragalus in the Apothecary

Teaching children at home? Eden's Table builds a full herbalism curriculum around plants like this one.

Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.