Hi,
i am just starting to use Astragalus membranaceus as a hay-fever remedy, and want to know if it is save to use with Ayahuasca (or other MAOI).
(its TCM , so maybe DocBuxin knows ?)
THX

Hello InLaKesh!

Yes indeed, Astragalus is very safe to use with just about any other herb or plant medicine imaginable.

Astragalus root is a warming respiratory tonic. It strengthens the lung function & the protective function of the skin (part of the Lung System) that allows for more resistance to externally contracted diseases.

Typically Astragalus needs to be used every day (or nearly every day) for 90 days to realize its full potential benefits.

The only real contraindication with Astragalus root (other than the typical cautions regarding pregnancy & nursing) is in some cases where high blood pressure is present as it can possibly raise blood pressure even more so.

Astragalus root is one of the large handful of Traditional Chinese Medicines that is often used in soups & stews. It is what I like to call a "foody herb".

Hope that helps!

Peace

Thank you very much Doc

I am planing to take it for one year straight , with the hope to get rid of the nasty synthetic antihisatmines.
Your info is much appreciated !

Note that if you have what I call a "dry, skinny constitution", or what Chinese medicine calls a "yin deficient constitution", and especially if you've been using antihistamine medications for a long time (more than, say, a month or so), you'll want to add some other herbs that are moistening to the Lung/respiratory system.

This is due to Astragalus's warming, drying energetic, along with antihistamine medication having a deleterious drying effect upon the respiratory system & the fact that the more dried-out the membranes of the respiratory system are, the more respiratory problems one will have (allergies, frequent colds/respiratory flus/asthma reactions, etc.).

I highly recommend looking into one of these two formulas (there is nothing in Western herbalism that even comes close to these, I promise):

Bai He Gu Jin Tang (or Wan instead of Tang at the end indicating pill form rather than decoction).
English name: "Lily Bulb Decoction To Preserve The Metal" (the metal element being the Lung/Large Intestine/Skin system).

Or

Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Wan
English name: Adenophora And Ophiopogon Decoction Pills

Either of these formulas are specifically for moisturizing the respiratory system. They also happen to moisturize the Stomach/Spleen system also, which can be an added benefit.

Best of luck InLaKesh! And don't hesitate to contact me via this thread or PM me if you have any more questions regarding this topic.

Peace.

Not to thread-jack, but do you think astragalus might help me get over a bad case of acute urticaria, Doc? I'm still on antihistamines, but trying to taper off...

Thanks in advance!

Sorry for the late response Chan....Didn't check back on this thread until right now


Astragalus could potentially help, but keep in mind that it might make it worse before it makes it better due to the fact that Astragalus is a long-term strategy to reduce the over-all frequency & severity of such things as acute urticaria (to use your example).

It is not generally used as a short-term, acute-problem corrector.

However, considering how relatively non-toxic it is & its safety profile, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try (other than my original statement that it could possibly make it worse at first).

Better traditional Chinese medicinal formulas to look into for short-term, acute skin outbreaks include: Yin Chiao (aka Yin Qiao) and/or Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan (aka Dan Zhi Xiao Yao Wan).
The former is an cooling, aromatic herb combo that releases the skin layer & happens to be a pretty decent anti-viral & bacterial. The latter is a mild, safe liver-detoxifier, hormone balancer & mood stabilizer (every skin outbreak, no matter what modern, Western science wants to label it, has some emotional factor in it).

Best of luck Chan!

Peace

Hi Doc, many thanks for that, well understood!