Coming from the leguminosae family, the root of astragalus (astragalus membranaceous, A. membranaceous), or huang-qi (in Chinese) is the part of this plant used for medicine. Traditionally sliced thinly and dried, this root can also be found powdered or ground as it is often distributed through western practitioners.
Astragalus primarily acts as an immune enhancer/modulater/stimulant (depending on what the body needs it to be), has antiviral, antibacterial, tonic, diuretic functions in the longslungs, spleen, and GI tract specifically. It is also a heart protector.1
As an extremely complex disease with different manifestations depending on the infected individual, there are myriad new treatments, many of which are only now beginning to be known by the general public.
Herbal treatments seem to be particularly good for treating lyme arthritis or other inflammation symptoms associated with the disease, as well as with collagen tissue and immune support. In some cases, herbs are actually also noted as being just as effective (and in some cases more effective) in acting as antimicrobial and treating the Lyme borreliosis infection antimicrobials as traditionally prescribed antibiotic drug regimes as well (in addition to their ability to treat the symptoms of the disease.)
In fact, most of the herbs listed in detail below have many curative properties that can treat many if not all of the major symptom groups implicated in Lyme Disease.
Sometimes, people seem to consider herbal/dietary/other treatments as being experimental and traditional medical treatments as being main-stream, but in the case of the Lyme Disease, that which is not well understood, all treatments are equally " experimental " in nature, as no one is quite sure what works.1
