Abstract: Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of Radix Astragali Injectio on psoriasis and its possible pharmaceutical mechanism. Methods Two groups of patients with psoriasis vulgaris were treated with either comprehensive regi men or comprehensive regimen plus Radix Astragali Injectio. The clinical respons es in both groups were compared. Meanwhile, the effects of Radix Astragali Decoction and Injectio on proliferation of vaginal epithelium, PCNA expression, differentiation of tail scale epidermis and plasma ET-1 were assessed in mouse model. Results It was shown that psoriatic lesions began to fade significantly earlier in Radix Astragali group than in routine comprehensive treatment group. The clinical cure rate was significantly higher in Radix Astragali group also. Animal experiment indicated that Radix Astragali Injectio had effects on all 4 indices mentioned above and the effects of the Injectio was stronger than that of the D ecoction. Conclusions Radix Astragali Injectio is effective for psoriasis vulgaris. Its therapeutic effects may be explained by blocking multiple pathogenetic linkage.

Key words: Psoriasis, Astragalus membranaceus