Astragalus, as a person from Gansu, is very familiar with it. Astragalus has been used as a medicine for more than 2000 years. It has the functions of enhancing immune function, protecting the liver, diuresis, anti-aging, anti-stress, blood pressure reduction, and a wide range of antibacterial effects. Also known as cotton astragalus, yellow qi, du shen, shu zhi, bai ben, bai yao mian, yellow ginseng, blood ginseng, ren xian, etc.
The main functions are: strengthening the defense, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, detoxifying, and promoting tissue regeneration. It is used to treat spontaneous sweating, night sweats, blood stasis, edema, non-healing or long-lasting abscesses. When roasted, it can tonify the middle and replenish qi. It is used to treat internal injury fatigue, spleen deficiency diarrhea, prolapse of the anus, qi deficiency and blood loss, uterine bleeding, and various qi deficiency and blood deficiency syndromes.
① "Compendium of Materia Medica": "It treats abscesses, chronic ulcers, relieves pain and purges pus, treats skin diseases caused by wind, and treats hemorrhoids and fistulas. It tonifies deficiency and treats various diseases in children."
② "Additional Records": "It treats wind and evil qi in women's organs, expels evil blood between the five organs. It tonifies deficiency in men and treats five types of fatigue and emaciation. It relieves thirst, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, tonifies qi, and nourishes yin."
③ "Discussion on the Nature of Medicinal Herbs": "It treats back rash. When taken internally, it tonifies deficiency, treats deficiency asthma, kidney deficiency, deafness, and treats cold and heat. The one grown in Longxi county can tonify the five organs. Shu white water red peel can treat malaria."
④ "Compendium of Materia Medica by Sun Simiao": "Astragalus aids in tonifying qi, strengthening tendons and bones, promoting flesh growth and blood replenishment, treating scrofula, goiter, intestinal wind, hemorrhage, leukorrhagia, red and white dysentery, all diseases before and after childbirth, irregular menstruation, thirst, cough with phlegm; It also treats headache, heat toxins, red eyes, etc. "White water astragalus can treat pus drainage, and also relieve irritability, heat toxins, bone steaming fatigue, the efficacy is second to astragalus; Red water astragalus treats blood, reduces heat toxins, its efficacy is the same as above; Wooden astragalus treats irritability, weak pus drainage, it is less effective than astragalus, and it should be used in larger amounts when there is a deficiency."
⑤ "Origin of Medical Science": "It treats deficiency fatigue caused by cold (some say "sweating"), tonifies lung qi, nourishes skin and hair, relieves lung fire, string-like pulse, spontaneous sweating, good at treating spleen and stomach weakness, and is a necessary medicine for treating internal ulcer and abscess in Chinese medicine."
⑥ Wang Haogu: "It treats Taiyin malaria."
⑦ "Essential Principles of Materia Medica": "When used raw, it strengthens the defense, does not induce sweating when there is none, stops sweating when there is, warms the muscles, fills the pores, purges yin fire, and relieves muscle heat; when roasted, it tonifies the middle, replenishes original qi, warms the three burners, and strengthens the spleen and stomach. It nourishes blood, promotes tissue regeneration, purges pus internally, and is a sacred medicine for treating ulcers and abscesses. It is suitable for those who do not develop rashes during smallpox and those with yang deficiency without heat."
Attention should be paid to avoidance in cases of excess syndrome and yin deficiency and yang excess.
① "Annotations on Compendium of Materia Medica": "Avoid using with turtle shell."
② "Pairing of Medicinal Herbs": "Avoid using with poria."
③ "Compendium of Materia Medica by Sun Simiao": "Avoid using with fresh white bark."
④ "Introduction to Medical Science": "It is forbidden to use in cases of vigorous yang qi or excessive external pathogenic factors, and should be used less in cases of yin deficiency." "Avoid using with Ledebouriella."
⑤ "Elucidation on Compendium of Materia Medica": "Do not use in cases of chest and abdomen qi stagnation, intestinal obstruction; avoid in cases of excessive yang and yin deficiency; avoid in cases of excessive upper burner heat and deficient lower burner cold; avoid in patients who get angry easily and have disharmony of liver qi; avoid in cases of severe heat in smallpox and blood division."
