The Influence of Six Weeks Intervention of Astragalus Membranaceus on Female Athletes in Aerobic Performance by Ultrasound Imaging

Free radicals have been recognized as one of the causes of fatigue in aerobic motion. Existing studies have shown that scavenging free radicals can enhance immunity and improve athletic performance, and astragalus membranaceus often as an effective way is used to eliminated free radicals in Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study is to explore whether astragalus membranaceus can improve aerobic performance and physical condition. Fifteen health female athletes were recruited, physical condition and muscular morphology are using cycle ergometer and ultrasonic instrument to training and assess. After six-weeks intervention of astragalus membranaceus, aerobic performance, physical condition and muscular morphology of subjects had significant differences. The body weight, the dimension of shank and the muscle thickness decreased; however, the pinnation angle of gastrocnemius did not show significantly variation. Based on these results, this study showed that astragalus membranaceus can produce positive influence on aerobic performance as an effective recovery intervention.