Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. ex Bunge (syn. Astragalus mongholicus Bunge) is one of the notable medicinal and food plants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to calculate the phenolic composition and antioxidant, antimicrobial, as well as enzyme inhibitory [acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and tyrosinase (TYR)] activities with chemometric approaches of the hydromethanolic and water extracts of commercial A. membranaceus samples. Ten individual phenolic compounds were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and only quercetin was found at a level of above 80 µg/g DW in both extracts. Moreover, the highest antioxidant activity in DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, and CUPRAC assays was found in the sample containing the roots in loose form from USA. A. membranaceus extracts displayed the inhibition zone diameters within the range from 10 to 22 mm antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, while there were no inhibition zones in any extracts in case of E. coli. The extracts of A. membranaceous showed an inhibition rate below 40% against TYR, and among tested extracts, only two samples were able to inhibit BChE with IC₅₀ values of above 30 µg/mL. Correlation analysis showed a highly positive relationship between their phenolic composition and antioxidant activity. Concluding, the obtained results confirmed that A. membranaceus commercial samples could be an important dietary source of natural antioxidants.

The chemical composition and biological activity of A. glycyphylos and A. cicer are scarcely investigated. In this study, the nutritional and chemical profiles of A. cicer and A. glycyphyllos, considering their different morphological parts (leaves, fruits and roots), were assessed together with their antioxidant and antibacterial potential. Our results showed that carbohydrates are the major macronutrients in both Astragalus species (above 62 g/100 g dry weight—DW). High amounts of ash (above 4.6 g/100 g DW) and protein (above 13.0 g/100 g DW) were also identified, particularly in leaves and fruits of A. cicer and A. glycyphyllos. Moreover, A. cicer was richer in sugars than A. glycyphyllos, while roots of both Astragalus species were the richest of fatty acids. Ten phenolic compounds were identified, with gallic acid and quercetin being predominant, above 49.84 and 37.27 μg/g DW, respectively. The mineral analysis revealed zinc and iron as the major constituents. Regarding the plants’ antioxidant and antibacterial activity, both Astragalus species had antioxidant potential, and their water extracts showed antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Altogether, these results provide insight into the potential of A. glycyphyllos and A. cicer as a source of nutritional benefits and active phytochemicals for many people, and they can be applied in the food sector as foods and as promising sources of natural ingredients.

Pleurotus nebrodensis has raised the interest of the food and nutraceutical industry due to its valuable organoleptic characteristics coupled with antibacterial and antitumor properties. Given this interest, this study aimed to identify effective, cheap, and eco-friendly technologies to prepare extracts able to convey the bioactive compounds while retaining the typical mushroom aroma. Two aqueous extracts were prepared based on a freeze–thaw (FT) and ultrasound-assisted (UA) method. The extracts, both in liquid and lyophilized form, were analyzed by HPLC to determine the phenolic compounds. Moreover, the volatile organic compounds, total phenolics, total flavonoids, total phenolic acids, procyanidins, and ascorbic acid were determined, while the antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS radical scavenging activity, ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), and cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays. The UA extraction showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) phenolics (5.05 vs. 4.02 µg/g DW) and flavonoids (0.74 vs. 0.23 µg/g DW) but lower procyanidins (12.33 vs. 15.93 µg/g DW) and ascorbic acid (6.23 vs. 7.02 µg/g DW) than the FT extracts, resulting in lower antioxidant activity. Among the phenolic constituents, gallic acid was found to be the most abundant in all P. nebrodensis extracts. Regarding aroma, FT more effectively preserved volatile alcohols and aldehydes—particularly 1-octen-3-ol and hexanal—while UA led to greater volatile losses. These results highlight that the extraction method significantly affects both antioxidant composition and volatile integrity, with implications for designing P. nebrodensis-based food ingredients.

Investigations into the chemical composition and biological properties of Astragalus flowers remain limited. In this context, the present study aimed to investigate the nutritional profile, chemical composition, and in vitro biological activities of Astragalus cicer and Astragalus glycyphyllos hydroethanolic flower extracts. A. cicer flowers had a significantly higher content of ash and crude fats, whereas A. glycyphyllos flowers were richer in carbohydrates. The fatty acid profiles varied between the two species, while among tocopherols, only α-tocoferol was detected in both species. Moreover, ten phenolic compounds were identified, with cinnamic acid and rutin being the most abundant phenolic constituents in A. cicer and A. glycyphyllos flowers, respectively. Mineral analysis revealed that K and Ca were present at the highest levels. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH, FRAP, ABTS and CUPRAC tests, and A. cicer flowers were characterized by higher antioxidant activity than A. glycyphyllos flowers. Regarding antibacterial activity, growth inhibition zones were observed only for Staphylococcus aureus, with diameters ranging from 12 to 14 mm. In conclusion, the results indicate the potential of A. cicer and A. glycyphyllos flowers as nutritional resources and important dietary sources of natural antioxidants.

Astragalus species have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various conditions, and they have recently been used to treat dermatological diseases. Health benefits of Astragalus extracts, especially Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. ex Bunge (synonym of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge), result from the multitude of secondary metabolites identified in their genus, including saponins, flavonoids and polysaccharides. Astragalus species, traditionally valued for their systemic medicinal properties, are increasingly recognized as potent sources of ingredients for the cosmeceutical industry. While A. membranaceus remains the most prominent representative, this review explores the broader genus as an emerging reservoir of bioactive secondary metabolites. For this purpose, current publications regarding the topical effects of Astragalus species in the treatment of dermatological diseases were collected. Several Astragalus extracts and their compounds have been shown to display biological activities with skin rejuvenating, photoprotective and antimicrobial properties, wound-healing activity, and therapeutic effects on atopic dermatitis and alopecia. However, these articles have limitations because of their use of non-human mammals and the short duration of trials, and future research is needed to fill these gaps.

The genus Astragalus L. (Fabaceae) comprises approximately 3000 species with a rich history of use in traditional medicine worldwide. While Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. ex Bunge is globally recognized as an ingredient in dietary supplements, the cosmetic potential of the broader genus remains largely underexplored. Hence, the current review aims to systematically evaluate 20 Astragalus species selected for their documented or prospective applications in the cosmeceutical industry. We examine the diverse phytochemical profiles of these species, highlighting the principal groups of bioactive constituents such as flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol), saponins (astragaloside IV), and polysaccharides (arabino-3,6-galactan). These compounds have been reported to be associated with critical dermatological benefits, including potent antioxidant activity, skin-lightening effects, anti-inflammatory activity relevant to conditions such as atopic dermatitis, and stimulation of collagen and hyaluronic acid synthesis for anti-aging benefits. By bridging the gap between traditional ethnobotanical use of the selected Astragalus species and modern evidence-based scientific formulations, this review provides a roadmap for integrating diverse Astragalus species into sustainable, high-performance cosmetic products. Unlike the existing literature, which focuses primarily on A. membranaceus, this review provides, to our knowledge, the first systematic comparative analysis of 20 diverse Astragalus species, mapping their unique phytochemical markers to specific molecular pathways for advanced cosmeceutical applications.