In China, one commonly used herb, Astragalus membranaceus, has a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is now commonly used as an immunomodulating agent in mixed herbal decoctions. The active pharmacological constituents of radix A. membranaceus include various polysaccharides, saponins, and flavonoids. Among these, Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) has been most widely studied, mainly on their immunopotentiating properties, such as promoting dendritic cell maturation and acting as an effective adjuvant in vaccines.
Additionally, clinical studies showed that Astragalus polysaccharides could increase the effectiveness of platinum-based chemotherapy when combined with chemotherapy and improve the quality of life in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At Vitawell, we use the purest extract for this amazing botanical.
Reference:
Wu, CY., Ke, Y., Zeng, YF. et al. Anticancer activity of Astragalus polysaccharide in human non-small cell lung cancer cells. Cancer Cell Int 17, 115 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12935-017-0487-6