It really works! ... backwards
First, I'm surprised by how much I like the flavor of this powder. If I planned on taking it regularly, I'd drink it in a latte with Oatly or something every day - I think it tastes better than the trendy health powders like matcha or turmeric, almost like a mixture of mild chocolate and horchata. Yum!<br /><br />Second, I'm convinced this stuff cranks up the immune system as claimed, because after I took it I had mild autoimmune issues all day! It took me about eight hours to realize the astragalus was causing them. I never really have autoimmune issues, so it was an odd hunch, but I had about five strange reactions shortly after taking the astragalus, and when I finally thought to Google "[symptom X] + autoimmune", well ...<br /><br />* Angry stomach - nausea, bloating, digestive issues after normal food (potentially autoimmune? check!)<br />* Sudden worsening of my seborrheic dermatitis (potentially autoimmune? you bet!)<br />* Swollen knees after a very short, very light walk ... WTF (potentially autoimmune? damn straight!)<br />* Sudden reaction to flea bites (potentially autoimmune? big time)<br />* Bizarre attraction to the taste of astragalus (... moving on)<br /><br />So four out of five, none of which is normal for me at all. (They were all mild, though, like 2/10 on the severity scale.) The flea bites one is the most telling: we've got five indoor/outdoor cats at home, and my wife loves to joke that I smell like a horse because fleas NEVER seem to bite me, only her - I've only had one flea bite attack in my life, and that was in like 2009. Anyway, we're fostering four street kittens this week, all of whom have fleas, and while I've been sitting with them since Monday, today was the first day I suddenly started itching after they were on my lap. I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats literally in my crib and never got bitten then either, but after this experience today I'm wondering if maybe fleas do bite me but I just don't have any allergic reaction. (Maybe having the cats in the crib desensitized me at a young age, I don't know.) So that was neat to learn, thanks astragalus, but I don't think I'll be taking you again, for me you were all side effects and no treatment.<br /><br />That said, I don't want to dissuade other people from trying this. Ever since I started eating healthy (no sugar, no oil, no flour, all real food) my immune system has been *by far* the best it's ever been - I haven't had a cold in three years, even when I actually had immuno-suppression and the doctors kept telling me I'd get sick - so astragalus might be overkill for me. If I were eating a junkier diet a supplement like this could work wonders, so as always YMMV.
Rating: 3 stars