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Astragalus Root is the dried root of the leguminous plant Mongolian Astragalus Root Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao or the membranous pod Astragalus Root Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. Hedysarum root is the dried root of the leguminous plant Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz. Astragalus Root is sourced from both wild and cultivated plants. Wild varieties are mainly produced in Qiqihar and Ning'an in Heilongjiang, Hunyuan, Fanshi, Yingxian, Yuanping, Guangling, and the northern Shanxi region, Minxian, Dangchang, and Wudu in Gansu, and Chifeng City and Ulanqab League in Inner Mongolia. Additionally, it is also produced in Jilin, Hebei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, but the quality is inferior to that from the aforementioned regions. Cultivated varieties are mainly produced in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Shandong, with Shanxi having a large cultivation area, high yield, and good quality. Traditionally, the Astragalus Root from the area between Qinyuan and Qinxian in Shanxi is considered the best and is known as "authentic." Hedysarum root is mainly cultivated but also found in the wild, distributed in Gansu and Sichuan, with the best quality generally coming from Minxian in Gansu.

Materia medica research suggests that ancient use of Astragalus Root mainly came from various species of the Astragalus genus in the legume family. By the Song Dynasty, the medicinal varieties of Astragalus Root were already close to those used today, with the membranous pod Astragalus Root Astragalus membranaceus and the Mongolian Astragalus Root Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus being the mainstream. The production area also shifted from the original Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia to Qinyuan in Shanxi, where the authentic product was called "Mian Astragalus Root." In the Qing Dynasty, in addition to Shanxi, Inner Mongolia also became a production area. As for Hedysarum root from the Hedysarum genus, it has always been one of the sources of Astragalus Root in ancient times but was generally not considered the genuine product. Zhongguo Yaodian once included it under Astragalus Root, but starting from the 1985 edition, it was listed separately. The Pharmacopoeia specifies its source as Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz.

bubble_chart Varietal research and historical evolution of authenticity

Astragalus Root was originally written as Astragalus Root. Bencao Gangmu explains the name: "Qi means long, and Astragalus Root is yellow, being the chief among tonic herbs, hence the name. Nowadays, it is commonly written as Astragalus Root, or sometimes as '蓍', which is incorrect. '蓍' refers to the divination plant, pronounced 'shi'." Wushi'er Bingfang writes Astragalus Root as "Huang Qi". According to Astragalus Root Bielu, it is also known as "Shu Zhi", and both "Shu Zhi" and "蓍" share the same ancient phonetic rhyme, allowing for interchangeable use. Additionally, Bielu mentions the name "Ji Cao", which is phonetically similar, suggesting that Li Shi-zhen's assertion that "蓍" is incorrect may not be entirely accurate. Astragalus Root Bencao Jing also has the alias "Dai San", which is also mentioned in Wushi'er Bingfang. Mori Risshi's Bencao Jing Kaozhu explains: "Dai San refers to the small, light yellow flowers that cluster together, resembling grains of rice on top, hence the name." This provides an alternative explanation.

The identity of Bencao Jing Astragalus Root cannot be definitively determined, but the Astragalus Root recorded in early texts may not be entirely consistent with the varieties used today. Judging from the production areas, early Astragalus Root was mainly concentrated in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi regions. For example, Bencao Jing states that it "grows in the valleys of Shu Commandery," while Bielu mentions it comes from "Baishui and Hanzhong." The Taiping Yulan, Volume 991, cites the Qinzhou Ji: "Longxi Xiangwu County produces Astragalus Root." Tao Hongjing categorized Astragalus Root into three types based on its origin and appearance. In his Collected Commentaries, he wrote: "The best comes from Longxi Taoyang, with a yellow-white color and sweet taste, but it is now rare. The second type comes from Heishui and Dangchang, with a white color and coarse texture, and the fresh ones are also sweet and have warming and tonifying properties. There is also the type from Canling and Baishui, which has a superior texture compared to the Sichuan variety but is cooling and tonifying." From Tao Hongjing's description, it is evident that the Astragalus Root from these three regions had significant quality differences. In the Sichuan-Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region, there are multiple species of Astragalus. In addition to Astragalus membranaceus, there are also Astragalus floridus Benth. ex Bunge, Astragalus ernestii Comb., Astragalus tongolensis Ulbr., and Astragalus chrysopterus Bge., indicating that during the Six Dynasties period, medicinal Astragalus Root was mainly derived from various species of Astragalus. Furthermore, according to the Liangshu: Biographies of Foreign Peoples, in the fifth year of Tianjian, the Dengzhi Kingdom "sent an envoy to present 400 catties of Astragalus Root," as also recorded in the Nanshi. The so-called "Dengzhi Kingdom," according to the Liangshu, was "located in the western Liangzhou region, a branch of the Qiang people." Its territory is in present-day western Gansu, and it is likely that the Astragalus Root they produced was one of the aforementioned varieties.

The "Xinxiu Bencao" states: "This plant has leaves resembling sheep's teeth, or like those of the Puncturevine Caltrop Fruit. It has a single stem, or sometimes grows in clusters. The best quality comes from Yuanzhou and Huayuan, and it is no longer used in Shuhan." Xiao Bing's "Four-Tone Materia Medica" mentions: "It is found in Yuanzhou and Huayuan's Guzi Mountain, with yellow flowers." The Yuanzhou mentioned in Tang Dynasty literature refers to today's Guyuan in Ningxia, and Huayuan refers to Yaoxian in Shaanxi. These regions also have wild resources of Astragalus membranaceus. According to the "Shu Bencao·Tujing": "The leaves resemble sheep's teeth grass, with a single stem and sparse branches, purple flowers, and roots like Liquorice Root, with yellow skin and white flesh, about two to three feet long. The best quality comes from Yuanzhou, and Yizhou and Ningzhou are also good." The flower crown of Astragalus membranaceus is yellow with a slight purplish-red tint, so Xiao Bing says the flowers are yellow, while Han Bao-sheng says they are purple, both likely referring to Astragalus membranaceus.

