Yellow milk-vetch
StarAstragalus hamosus
Synonyms: Astragalus hamosus f. macrocarpus, Astragalus hamosus var. multiflorus, Astragalus ancistron, Astragalus oncocarpus, Astragalus buceras, Astragalus hamosus var. ancistron, Astragalus hamosus subsp. brachyceras, Astragalus ancocarpus, Astragalus aegyptiacus, Astragalus hamosus var. buceras, Astragalus hamosus subsp. embergeri, Astragalus embergeri, Astragalus hamosus var. volubilitanus, Tragacantha arnoceras, Hamosa astragalus, Tragacantha brachyceras, Astragalus stribrnyi, Astragalus volubilitanus, Astragalus paui, Astragalus dorcoceras, Ankylobus hamosus, Tragacantha hamosa, Astragalus brachybius, Hamaria uncinata, Tragacantha dorcoceras, Astragalus hamosus var. microcarpus, Tragacantha buceras, Astragalus hamosus var. macrocarpus, Astragalus hamosus var. subcurvatus, Astragalus hamosus f. falcatus, Astragalus hamosus var. pumilus, Astragalus arnoceras, Astragalus taeckholmianus, Astragalus brachyceras, Astragalus hamosus var. brevipes
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
Astragalus hamosus, the European milkvetch or hooked milkvetch, is a slender prostrate or ascending annual herb of the family Fabaceae growing 10-50 cm long and native from the Mediterranean basin across the Middle East and Iran to Central Asia and northern India. The plant has soft pubescent stems that spread or trail from a slender taproot and bear alternate pinnately compound leaves 4-10 cm long with 6-15 pairs of oblong to obovate leaflets, each 5-15 mm long and rounded or notched at the tip, lightly hairy on both surfaces. From spring to early summer the plant produces small axillary racemes on short peduncles bearing 4-10 pale yellow or whitish pea-flowers 6-9 mm long. The most distinctive feature is the fruit: a slender, cylindrical, smooth or slightly downy legume 2-5 cm long that is strongly curved into a sickle shape or coiled into an almost complete circle, resembling a hook or pruning knife, splitting into two valves at maturity to release several small kidney-shaped seeds. It grows on dry stony slopes, fallow fields, roadsides, and disturbed calcareous ground at low to moderate elevations and is also cultivated as a fodder and green-manure crop.
Active Constituents
Astragalosides (I, II and related cycloartane saponins)
Cycloartane triterpene saponinsConcentration: Characteristic triterpenoid fraction
The signature saponins of the genus, associated with immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity; they are proposed as the principal actives behind the traditional tonic and anti-inflammatory uses of the pods.
Rhamnocitrin 4'-β-D-galactopyranoside
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: Isolated from the plant
A flavonol glycoside specifically isolated from Astragalus hamosus; evaluated in in-vitro toxicity/antiproliferative models, with the strongest activity reported against T-cell leukaemia cells.
Rutin
Flavonol glycoside (quercetin-3-O-rutinoside)Concentration: Documented in the herb and in vitro cultures
A widespread antioxidant and vascular-protective flavonoid; its accumulation in shoot and callus cultures of the species has been quantified by UHPLC-HRESIMS.
Alcesefoliside and mauritianin
Flavonol triglycosidesConcentration: Rare triglycosides accumulated in tissue cultures
Uncommon quercetin/kaempferol triglycosides identified in A. hamosus cultures; of interest as antioxidant markers and for biotechnological production.
Kaempferol and quercetin glycosides
Flavonol glycosidesConcentration: Common flavonoid constituents
Antioxidant flavonols contributing to free-radical scavenging and mild anti-inflammatory activity of extracts.
Polysaccharides
Immunoactive heteropolysaccharidesConcentration: High-molecular-weight fraction
As in other Astragalus species, the polysaccharide fraction is credited with immunostimulant activity, promoting lymphocyte proliferation, and is consistent with the herb's traditional use as a general tonic.
Phenolic acids (caffeic, ferulic)
Hydroxycinnamic acidsConcentration: Minor phenolic constituents
Contribute mild antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Immunosuppressant drugs (e.g. ciclosporin, tacrolimus)
Astragalus polysaccharides and saponins are immunostimulant in laboratory models; by enhancing immune-cell activity they could in principle counteract drugs used to suppress the immune system after transplantation or in autoimmune disease.
Clinical note: This interaction is extrapolated from the genus rather than demonstrated for A. hamosus specifically; caution and clinician oversight are advised in immunosuppressed patients.
Preparation Methods
Decoction / powder of pods and seeds (Unani “Iklil-ul-Malik”)
Parts: pods, seeds, flowering tops
In Unani medicine the dried flowering tops and hooked pods (Iklil-ul-Malik) are decocted or powdered and used as an anti-inflammatory, demulcent, expectorant, general tonic, galactagogue and emmenagogue. It is commonly combined with other herbs in compound formulations rather than taken as a single high-dose agent.
Topical anti-inflammatory application
Parts: pods, aerial parts
Hydroalcoholic extracts of the pods have shown dose-dependent anti-oedema activity comparable to sodium salicylate in animal models, consistent with the traditional application of pod preparations to inflamed or swollen tissue.
Historical Texts
Unani (Greco-Arabic) medical tradition – “Iklil-ul-Malik”
Classical and medieval Unani pharmacopoeial useReferences
- Shkondrov A, Popova P, Ionkova I, Krasteva I. Flavonoids in in vitro cultures of Astragalus hamosus . Pharmacia (2021) [DOI]
- Krasteva I, Nikolova I, Danchev N, Nikolov S. Effects of rhamnocitrin 4'-β-D-galactopyranoside, isolated from Astragalus hamosus, on toxicity models in vitro . Pharmazie (2004) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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