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Ast5.0
Astragalus Research
Probably helps
204 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Probably helps
Astragalus helped in about half (3/6) of the studies that measured an effect — promising, but not unanimous.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 1990–2026 with a typical study size of 1,356 participants.
Based on 203 studies · 61 meta-analyses · 75 RCTs · 45,487 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
3helped1unclear2didn't help· 197 more without graded effect data
By outcome
Therapeutic & clinical
Probably helps75 studies
Heart & blood pressure
Mostly mechanism / observational23 studies
Immune supportImproved immune markers in low-quality adjuvant trials; oral monotherapy data thin · 4-8 weeks
Mixed evidence15 studies
Glucose & metabolic
Mostly mechanism / observational13 studies
Energy & fatigueNo reliable human evidence for an energy or fatigue benefit · 4-8 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational11 studies
InflammationPolysaccharides modulate immune cytokines in low-quality trials · 4-8 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational7 studies
Longevity & agingTelomere claim rests on one small RCT plus animal data; preliminary · Ongoing
Mostly mechanism / observational6 studies
Safety profile
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Neuroprotection & brain aging
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Cognitive function
Too few graded studies2 studies
Women's health
Too few graded studies2 studies
Skin health
Too few graded studies1 study
Cholesterol & lipids
Too few graded studies1 study
By the numbers
Pulled from 45 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
75%
across studies
People studied
45k
typical study: 1356 people
Strongest designs
136
61 pooled, 75 randomised
Showed benefit
50%
3/6 studies
How long studies ran
1–4 weeks
1
1–3 months
2
3+ months
2
Populations Studied
Diabetic nephropathy patients2
Diabetes patients1
Malignant tumor patients1
Stage III diabetic nephropathy patients1
Active research area
99 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
199020082026
1Meta-Analysisn=750 · large study2025
Clinical application may consider older adults with immunosenescence, incorporating safety surveillance for gastrointestinal and oncological endpoints.
Su X, Wang C, Gou Z, Qu Y. · Cell biology and toxicology (2025)
Results TA-65 supplementation induced moderate telomere elongation (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.31-0.62; p < 0.00001), with amplified effects in adults > 60 years (SMD = 0.63 vs. 0.36; p = 0.03).
Industry-funded trials reported inflated efficacy (SMD = 0.63 vs. 0.40; p = 0.03).
Critically, telomere elongation did not translate to functional improvements in frailty (SMD = 0.09, p = 0.15) or inflammation (CRP/IL-6 SMD = - 0.11, p = 0.07), revealing a telomere-function disconnect.
2Diabetic nephropathy managementMeta-AnalysisCited 3×n=1,443 · large study2025
Through rigorous experimental validation, our study demonstrates AS's significant clinical efficacy in managing DN.
Liang H et al. · Renal failure (2025)
Meanwhile, when the treatment duration exceeds 12 weeks, AS demonstrated a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose levels, indicating a time-dependent effect.
Through rigorous experimental validation, our study demonstrates AS's significant clinical efficacy in managing DN.
Specifically, AS has been shown to enhance renal function, ameliorate renal fibrosis, and positively influence iron metabolism.
3Diabetes management effectivenessMeta-AnalysisCited 2×n=7,318 · very large study2025
TCM has demonstrated considerable effectiveness in managing diabetes.
Tang S et al. · Frontiers in endocrinology (2025)
TCM has demonstrated considerable effectiveness in managing diabetes.
Through meta-analysis and network pharmacology research, this translational study establishes Level 1a evidence for TCM's antidiabetic efficacy while decoding its systems-level mechanisms.
The integrated methodology provides a paradigm for evaluating complex herbal interventions in metabolic disorders.
4CD8+ T cell count and adverse reactionsMeta-AnalysisCited 3×n=2,648 · very large study2025
Li Q et al. · Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology (2025)
No clear effect
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Could be chance
No substantial distinctions were noted between the two groups in terms of CD8 + T cell count [MD = -1.74, 95% CI (-4.66, 1.17), P = 0.242].
Regarding adverse reactions, the incidence of symptoms such as hand-foot numbness and weakness was low, indicating a high safety profile.
Supplementation with APS can improve treatment outcomes, enhance immune function, and demonstrate a high level of safety in malignant tumor patients, making it a promising option for clinical use.
5Urinary microprotein (β2-MG) in stage III diabetic nephropathyMeta-AnalysisCited 6×n=2,462 · very large study2024
The astragalus-RAAS blocker combination treatment is safe and improves outcomes; however, rigorous randomized, large-scale, multi-center, double-blind trials are needed to evaluate its efficacy and safety in stage III DN.
Lin YQ et al. · Renal failure (2024)
Meanwhile, the latter significantly decreased the urinary microprotein (β2-MG).
