Jiayi Wu , Jiayao Zhou

Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 4   doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0020
Received: 15 Jun., 2025    Accepted: 24 Jul., 2025    Published: 22 Aug., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Wu J.Y., and Zhou J.Y., 2025, Clinical effectiveness of Astragalus membranaceus in cardiometabolic disorders: a meta-analysis, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(4): 188-196 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0020)

 

Astragalus spp., a classic traditional Chinese medicinal herb, possesses a number of pharmacological activities including qi-tonifying, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Cardiovascular and metabolic disorders have been on the rise in recent years, and this stresses the clinical utility of discovering safe and effective adjuvant therapies. This study systematically summarizes the clinical applications of Astragalus in cardiovascular diseases such as chronic heart failure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, hypertension, and myocardial ischemia, and further evaluates its clinical evidence in metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, diabetic complications, hyperlipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. Results from meta-analysis reveal Astragalus exerts positive effects in terms of improvement in cardiac function, normalization of blood glucose and lipids, alleviation of clinical symptoms, and enhancement of quality of life. Furthermore, when used in combination with Chinese and Western medicine therapy, it is found to possess satisfactory safety and therapeutic efficacy. However, current research is undermined by limited numbers of samples, inconsistent intervention protocols, and inadequate reporting of safety. Future research requires large-scale, multicenter, and rigorously designed randomized controlled trials to further establish the clinical efficacy of Astragalus in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. This study not only illustrates the evidence-based worth of Astragalus but also provides theoretical evidence and practical reference for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine and the general treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Astragalus; Cardiovascular diseases; Metabolic diseases; Meta-analysis; Integrative medicine