Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.4, 188-196 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 188 Meta-Analysis Open Access Clinical Effectiveness of Astragalus membranaceus in Cardiometabolic Disorders: A Meta-analysis Jiayi Wu, Jiayao Zhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: jiayao.zhou@cuixi.org 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 Copyright © 2025 Wu and Zhou, 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. Preferred citation for this article: 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) Abstract 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. Keywords Astragalus; Cardiovascular diseases; Metabolic diseases; Meta-analysis; Integrative medicine 1 Introduction Astragalus spp., and in particular Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi), has been renowned for centuries as a classical herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is documented in the ancient medical literature to be applied comprehensively for its qi-tonifying effect, apart from reinforcing the body's immunity against infection, wound healing, and alleviating fatigue. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that Astragalus has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and cardioprotective effects, providing a mechanistic rationale for clinical applications. Its broad spectrum of bioactive constituents, including saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides, accounts for its wide therapeutic effects (Su et al., 2021). Cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, such as chronic heart failure, coronary artery disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and the metabolic syndrome, have emerged as major worldwide public health problems. Increasing occurrence and death from these disorders are associated with rising healthcare costs and considerable reduction in quality of life. Old-fashioned therapy protocols are often grounded on long-term pharmacologic treatment, which may be impaired by lack of efficacy and unacceptable toxicity. Hence, there is an urgent necessity to identify effective and safe complementary treatments that arrest the progression of the disease, improve patient outcomes, and help with elaborate management procedures (Zang et al., 2020). Though numerous clinical trials have examined Astragalus impacts on cardiovascular and metabolic illness, evidence remains inconclusive since study design, patient population, and treatment intervention vary. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are likely to be powerful instruments to incorporate these data and provide higher levels of evidence for efficacy as well as safety assessment. Through quantitative synthesis of evidence from
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