|
Astragalus membranaceus reduces hay fever
Supplements with a moderate dose of Astragalus membranaceus are perhaps a solution for people who suffer from hay fever. According to Croatian researchers, hay fever patients who take two capsules of Astragalus membranaceus a day are less affected by a runny nose, sneezing and itching after a few weeks.
Study
The researchers, who were affiliated with Clinical Hospital Dubrava in Zagreb, divided 41 subjects with hay fever into 2 groups. During a period of 6 weeks - which fell within the hay fever season - one group took placebo twice a day, and the other group took two times a day a capsule containing 80 milligrams of Astragalus membranaceus extract.
The Croatians used Lectranal, [lectranal.com] a product of Croatian Milsing. The extract (18:1) in Lectranal consists of 40% polysaccharides, and is extracted from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus with alcohol and water (70:30). The plants were from the Chinese Hunan.
The article does not say who paid the research.
Results
The subjects who received Astragalus membranaceus reported a stronger reduction in hay fever symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing and itching than the subjects who received a placebo. If you want to know how strong the effects were, read the caption below the figures.
Mechanism
"Analysing the possible underlying mechanisms that may explain the beneficial effects of Astragalus membranaceus in allergic conditions, many reports suggested its significant immunomodulatory effects demonstrated in different experimental settings", write the Croatians. "Chinese, Korean and Japanese herbal medicines containing Astragalus membranaceus were documented as being capable of modulating Th1/Th2 specific cytokine production in allergic animals."
"More specifically, Astragali radix extract has been documented selectively as altering in vitro Th1/Th2 cytokine secretion patterns, providing a basis for its clinical application in allergic diseases."
Conclusion
"The present study revealed a significant number of positive signals indicating the therapeutic effectiveness of a herbal and mineral complex in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis", the researchers continu. "This herbal and mineral complex should be further tested in multicentre trials with a larger number of patients (80-100 patients per group) in order to confirm all the positive trends observed."
Source:
Phytother Res. 2010 Feb;24(2):175-81.
More:
Take spirulina now, and avoid hay fever in the spring 24.02.2012
Fish oil could halve chance of hay fever 08.03.2010
Archives:
Astragalus membranaceus
Immune System
|