The astragalus-RAAS blocker combination treatment is safe and improves outcomes; however, rigorous randomized, large-scale, multi-center, double-blind trials are needed to evaluate its efficacy and safety in stage III DN.
6COPD treatment effectivenessMeta-AnalysisCited 4×n=1,070 · large study2023
The combination of astragalus injection and ambroxol hydrochloride could be a selection of COPD patients as an adjuvant treatment.
Zhou Z et al. · Scientific reports (2023)
The combination of astragalus injection and ambroxol hydrochloride could be a selection of COPD patients as an adjuvant treatment.
However, further validation is required to evaluate the effectiveness of combining astragalus injection and ambroxol hydrochloride as an adjunctive treatment for patients with COPD.
7Complete response rate, partial response rate, serum albumin, and proteinuria reductionMeta-AnalysisCited 6×n=3,423 · very large study2023
Adjunctive use of A membranaceus preparations combined with supportive care or immunosuppressive therapy have a promising treatment for improving complete response rate, partial response rate, serum albumin, and reducing proteinuria, serum creatinine levels compared to immunosuppressive therapy in people with MN being at moderate-high risk for disease progression.
Wang D et al. · Medicine (2023)
Given the inherent limitations of the included studies, future well-designed randomized controlled trials are required to confirm and update the findings of this analysis.
The combination of traditional Chinese medicine adjuvant therapy has a good curative effect on PDR patients.
Huai B et al. · Frontiers in endocrinology (2023)
The combination of traditional Chinese medicine adjuvant therapy has a good curative effect on PDR patients.
However, the relevant clinical trials are few and more high-quality clinical trials are still needed, what's more the attention should be paid to the exploration of its safety.
9Total effective ratio and significant effective ratioMeta-AnalysisCited 4×n=953 · large study2024
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42022338491.
Hong KF et al. · Journal of integrative and complementary medicine (2024)
Large harm
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
The total effective ratio of the OG is more effective than CG (RR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.26-1.40, P = 0.000), the significant effective ratio (RR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.48-1.93, P = 0.000).
Conclusions: Astragalus may provide specific benefits for T2DM patients as an adjuvant treatment.
Nonetheless, the certainty of the evidence and risk of bias fell short of optimal performance, indicating the need for additional clinical research to ascertain potential effects.
10Serum myocardial enzymes and cardiac troponin I levelsSystematic ReviewCited 18×n=2,522 · very large study2020
In conclusion, the findings suggested that AM is a cardioprotection candidate drug for VM.
Zheng Q et al. · Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity (2020)
Borderline
In clinical study, AM significantly reduced serum myocardial enzymes and cardiac troponin I levels and improved the clinical treatment efficiency in VM patients compared with the control group (P < 0.05).
Significant increase of the survival rate and decrease of the cardiac cardiology score, cardiac enzymes, and cardiac troponin I were compared with the placebo group in animal studies (P < 0.05).
There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions (P > 0.05).
11Spinal cord injury treatment outcomesMeta-AnalysisCited 20×n=1,961 · large study2020
However, considering the low quality, small size, and high risk of the studies identified in this meta-analysis, higher methodological quality, rigorously designed RCTs with large sample sizes are needed to confirm the results.
Zheng Y et al. · The American journal of Chinese medicine (2020)
In addition, there were no serious and permanent adverse effects in the two groups.
The methodological quality of the most included RCTs was poor and the quality of evidence for the main outcomes was from very low to moderate according to the GRADE system.
Current evidence suggests that CHM is an effective and safe treatment for SCI and could be treated as a complementary and alternative option with few side effects.
12Meta-AnalysisCited 56×n=2,253 · very large study2019
The low quality of evidence suggested that adjunctive use of A. membranaceus preparations in addition to conventional therapies may be effective and tolerated for short-term reduction of albuminuria, proteinuria, and serum creatinine in DKD patients.
Zhang L et al. · Journal of ethnopharmacology (2019)
An anti-albuminuria effect was also observed in the oral A. membranaceus preparation group (four RCTs, 236 participants; SMD: 1.27 [-1.82, -0.73], I2 = 73%).
The low quality of evidence suggested that adjunctive use of A. membranaceus preparations in addition to conventional therapies may be effective and tolerated for short-term reduction of albuminuria, proteinuria, and serum creatinine in DKD patients.
The findings should be considered with caution due to the lack of high-quality RCTs and significant heterogeneity and publication bias.
13Renal protective effect and systemic state improvementMeta-AnalysisCited 99×n=1,804 · large study2011
Astragalus injection had more therapeutic effect in DN patients including renal protective effect (BUN, SCr, CCr and urine protein) and systemic state improvement (serum albumin level) compared with the control group.
Li M et al. · Journal of ethnopharmacology (2011)
Astragalus injection had more therapeutic effect in DN patients including renal protective effect (BUN, SCr, CCr and urine protein) and systemic state improvement (serum albumin level) compared with the control group.