Astragalus Long Term Immune Support Single Extract 1 oz: K The plant is a perennial with long, fibrous roots, native to North China and Inner Mongolia, sold in both wild and cultivated forms. Chinese pharmacies sell bundles of thin root-slices that resemble tongue depressors and have a sweet taste. These are simmered in medicinal soups, the slices being removed before serving because they are too tough to chew. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine consider astragalus a true tonic that can strengthen debilitated patients and increase resistance to disease in general. In comtemporary Chinese medicine, it is also a chief component of zheng fu therapy, a combination herbal treatment designed to restore immune function in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Research in China has demonstrated increased survival in patients receiving both herbal and Western therapies, as well as protection from the immunosuppressive effects of the latter. Studies in the West confirm that astragalus enhances immune function by increasing activity of several kinds of white blood cells and boosting production of antibodies and interferon, the body's own antiviral agent. Astragalus root is a well documented immunostimulant, long used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for deep immune building. According to TCM, Astragalus has specific action on the lungs and is used to build ''Qi'', the vital energy of the body. As a preventative, it works to build defensive energy. Consumed as a food in China, Astragalus is one of the few medicinal herbs that can be taken daily as a preventative or to restore depressed immunity over time. NOTE: According to TCM, Astragalus should be avoided during hot conditions such as fever. 'My son was born with a heart defect, no immune organ and various other difficulties. He has had 2 open heart surgeries and needs additional repairs on other organs. When he sick, he is deathly sick. No mistake about it. Homeopathy has been helpful up to a point. Western medicine had to intervene. However, he just had his 2nd open heart this past July, and in September he started Kindergarten (yes he is only 5 years old). He started getting normal illnesses. Within the first 2 weeks of school, he was out with asthma attacks for 3 days. We since started him on Astragulus extract, and he has not needed to see a doctor for asthma or any other illness since. We still continue to see the pediatrician, and he is aware of what we have done, and is amazed. But then, so are we-- Thank You!!' Robin H., Mission Viejo, CA
