Can Astragalus be taken for a long time?

Disease is the most trouble that bothers people in life. Once people are sick, they will not have the energy to do various things, which will affect their normal life and work. Therefore, some people want to use Chinese medicine for conditioning. For example, some people who have symptoms such as kidney deficiency, deficiency of qi and blood may think of using Astragalus for treatment, but can Astragalus be taken for a long time? Generally speaking, you should not take any medication for a long time, because all medications will have certain side effects, and Astragalus is no exception. Although it is a traditional Chinese medicine, it is best not to take it frequently.

For patients with kidney disease caused by yin deficiency, dampness, heat, and severe heat toxicity, the use of Astragalus will generally cause toxic side effects and should be prohibited. Because Astragalus is sweet and slightly warm in nature, taking it will cause heat in patients with Yin deficiency, which can easily damage Yin and cause bleeding; while taking it will easily cause evil to stagnate in patients with damp heat and excessive heat toxicity, making their condition worse. If you must take Astragalus, you must use it in combination.

Symptoms of Yin deficiency: hot palms and soles, dry mouth and throat, back pain, hot flashes and night sweats, insomnia and nightmares, red tongue without coating, and thin and rapid pulse. Symptoms of damp-heat: bitter taste in the mouth, dry mouth, yellow and greasy tongue coating, etc. Symptoms of severe heat toxicity: various purulent infections, such as acne infection, pharyngeal infection, peritonitis, etc., manifested as flushed face, red throat, dry throat, sore throat, bitter and dry mouth, red lips and tongue, yellow and dry tongue coating, slippery and rapid pulse, etc.

When patients with yin deficiency use Astragalus, it must be used in combination with yin-nourishing medicines, such as raw rehmannia, cooked rehmannia, Scrophularia, Ophiopogon japonicus, Asparagus cochinchinensis, and Polygonatum odoratum. Patients with damp-heat must be treated with drugs that clear damp-heat, such as Coptis chinensis, Artemisia capillaris, Scutellaria baicalensis, etc. Patients with severe heat and toxicity must be treated with heat-clearing and detoxifying drugs, such as Coptis chinensis, Gardenia jasminoides, Rhubarb, and Patrinia salsa.

Because Astragalus can aggravate the symptoms of getting angry and can stop sweating, it is not suitable for people who have just caught a cold, have no sweat, have food stagnation, have yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity, or have severe heat and toxicity. Patients should not increase the dosage without authorization when taking Astragalus, otherwise the chance of adverse reactions such as hypertension will increase significantly.

The above are some questions about whether Astragalus can be eaten for a long time. It is understood that Astragalus cannot be taken at certain times. For example, some people will have fever and sweating when they are getting angry. If Astragalus is taken at this time, it will not only fail to cure the disease, but will also cause adverse reactions such as food accumulation, so everyone needs to pay attention.