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Ast5.0
Astragalus Research
Limited support
189 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Probably helps
Astragalus helped in about half (3/5) of the studies that measured an effect — promising, but not unanimous.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 1990–2027 with a typical study size of 1,222 participants.
Based on 187 studies · 48 meta-analyses · 73 RCTs · 35,739 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
3helped1unclear1didn't help· 182 more without graded effect data
By outcome
Therapeutic & clinical
Probably helps63 studies
Heart & blood pressure
Mostly mechanism / observational22 studies
Immune supportImproved immune markers in low-quality adjuvant trials; oral monotherapy data thin · 4-8 weeks
Mixed evidence13 studies
Glucose & metabolic
Mostly mechanism / observational11 studies
Energy & fatigueNo reliable human evidence for an energy or fatigue benefit · 4-8 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational8 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
90 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
199020082027
1Meta-Analysisn=750 · large study2025
In plain English: 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.
2Fasting blood glucose levels and renal function in diabetic nephropathyMeta-Analysisn=1,443 · large study2025
In plain English: 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-Analysisn=7,318 · very large study2025
In plain English: 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-Analysisn=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.
5Complete response rate, partial response rate, serum albumin, and proteinuria reductionMeta-Analysisn=3,423 · very large study2023
In plain English: 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.
6COPD treatment effectivenessMeta-Analysisn=1,070 · large study2023
In plain English: 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.
In plain English: 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.
In plain English: 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.