From the Song Dynasty, Astragalus membranaceus and Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus became the mainstream medicinal varieties. According to Su Song: "The roots are about two to three feet long, with a single stem or growing in clusters, and the branches are two to three inches above the ground. The leaves are sparse and resemble sheep's teeth or Puncturevine Caltrop Fruit seedlings, with yellow-purple flowers blooming in July and August, and pods about an inch long. The roots are harvested in August. The skin is as soft as cotton, hence called cotton Astragalus Root." He also describes the characteristics of high-quality Astragalus Root: "Astragalus Root is soft and tough, with slightly yellow-brown skin and white flesh." By this time, the production area of Astragalus Root had shifted from the original Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia to Shanxi and surrounding areas. The "Zhenglei" depicts "Xianzhou Astragalus Root," with Xianzhou located in today's Xinzhou's Jingle County in Shanxi. According to its medicinal illustration (Figure 1), it is somewhat close to the current authentic product.

Su Song mentions the origin of the later renowned "cotton Astragalus Root": "Its skin is as soft as cotton, hence called cotton Astragalus Root." Chen Cheng has a different explanation: "The 'Tujing' depicts the Xianshui area as adjacent to Mianshang. If it is called cotton Astragalus Root because it is soft and tough like cotton, then all Astragalus Roots are soft and tough, and the fake ones are distinguished by being dry and brittle." Su and Chen have different views; Su believes it is named after the medicinal properties, while Chen says it is named after the production area. Later generations often reconcile the two, such as the "Tangye Bencao" stating: "Mianshang is in Qinzhou, Shanxi. Astragalus Root tastes sweet, is soft like cotton, and can make people fat." The "Bencao Mengquan" states: "Cotton Astragalus from Mianshang in Qinzhou, Shanxi, is of excellent quality," and also: "Choose those that are single and not forked, straight like an arrow, with brown and moist skin, white flesh, and yellow core, soft like cotton when broken, and sweet like honey when chewed. Such roots are effective and miraculous." The "Bencao Yuanshi" states: "Astragalus Root from Mianshang in Qinzhou, Shanxi, is called cotton Astragalus, also known as cotton Astragalus because it is as soft as cotton when broken." As Mr. Xie Zongwan pointed out in "The Materia Medica Research of Chinese Medicinals Astragalus Root and Hedysarum Root," "Both explanations of cotton Astragalus Root are valid," and its original plants are undoubtedly Astragalus membranaceus and Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus.

In the Song Dynasty, Astragalus Root seems to have been cultivated. Chao Buzhi's "Chicken Rib Collection" Volume 11, in a poem titled "Li Cheng's Official Yizhai," mentions: "This year's early spring is delayed, and the gaps by the wall can be slightly cultivated. Initially planted with Saposhnikovia Root and Astragalus Root, the Laizhou stone tripod is green glass." Jin Wang Teqi's poem about Qinyuan Mountain states: "The countryman does not know the magistrate of Wucheng, and when asked, he remains silent with a slight change in expression, only saying that this year's autumn rain is heavy, and Astragalus Root fills the valley with no one to pick." This specifically mentions Astragalus Root from Qinyuan, Shanxi. The "Bencao Gangmu" states: "Its seeds are collected and sown in October, similar to planting vegetables." This should be a clear record of Astragalus Root cultivation.

During the Qing Dynasty, the production areas of Astragalus Root expanded beyond Shanxi to include Inner Mongolia. Zhiwu Mingshi Tukao states: "There are several types of Astragalus Root, with those produced in Shanxi and Mongolia being the best." "The Identification of Medicinal Production" mentions: "The main production areas of Astragalus Root are divided into three regions: one in Guandong, one in Ningguta, and one in Bukui, all located in the three northeastern provinces."

Hedysarum root was first mentioned in the "Collected Commentaries," where Tao Hong-jing noted under the entry for Astragalus Root: "There is also a red variety, which can be used to make plasters for reducing abscesses and swelling." It is generally believed that this refers to the Astragalus Root Hedysarum polybotrys, which has a reddish-brown skin. The "Yaoxing Lun" states: "The red-skinned variety from Shu Bai Shui is slightly cold and is used to treat guest heat." This should also refer to the same plant. However, it should be noted that it has always been one of the commercial sources of Astragalus Root without differentiation, and most literature does not consider the red-skinned variety to be superior. For example, the "Revised Weiyao Tiaobian" states: "The variety from Sichuan is called Chuan Qi, comes in small bundles, has a red-black skin, is hard, has tough fibers like hemp, and tastes grassy, considered the lowest quality." It is suspected to also be a plant of the Hedysarum genus. Therefore, the "Zhongguo Yaodian" once graded Hedysarum polybotrys as a Grade I source of Astragalus Root, listing it under the Astragalus Root entry. However, starting from the 1985 edition, it was listed separately under the name Hedysarum Root to avoid confusion with Astragalus Root.