Herb. No. 083 · Fabaceae
Northern Chinese and Mongolian milkvetch steppe.
Native · East Asia
Native Also grown
OpenCautionplant
Astragalus
Astragalus mongholicus
A northern Chinese milkvetch root simmered for months of recovery — not an acute cold rescue.
Huang qi is a sweet, fibrous root used as a qi tonic in Chinese herbalism, often in soup. Modern extracts are marketed for immune tone. Traditional use is slow and food-like. Immune stimulation is a caution in autoimmune disease and organ transplant.
Flavor
Sweet, beany, faintly licorice — a soup bone of a root, not a tea flower.
Parts used
Root
In favor
- A true soup herb
- Can be grown in a cold garden if you wait for the root
Against
- Years to a decent root
- Immune modulation is not for everyone