An immune boost that doesn’t taste terrible! — July 2021

Dear Friends of Brooklyn Acupuncture who we adore! Welcome to our first monthly remedy guide. We’ve reopened at two new locations! Billy Villano is practicing weekdays at our new Park Slope office at 808 Union St. while Zoe Kogan, (that’s me) has started up in the Berkshires.

Contact Zoe and Billy here: https://www.brooklynacupuncture.com/

We’d love to hear from you! And keep reading for another way to support your body during re-entry.

How can we strengthen our immune systems to feel comfortable in group settings moving forward?

Let’s tawk, dahlinks…what’s with the new, new normal? Is anyone else scratching their head, unsure what’s next? And how do we support our bodies during re-entry?

Pandemic fatigue is real, even the CDC seems like they’ve had enough. Post-vaccination, some of us are racing back in to social settings and others are reeling at the sudden and swift pace of change. Do we jump back in full throttle or decide our comfort level requires we take it one step at a time?

Whatever pace of re-entry you decide is right for you, here’s one easy way to boost our immunity and feel more grounded as things continue to transition. Introducing our number one choice of the most bang for your buck re-entry herb…

Astragalus—this month’s spotlight remedy is an herb that’s been around longer than all of us.

Our July remedy is a lovely, all-time favorite, immune boosting herb used in traditional Chinese medicine for 1000’s of years. Astragalus is a classic immune boosting herb used in traditional medicine for centuries. Pictured in dried form in the photo above, Astragali Radix, or Milk-Vetch Root, tonifies qi and blood to boost our wei (protective) qi. Astragalus is a great herb to take if you tend toward allergies in the Spring or want give your immune system a little extra support. This is a good choice of supplementation a week before you travel. Astragalus is not the herb to take once you already have a cold. It tonifies lung qi and should be used to prevent catching colds, not for treating them.

There are many herbal formulas often used in combination with astragalus, or you may simply take it by itself. An article in Frontier’s in Pharmacology, 24 March 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.00349 reviews the pharmacological action of Astragalus polysaccharides on immune regulation. This classic traditional Chinese immune support herb continues to get well deserved attention.

So what kind of Astragalus should I take?

Formulation: You may take Astragalus as a tea, capsule, tincture or powder. We recommend tincture or tea form so you can start with the smallest dosage possible to make sure it agrees with you, then build up from there.

Dosage: Tincture- start with one or two drops in water. If there are no unwanted responses, you can build up to half a dropper a day for up to two weeks.

Tea- no more than 9 grams of dried astragalus root. Start with 1 gram and steep in one cup of hot water for under five minutes. If the drink agrees with you, then you can try two grams (about a tablespoon worth of root) and steep it in a cup of hot water for five minutes. Do not drink astragalus daily for more than two weeks.

Guidelines-Always ask your physician’s consent before taking any medicinal herb. Do not take Astragalus without physician approval if pregnant or lactating. Do not take 2 weeks before surgery. Do not take if you are under 18 years of age.

Contraindications: Do not take Astragalus if you are being prescribed hypoglycemic drugs.

For our herbal safety guidelines please visit: Little Helper Remedy.

Find our organic astragalus recommendations here: