Introduction: Astragalus, as a typical traditional Chinese medicine, has a very good relieving and therapeutic effect on symptoms of spleen and stomach discomfort, edema, and congestion. Some people with physical Yin deficiency also nourish themselves through the method of decocting astragalus to replenish Yin fluid deficiency and maintain the balance of body Yin and Yang. Nowadays, with the increasing awareness of health preservation, many friends are also trying to use traditional Chinese medicine methods to solve the common health problems of modern people.
For modern people, weight loss can be said to be an eternal topic, especially for many female friends who are always seeking the most perfect body shape. However, due to busy work schedules and lack of time for diet and exercise arrangements, they often put it off. Some health enthusiasts express that regularly drinking astragalus water may be a new “shortcut” for health preservation. Is it true or false?
A 37-year-old woman wants to rely on drinking astragalus water to lose weight. What did she ultimately get?
Xiao Wang, 37 years old, has been troubled by her constitution of virtual obesity. It seems that even drinking cold water will make her gain weight. However, Xiao Wang is also a career woman who has no way to exercise and lose weight in her daily life.
In a chat with her best friend, Xiao Wang inadvertently learned about the method of losing weight by drinking astragalus water. So, with a mentality of giving it a try, she drank it for a week.
To Xiao Wang’s surprise, after drinking astragalus water for a week, her weight actually decreased, and there was a phenomenon of slimming down in her body shape. Xiao Wang thought to herself: Can astragalus water really have such a magical effect on weight loss?
Little did she know that the good times did not last long. After persistently drinking astragalus water for two months, Xiao Wang found that the so-called weight-loss effect of astragalus water became less and less obvious, and there was even a subtle trend of rebound. Not only that, Xiao Wang also experienced insomnia, flushed complexion, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms. What is going on?
Why did Xiao Wang experience initial effectiveness in weight loss by drinking astragalus water, but encounter such a situation two months later?
Actually, this is mainly related to the nature of astragalus.
Many people have a misconception about weight loss, thinking that weight loss means reducing weight, and losing weight means successful weight loss.
Xiao Wang thought the same way. After drinking astragalus water for a week, her weight decreased, leading her to mistakenly believe that she had successfully lost weight. In reality, weight loss actually means reducing body fat, which only happens by consuming body subcutaneous fat and lowering the body fat percentage.
The nature of astragalus belongs to the category of “clearing and directing,” which can help people eliminate body dampness, thereby relieving symptoms of edema and virtual obesity. The “weight” that Xiao Wang “lost” after drinking astragalus water for a week was actually just the retained water and moisture in her body, not actual fat. Naturally, after two months, as Xiao Wang continued to drink astragalus water without improving her diet and exercise, her body’s moisture had been completely cleared out, causing her weight to rebound.
Even at this point, many friends may still be puzzled:
“Astragalus removes dampness and promotes health. After two months, although it has no weight loss effect, why did Xiao Wang encounter health risks?”
This is related to the side effects of astragalus.
Like most traditional Chinese medicines, Western medicines, astragalus also has side effects. The side effects of traditional Chinese medicine usually appear after excessive consumption. Xiao Wang continued to drink astragalus water for two months even after her symptoms of dampness and virtual obesity were alleviated. Excessive intake of astragalus, such as nausea and diarrhea, flushed complexion, restlessness, poor sleep quality, frequent insomnia and vivid dreams, sore throat, elevated blood pressure, headache, dizziness, palpitations, tinnitus, and other side effects would begin to manifest consecutively, negatively impacting her health, which is not surprising.
Therefore, can astragalus water promote health? Yes, because astragalus can eliminate dampness and nourish the spleen;
Can it help with weight loss? No, because it only removes body water and dampness, with no actual effect on weight loss.
Is it okay to drink more? Absolutely not, even though astragalus nourishes, it is still a medicine. If the body is healthy, doctors still do not recommend excessive consumption.
Later, Xiao Wang experienced a period of insomnia, increased sweating, and abdominal pain. She sought advice from an experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, who helped Xiao Wang relieve the side effects of excessive astragalus intake and provided her with traditional Chinese medicine advice on weight loss and health preservation. After adhering to this advice for some time, Xiao Wang’s physical condition did indeed improve significantly.
Traditional Chinese medicine advice on weight loss and health preservation, hoping that health enthusiasts can consider it appropriately
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that obesity is mainly related to imbalances in the stomach, kidneys, and spleen, namely, gastric heat obesity, splenic dampness obesity, and kidney deficiency obesity. Therefore, the methods for weight loss naturally correspond to these three typical obesity symptoms.
Gastric heat obesity. Most obese individuals with this type of obesity have blood gas stagnation and blockages in the intestines and stomach, causing sluggish stomach movement and accumulation of food, which leads to obesity.
Therefore, in order to lose weight, friends can use some stomach-nourishing herbs, such as white lentils, yam, coix seed, poria, etc., and consume them by decocting them or making porridge in the long term. Once the stomach qi is adjusted completely and food accumulation is no longer an issue, the condition of obesity can also be alleviated.
Splenic dampness obesity. This type of obesity has symptoms similar to those of Xiao Wang because of spleen deficiency and stagnant qi, which leads to the rise of body dampness causing edema, making the body look swollen due to excess moisture.
For this type of obesity, removing water and dampness is the most appropriate choice. Atractylodes, poria, codonopsis, lotus seeds, and other typical dampness dispelling and spleen-invigorating Chinese herbal medicines are recommended. It is advised that individuals choose based on their own situation.
Kidney deficiency obesity. Kidney deficiency obesity is mostly characterized by kidney yang deficiency, with the body being occupied by Yin moisture, leading to organ enlargement and consequent broad obesity.
In simple terms, due to kidney yang deficiency, most individuals with this type of obesity have loose body shape and need to strengthen their foundation, cultivate vitality, and tighten muscles and body blood gas in order to fundamentally alleviate the symptoms of obesity.
Foods or Chinese medicines such as goji berries, red dates, aconite, etc., are the best choices for this group of people. Trying them out appropriately may bring unexpected weight loss effects.
Conclusion: The reason why astragalus water can temporarily lead to weight loss is due to its function of promoting moisture elimination and vital energy. However, it is not significantly related to weight loss and fat reduction. To achieve proper weight loss, one still needs to rely on exercise and a balanced diet in order to achieve the most effective and healthy results. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the weight loss philosophy may have certain value for friends who resonate with it, but before using individual traditional Chinese medicines, it is best to consider your own body condition and seek advice from a doctor because ensuring safety is the top priority.
