Herb

Astragalus

黄芪huang qi

1 sourceRadix Astragali

Tonifies qi and stabilizes the exterior to check sweating, promotes urination, supports the discharge of pus and the regeneration of flesh, supplements vacuity and the original qi, fortifies the spleen and stomach, and is esteemed for sores and abscesses.

Used in 7 formulas

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·主治（《本经》）

References

functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
public pharmacopoeia & botanical facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).

Traditional functions

Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.

传统中医记载：黄芪补气固表、止汗、利水、托毒排脓、生肌、补虚。《本经》《别录》述其主痈疽败疮、排脓止痛、补虚益气；金元医家张元素归纳其「补诸虚不足、益元气、壮脾胃、去肌热、排脓止痛、活血内托阴疽」，称为疮家要药。

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 甘，微温，无毒（《本经》）；生白水者冷、补（《别录》）。张元素谓味甘、气温平，气薄味厚，可升可降，为阴中之阳。·Meridians: 肺（手太阴）, 脾（足太阴）, 三焦（手少阳）, 肾·命门（足少阴）

Used in formulas

Citations

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪（条目标题·《本经》上品）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·集解（苏颂·白水耆/赤水耆/木耆）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its alternate names.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·气味（《本经》《别录》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·气味（张元素）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·气味（归经·张元素：入手足太阴气分，又入手少阳、足少阴命门）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its meridian tropism.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·主治（《本经》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·气味（畏恶·徐之才）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·发明（李杲·防风相畏相使）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十二·草部·草之一·山草类·黄芪·发明（朱震亨·宜忌）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.