百子櫃THE HUNDRED DRAWERS
Astragalus root
北芪
replenishes qipromotes water metabolism補氣升陽固表止汗利水消腫氣虛易感冒、易攰者常用
The root of Astragalus membranaceus, sold as pale tongue-shaped diagonal slices with a fibrous, sweet, bean-like character. It boils down soft and gives tonic soups a mellow legume sweetness and rounded body without dominating the pot.
TCM properties
Nature · warming Flavour · sweet Meridians · spleen、lung
Traditional food therapy
In Cantonese food therapy it is the everyday qi-lifting root, traditionally paired with codonopsis, red dates or dang gui to raise energy, firm the body's surface against sweating, and ease water retention.
Cautions: read first
- Not while you have a cold or a fever
- Take care with yin deficiency and rising fire, with full heat, and with uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Do not boil it with radish
Preparation
Soak and rinse the dried slices.
Origin · Geo-authentic (道地) source
Hunyuan, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia (the true 北芪); today most supply comes from Longxi, Gansu. AU herbal shops sell bulk root slices
Availability in Australia
Herbal shops / specialists
