What are astragalus’s main benefits?

There are widespread claims about the beneficial effects of Astragalus membranaceus and its bioactive molecules on several conditions. These include chronic heart failure,^[1][2] metabolic syndrome,^[3] blood lipids,^[4] diabetes,^[5][6][7][8] kidney disease,^{[9][10][11][12][7][8]} neurological disorders,^[13] cell lifespan,^[14][15] and cancer.^{[16][17][18][19]} However, the quality of evidence for these effects in humans is generally low because of variable findings between studies, poor methodological quality, unclear methodological details, widespread lack of blinding, use of intravenous rather than oral administration, and publication bias in favor of predominantly positive findings being published.^{[1][2][9][10][11][12][4][5][6][16][17][18][19]} Furthermore, much of the evidence supporting the benefits of astragaloside IV is derived from animal and cell-culture experiments,^{[20][7][8][21][13][22]} while clinical studies showing the therapeutic benefit of TA-65 are authored by the group that patented the compound.^[15][3] Consequently, high-quality randomized controlled trials by independent researchers are urgently needed to confirm these therapeutic claims.