Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis, Angelica polymorpha or Chinese angelica) is a perennial member of the Umbelliferae, growing to about 2m in moist, rich soils throughout South East Asia. Like all Angelicas, it has a fleshy, fluted hollow stem, with celery-like leaves that are topped by large umbels of green/white flowers. The effective part is the large root, which is dried and ground.
In China this herb has been used medicinally for thousands of years and is held to be second only to Ginseng (Panax ginseng), in its efficacy. Like most aspects of Chinese Folk Medicine, no-one is quite sure how this plant works medicinally, merely that it does.
Dong quai contains coumarins, essential oil and flavanoids, as well as vitamins A, B and E. The essential oil breaks down into butylphthalide, carvacrol, isosafrole, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, safrole and many more.
The plant has been associated with female reproductive problems for centuries and is antispasmodic, analgesic, a blood purifier, a circulatory stimulant, nutritive, and a hormone regulator. It is the most popular oriental herbal remedy for amenorrhoea (absence of menstruation), dysmenorrhoea (painful menstruation), menopausal problems, period cramps, infertility, toxic shock syndrome and nervous debility. In addition, herbalists use it to treat insomnia, high blood pressure, asthma, hay fever, anaemia and osteoporosis. The Chinese and Japanese use it at all stages of pregnancy to ensure a healthy delivery but western herbalists advise caution over the use of Dong quai if pregnant. The reason why the plant is so effective in this area is probably related to its phytoestrogenic content, which would account for the alterative response in menstrual regulation, and its capacity to control hot flushes in the menopausal.
A feature of all members of the Angelica family is their significant ability to dilate coronary blood vessels and this is proving valuable in the treatment of not only hypertension and angina, but of such cardiovascular problems as arrhythmia and platelet aggregation. By improving blood circulation to the heart, brain, and extremities, Dong quai, is now finding favour among gerontologists.
As an analgesic, Dong quai has been proven to be twice as strong as aspirin and is used in the east to treat headaches and arthritis.
Currently, a number of drug companies are examining the immuno-stimulatory effect of Dong Quai in cancer therapy.
Several centuries ago, when Angelica sinensis was so prized, it became very difficult to find and the Japanese started to cultivate an alternative – Angelica acutiloba. Both plants have similar constituents and therefore one assumes, the same therapeutic effect; however, the Japanese claim that Chinese Dong quai has no medicinal effect, and the Chinese state that Japanese Dong quai wont work on them. Ho-hum.
Like all members of the Umbelliferae there is a caution with regard to photo-sensitivity, but this very response has been found valuable in the treatment of psoriasis.
Next week Bearberry
Erratum
Last week in the article on Guarama the word ‘proscribed’ was changed to ‘prescribed’, giving a totally different meaning to the sentence. My apologies.
