Angelica (Dong Quai)

Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diel.  Apiaceae (Umbelliferea)  The common name is dong quai, tang-kuei, dang-gui, Chinese angelica.

Dong quai has been used in China for over two thousand years.  It did not become popular in Western medicine until the nineteenth century.  There are, however, a number of European and American Angelicas that have been used for similar purposes by Europeans and Native Americans.

There are about 100 species in the Angelica genera.  The best-known Western variety is Angelica archangelica, long used medicinally in Europe.  They are members of the parsley family.  Dong quai is a fragrant, perennial herb, about three feet tall, with a typical Umbelliferae in  appearance.  It grows at high altitudes on cold, damp mountain slopes in China, Korea and Japan.

The root is used.  It is available as bulk herb, capsule, and hydroalcoholic extract, commonly in combination with other herbs

Dong quai is a Chinese herb second only to ginseng in popularity in the United States.  It is considered by TCM to be an herb for tonifying, harmonizing the blood and the regulation of  menses.  Animal studies have shown that dong quai does have tonic effects on the uterus, initially causing contractions followed by relaxation, and this is believed to be the pharmacological basis for the treatment of dysmenorrhea.¹   Although there is disagreement as to the hormonal effect of dong quai, it does contain b-sitosterol, and it does appear to have estrogenic effect, as do many plants of the family Umbelliferae.²

Animal studies have confirmed the influence of dong quai on the heart and cardiovascular system.  The effects include a decrease in contractions while strengthening ventricular contractility, a decrease in arrhythmia, an ability to dilate coronary vessels, increase coronary flow and reduce blood pressure for a short duration.³  Dong quai has eight different courmarins, these along with ferulic acid inhibit platelet aggregation⁴

Dong quai has antibiotic activity, enhances body metabolism, increases oxygen utilization by the liver, and enhances glutanic acid and cysteine oxidation.  It also has and anti-vitamin E effect.⁵  The essential oil has a sedative effect on the cerebrum, contributing to its analgesic action.⁶  It is also diuretic.

Dong Quai is seldom used alone in TCM, it is always mixed with other herbs, often in the form of soup.  It is used as a tonic for females and for blood deficiencies.  It is used to treat various menstrual problems, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, metorarrhagia and menopausal symptoms.

Dong quai root has 0.4-0.7% essential oils, butylidenephthalide, n-valeropheneone-O-carboxylic acid, dihydrophthalic anhydride, carvacrol, safrole, isosafrole, sesquiterpines, cadinen, dodecanol, tetradecanol, n-butylphalid, ferulic acid, succinic acid, nicotinic acid, uracil, adenine, ligustilide, folinic acid, beta-sitosterol, vitamin E, vitamin B 12, beta carotene, palmitic acid, angelic acid, angelol, mystristic acid, angelicone, umbelliferone and sucrose.⁷

You can make a decoction using 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per cup of water, taken up to three times a day.  The recommended hydroalcoholic extract, 55 to 65% alcohol in a 1:5 ratio, is  2 to 5 ml., three times a day.

Do not use during pregnancy, nursing, with diarrhea caused by weak digestion, hemorrhagic disease, and hypermenorrhea.  There is a possibility of photodermatitis due to umbelliferone, slight laxative effect, and occasional pyrogenic reaction.  The essential oil saferole is carcinogenic in animals and has been banned by the FDA.  Dong quai thins the blood so should not be used with anticoagulant therapy and can cause excessive menstrual bleeding.