Astragalus

Alrighty, here we go again with What’s in it Wednesday!!! Remember last week we talked about those Adaptogen Herbs as a group making our bodies basically feel like little super power people? Well this week I was going to start breaking down that group of Adaptogen Herbs as we know that’s a group of herbs, but what specifically right?

SOOOOO :)   In my words and from my own experience! Before I started drinking Shakeology I would faithfully every year around Spring Break time frame would get a cold and eventually every year this cold turned into pneumonia. This usually left me out of work for at least a week trying to recover and of course the medical bills piling up again from the x-rays, doctor appointments, and medicine I would have to pay. Easily each and every year this would cost me about $1000 a year going through this. Not to mention just quality time lost with my family or lack of productivity out of myself.

However, since drinking Shakeology, I have not had one round of pneumonia. Actually, I haven’t even been really sick besides I believe a runny nose once. My family, my children also do not get sick. I from my own personal experience totally contribute this to drinking Shakeology faithfully every day for this change in my own body. Now it seems I may have learned one of the key ingredients in helping me to change this unfortunate expensive pattern to a much more desirable one. To MY new way of life!!!! A happy and healthy one!!!!

Here is what I learned. One of them is the Astragalus. This is basically a root within those herbs and is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. The dried root is used medicinally. Astragalus roots are sold as long pieces, which have a tough, fibrous skin with a lighter interior. Some products are produced by frying the roots with honey, although the untreated root itself has a sweet, licorice-like taste.

The Astragalus has a history of use as a herbal medicine used in systems of traditional Chinese medicine and Persian medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine it has been used to reinforce qi and strengthen the superficial resistance, and promote the discharge of pus and the growth of new tissue. It is used in China principally as a tonic and for treatment of diabetes and nephritis. It is an important component of Fu-Zheng therapy in China, where the goal is to restore immune system function. There is extensive Chinese literature on the drug.

Biotechnology firms are working on deriving a telomerase activator from Astragalus. The chemical constituent cycloastragenol (also called TAT2) is being studied to help combat HIV, as well as infections associated with chronic diseases or aging. There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that astragalus, either alone or in combination with other herbs, may have potential benefits for the immune system, heart, and liver, and as an adjunctive therapy for cancer. The most common use of astragalus root in herbal medicine in the US is as an immunostimulant to counteract the immune suppression associated with cancer therapy.

Research of the herb is often focused on the function of cycloastragenol in the aging process of immune cells, and its effects on the cell’s response to viral infections. It appears to increase the production of telomerase, an enzyme that mediates the replacement of short bits of DNA known as telomeres, which play a key role in cell replication, including in cancer processes.

Other uses include the Astragalus often is recommended for the prevention of the common cold.

Extracts of Astragalus are marketed as life-prolonging extracts for human use. A proprietary extract of the dried root has been associated with a significant age-reversal effect in the immune system, in that it led to declines in the percentage of senescent cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells after six to twelve months of use.

So, pretty sure I will never quit drinking Shakeology! Shakeology is WAY more than just some protein shake or weight loss shake out there on the market!!! It more than pays for itself in the long run!!!