Angelica sinensis
Encyclopedia
Angelica sinensis, commonly known as "dong quai" or "female ginseng
" is a herb from the family Apiaceae
, indigenous to China
.
as Radix Angelicae Sinensis, or Chinese angelica and is widely used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat gynecological ailments, fatigue
, mild anemia and high blood pressure. It has analgesic
, anti-inflammatory
, antispasmodic and sedative
effects. The plant's phytochemicals consist of coumarin
s, phytosterol
s, polysaccharide
s, ferulate
, and flavonoid
s. It has antioxidant activity.
s for the female reproductive system, as they believe that it is a uterine tonic and hormonal regulator. It is often used in premenstrual syndrome formulas as well as menopausal
formulas. However, this herb is not recommended during pregnancy due to possible hormonal, anticoagulant
, and antiplatelet properties. Animal research has noted conflicting effects on the uterus
, with reports of both stimulation and relaxation. Dong quai is traditionally viewed as increasing the risk of miscarriage
.
It prolongs INR
and consequently increase the risk of bleeding.
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
" is a herb from the family Apiaceae
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
, indigenous to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Chinese
Its dried root is commonly known in ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
as Radix Angelicae Sinensis, or Chinese angelica and is widely used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat gynecological ailments, fatigue
Fatigue (physical)
Fatigue is a state of awareness describing a range of afflictions, usually associated with physical and/or mental weakness, though varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one's muscles...
, mild anemia and high blood pressure. It has analgesic
Analgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
, anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system....
, antispasmodic and sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
effects. The plant's phytochemicals consist of coumarin
Coumarin
Coumarin is a fragrant chemical compound in the benzopyrone chemical class, found in many plants, notably in high concentration in the tonka bean , vanilla grass , sweet woodruff , mullein , sweet grass , cassia cinnamon and sweet clover...
s, phytosterol
Phytosterol
Phytosterols, which encompass plant sterols and stanols, are steroid compounds similar to cholesterol which occur in plants and vary only in carbon side chains and/or presence or absence of a double bond. Stanols are saturated sterols, having no double bonds in the sterol ring structure. More than...
s, polysaccharide
Polysaccharide
Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure,...
s, ferulate
Sodium ferulate
Sodium ferulate , the sodium salt of ferulic acid, is a drug used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and to prevent thrombosis. It is found in the root of Angelica sinensis. It is considered safe and effective...
, and flavonoid
Flavonoid
Flavonoids , are a class of plant secondary metabolites....
s. It has antioxidant activity.
Prohibition
This herb is used by herbalistHerbalist
An herbalist is:#A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants.#One skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal plants ....
s for the female reproductive system, as they believe that it is a uterine tonic and hormonal regulator. It is often used in premenstrual syndrome formulas as well as menopausal
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
formulas. However, this herb is not recommended during pregnancy due to possible hormonal, anticoagulant
Anticoagulant
An anticoagulant is a substance that prevents coagulation of blood. A group of pharmaceuticals called anticoagulants can be used in vivo as a medication for thrombotic disorders. Some anticoagulants are used in medical equipment, such as test tubes, blood transfusion bags, and renal dialysis...
, and antiplatelet properties. Animal research has noted conflicting effects on the uterus
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
, with reports of both stimulation and relaxation. Dong quai is traditionally viewed as increasing the risk of miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
.
Adverse effects
There is one case report of gynaecomastia following consumption of ding dang gui root powder pills.It prolongs INR
Prothrombin time
The prothrombin time and its derived measures of prothrombin ratio and international normalized ratio are measures of the extrinsic pathway of coagulation. This test is also called "ProTime INR" and "INR PT". They are used to determine the clotting tendency of blood, in the measure of warfarin...
Drug Interactions
Dong quai may increase the anticoagulant effects of the drug WarfarinWarfarin
Warfarin is an anticoagulant. It is most likely to be the drug popularly referred to as a "blood thinner," yet this is a misnomer, since it does not affect the thickness or viscosity of blood...
and consequently increase the risk of bleeding.
See also
- AngelicaAngelicaAngelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...
- Chinese herbologyChinese herbologyChinese Herbology is the theory of Traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in Traditional Chinese medicine ....
- Scutellaria baicalensisScutellaria baicalensisScutellaria baicalensis is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.-Medicinal uses:...
(Baikal Skullcap) - Acanthopanax senticosus (now known as Eleutherococcus senticosusEleutherococcus senticosusEleutherococcus senticosus is a species of small, woody shrub in the family Araliaceae native to Northeastern Asia. It is often colloquially referred to as Siberian Ginseng or eleuthero, and is sometimes shortened to E. senticosus in medical literature. E...
or Siberian Ginseng)
External links
- Angelica sinensis List of Chemicals (Dr. Duke's Databases)
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food
- MedlinePlus article on Dong quai says that high-quality research is lacking on Dong Quai's purported therapeutic effects, and that positive research results reported are at best preliminary.