''Astragalus propinquus'' (syn. ''Astragalus membranaceus'', commonly known as Mongolian milkvetch in English; 'Хунчир' in Mongolian; ''huáng qí'' (), ''běi qí'' () or ''huáng huā huáng qí'' (), in Mongolia, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

. It is one of the

50 fundamental herbs Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that t ...

used in

traditional Mongolian medicine Traditional Mongolian medicine developed over many years among the Mongolian people. Mongolian medical practice spread across their empire and became an ingrained part of many other people's medical systems. History The Mongols were part of a w ...

. It is a

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

and it is not listed as being threatened.

Herbalism

''A. propinquus'' is used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

(TCM). ''A. propinquus'' is a component in Lectranal, a food supplement used in treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis, though there is limited evidence of its effectiveness.

Chemistry

Chemical constituents of the roots (Radix Astragali) include

polysaccharide Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with wa ...

s and

triterpenoids Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squale ...

(such as

astragaloside Chemical structure of astragaloside IV Astragalosides are a series of related chemical compounds isolated from '' Astragalus membranaceus''. References Triterpene glycosides Saponins {{organic-compound-stub ...

s), as well as

isoflavone Isoflavones are substituted derivatives of isoflavone, a type of naturally occurring isoflavonoids, many of which act as phytoestrogens in mammals. Isoflavones are produced almost exclusively by the members of the bean family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae ...

s (including kumatakenin,

calycosin Calycosin is an ''O''-methylated isoflavone. It can be isolated from ''Astragalus membranaceus'' Bge. var. ''mongholicus'' and ''Trifolium pratense'' L. (red clover). Biosynthesis Isoflavone 3′-hydroxylase uses formononetin Formononetin is ...

, and

formononetin Formononetin is an O-methylated isoflavone. Natural occurrences Formononetin is found in a number of plants and herbs such as red clover. Along with other phytoestrogens, it predominantly occurs in leguminous plants and Fabaceae, particularly ...

) and their

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

s and malonates. An extract of ''A. propinquus'' called TA-65 may activate

telomerase Telomerase, also called terminal transferase, is a ribonucleoprotein that adds a species-dependent telomere repeat sequence to the 3' end of telomeres. A telomere is a region of repetitive sequences at each end of the chromosomes of most euka ...

, extending the lengths of the shortest telomeres which protect the terminal DNA at the ends of all chromosomes. It contains the saponin

cycloastragenol Cycloastragenol is a triterpenoid isolated from various legume species in the genus ''Astragalus'' that is purported to have telomerase activation activity. A preliminary ''in vitro'' study on human CD4 and CD8 T cells found that cycloastragenol ...

Toxicology

While several other species of ''Astragalus'' are known to cause severe poisonings in livestock due to indolizine

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s, aliphatic nitro compounds, and accumulated selenium, none of these constituents have been detected in ''Astragalus propinquus'' used in

dietary supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...

s and TCM preparations.

Compendial status

''A. propinquus'' is listed in the following official

pharmacopoeia A pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea (from the obsolete typography ''pharmacopœia'', meaning "drug-making"), in its modern technical sense, is a book containing directions for the identification of compound medicines, and published by ...

: * Japanese Pharmacopoeia

Notes and references

External links