APPLICATION OF ASTRAGALUS IN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES IN DOGS AND CATS

Astragalus is a plant of the Leguminosae family (beans or legumes). Astragalus is a perennial flowering plant, often called as Milkvetch root or Huang-qi. The plant grows from 16 to 36 inches tall. Astragalus is native to North and Eastern China, also Mongolia and Korea. Astragalus roots are harvested from the 4-year-old plants. The root of Astragalus is the only part of the plant that’s used medicinally.

Astragalus has thousands of years history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Astragalus is an adaptogen which helps the body to fight off stress, diseases and boosts the immune system. Three main components of Astragalus are: saponins, flavonoids and polysaccharides.

SAPONINS are known for their ability to improve the immune system, lower cholesterol, and prevent cancers.

FLAVONOIDS are known for antioxidative qualities. They are capable of scavenging free radicals, preventing cancers and heart diseases, and immunodeficiency viruses.

POLYSACCHARIDES are known for antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and other capabilities.

MAIN PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF ASTRAGALUS:

ANTIOXIDATIVE – scavenges free radicals, increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes, inhibits the peroxidation

ANTICANCER – exerts anti-carcinogenesis properties by inhibiting tumor cell growth, preventing inflammation, increasing tumor suppression, and inhibiting cancer cell invasion

CARDIOPROTECTIVE – lowers the plasma lipids, exerts vasorelaxation effect, reduces cardiac muscle injury, inhibits blood pressure elevation and decrease the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY – inhibition of the production of inflammatory factors and their gene expression

ANTIASTHMATIC – inhibits airway inflammation associated with asthma

IMMUNOMODULATING – improves immune organs such as the liver, kidneys, and spleen, improves immunity by the proliferation of immune cells, exerts immune system enhancing effects

NEUROPROTECTIVE – protects dopaminergic neurons and promotes neural process outgrowth, maintains dopamine synthesis, prevents neuron pathology, reduces neural apoptosis, improves cognitive functions

ANTIVIRAL – decreases the viral replication, enhances the cellular immunity against viruses

ANTIDIABETIC – protects pancreatic beta cells from cell death, exerts positive effects on regulating the mechanism of glucose and lipid metabolisms, improves the insulin function, decreases the expression of an insulin-resistance protein

CHART LEGEND

H – ingredient has HIGH impact on specified disease

M – ingredient has MEDIUM impact on specified disease

N – there is no data confirming the impact of the ingredient on specified disease