Cylindrical, some branched, upper part relatively thick, 30-90 cm long, 1-3.5 cm in diameter. Externally pale brownish-yellow or pale brown, with irregular, longitudinal wrinkles or furrows. Texture hard and tenacious, uneasily broken, fracture highly fibrous and starchy, bark yellowish-white, wood pale yellow, with radiate striations and fissures, the centre part of old root occasionally rotten-wood-shaped, blackish-brown or hollowed. Odour, weak; taste, slightly sweet and slightly bean-like on chewing.

Rheumatic arthritis with pain in the lower back and knees; headache due to attack of cold on the shaoyin Channel chanracterized by association of headache with precordinal pain and cold legs.

1. Invigorating qi (the vital energy) and elevating the spleen-yang.

The herb is used in the treatment of patients with symptoms caused by deficiency of qi, such as weakness and fatigue, or of patients with numbness of limbs and apoplectic sequelae. It is also used in such conditions as sinking of qi of middle-jiao, manifested as symptoms of prolapse of the viscera, e.g. prolapse of rectum due to chronic diarrhea, and prolapse of uterus.

It is used in patients with spontaneus sweating due to weakness and failure of superficial qi.

It is used in the treatment of carbuncles and cellulitis which resist to rupture or which rupture but refuse to heal due to deficiency of qi and blood.

It is used in patients with edema of limbs, dysuria, palpitation and shortness of breath, caused by deficiency of the heart-yang and the kidney-yang.

Slices of astragalus root are more efficacious in stopping sweating, promoting diuresis and promoting pus discharge and tissue regeneration. Honeyed astragalus root is more efficacious in invigorating the spleen and replenishing qi.