Can Astragalus Relieve Colitis?

Research suggests astragalus may help reduce inflammation in the colon associated with colitis.

Preclinical research suggests that astragalus could help treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In traditional medicine, astragalus is used to treat diarrhea caused by IBD conditions. Now modern research indicates astragalus and its compounds can actually reduce the inflammation that causes the painful symptoms of IBD. ^{36, 87, 110}

Rats with induced colitis were given astragalus or astragalus compounds. Compared to the control groups, results showed that those given the herb or its compounds had: ^{36, 87}

Significantly less inflammatory proteins
Decreased lesion area in the colon
Less cellular damage
Regenerated and restored damaged intestinal walls

Research suggests that these beneficial outcomes from astragalus could help lead to long-term remission of colitis or other types of IBD. ³⁶

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Specifically, astragaloside IV. ³⁶