What Is Astragalus? Health Benefits, Risks, More

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On August 4, 2025

While astragalus has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries, there’s a lack of reliable scientific evidence backing up the health claims.

“There’s a meaningful body of research suggesting astragalus [has benefits], however, the overall quality of this evidence is relatively low,“ says Chrissie Ott, MD, a board-certified integrative medicine doctor based in Portland, Oregon. “We need more rigorous, independent, randomized, controlled trials before we can translate early signals into specific, reliable guidance.”

Dr. Wattles points out, however, that astragalus is a source of antioxidants, so it’s plausible that it offers benefits similar to those of other antioxidants. “With a lot of these botanicals, there’s great anecdotal evidence, but the research hasn’t quite caught up yet,” she says.

Here are some potential benefits of astragalus, according to existing preliminary research, though more research is needed across the board.

May Improve Immune Function

A meta-analysis including 19 human studies found that astragalus can boost the immune system by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and enhancing immune markers in cells.

The authors of the meta-analysis note that there were substantial differences between some of the studies in the review, however, and Dr. Ott says that weakens their conclusions.

May Benefit Kidney Health

Astragalus may be a promising treatment for people with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (a kidney disease), according to a meta-analysis of 50 human studies. The researchers note, however, that most of the studies included were small and not randomized; so randomized, controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Ott adds that study heterogeneity (meaning little variation among the studies included in the analysis) weakens the authors’ conclusions.

May Help Diabetes Symptom Management

A meta-analysis of 20 studies of people with type 2 diabetes found that astragalus might help treat type 2 diabetes and led to improvements in insulin sensitivity and fasting plasma glucose, among other effects. However, more studies are needed, as the authors note that many of the studies included had biases and limited evidence.

Ott adds that though the benefits were mild, the anti-inflammatory effects of astragalus might help patients with diabetes or metabolic syndrome. But since the research isn’t conclusive, it’s important to listen to your doctor and follow your traditional diabetes treatment plan. “Astragalus is neither snake oil nor a miracle cure,” Ott says. “It’s a potentially helpful tool in a broader tool kit.”

May Help Cancer Treatment

Studies of tumors in animals and cells have found that astragalus may help fight liver, stomach, breast, and ovarian cancers. It may work by shrinking or stabilizing tumors, improving the efficiency of chemotherapy, and potentially keeping cancer cells from spreading.

It’s important to note that these studies used astragalus as a complementary therapy to traditional cancer treatments, rather than as a replacement.

May Protect Skin From UV Damage

Astragalus is becoming more common as an ingredient in skin-care products such as creams and serums (rather than supplements), and there is some preliminary research on human cells showing that it may protect skin against photo-damage aging, or skin damage from sunlight and UV rays.

However, this was done in a lab versus on humans, so it’s not conclusive, Ott says.

All in all, it’s “interesting data, but we are far from stating that we have conclusive proof of a measurable and replicable benefit,” Ott says.