This product is the root of the perennial herb Chinese Angelica (Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels) from the Apiaceae family. It is mainly produced in Min County (Qinzhou) in the southeastern part of Gansu Province, where the yield is high and the quality is excellent; other production areas include Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan. The roots are harvested in late autumn, with fibrous roots and soil removed. After some moisture has evaporated, they are bundled into small bunches, placed on racks, and slowly dried using smoke and fire. They are then sliced thinly, or the body and tail are sliced separately. They can be used raw or stir-fried with wine.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sweet and acrid, warm. act on liver, heart and spleen channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Tonifying blood, promoting blood circulation, regulating menstruation, relieving pain, and moistening the intestines.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for heart-liver blood deficiency, complexion shallow yellow, vertigo palpitation, etc. Chinese Angelica is sweet, warm, and moist in nature, making it an essential herb for tonifying blood. It is often combined with Prepared Rehmannia Root, Peony Root, etc., such as in Four Ingredients Decoction. For cases of both qi and blood deficiency, it is often paired with Astragalus Root, Ginseng, etc., such as in Angelica Blood-Tonifying Decoction, Ginseng Nutrient-Nourishing Decoction, etc.
2. Used for blood deficiency or blood deficiency accompanied by stasis, such as menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, etc. Chinese Angelica not only tonifies blood and promotes blood circulation but also regulates menstruation, making it a key herb in gynecology. For the above conditions caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis, it is often paired with Cyperus, Peach Kernel, Carthamus; for cases caused by cold congelation, it is often paired with Cassia Bark, Mugwort; for cases with blood heat, it is often paired with Red Peony Root, Moutan Bark, etc.
3. Used for blood deficiency, blood stasis accompanied by cold congelation, as well as injuries from falls, and pain caused by wind-dampness obstruction. Chinese Angelica tonifies blood, promotes blood circulation, and also dissipates cold to relieve pain, making it suitable for various combinations of medicinals. For headaches caused by blood stasis and cold, it is often paired with Sichuan Lovage Rhizome, Dahurian Angelica, etc.; for chest pain and hypochondriac pain caused by qi and blood stasis, it is often paired with Curcuma Root, Cyperus, etc.; for abdominal pain caused by deficiency-cold, it is often paired with Cinnamon Twig, Peony Root, etc.; for abdominal pain caused by blood dysentery, it is often paired with Skullcap Root, Coptis Rhizome, Aucklandia Root, etc.; for abdominal masses, it is often paired with Sparganium Rhizome, Zedoary Rhizome, etc.; for injuries from falls, it is often paired with frankincense, myrrh, etc.; for wind-dampness obstruction and limb numbness, it is often paired with Notopterygium, Cinnamon Twig, Gentian, etc. Modern applications include treating coronary heart disease, colicky pain, and thromboangiitis obliterans, with certain efficacy.
4. Used for sores and ulcers. Chinese Angelica promotes blood circulation, subdues swelling, relieves pain, tonifies blood, and promotes tissue regeneration, making it commonly used in surgery. For the initial stage of sores and ulcers, it is often paired with Lonicera, Forsythia, and processed pangolin scales to subdue swelling and relieve pain; for post-ulceration cases with qi and blood deficiency, it is often paired with Ginseng, Astragalus Root, Prepared Rehmannia Root, etc., to tonify blood and promote tissue regeneration.
5. Used for blood deficiency and intestinal dryness causing constipation. It nourishes blood and moistens the intestines to promote bowel movements. It is often paired with Hemp Seed, Desertliving Cistanche, etc.
6. Additionally, it can treat chronic cough and panting. As recorded in "The Later Records of Lu Ban Jing," the Guanyin Rescue Bitter Powder, which combines it with Ginseng, foxtail millet husk, Liquorice Root, etc., is said to "treat cough miraculously." Modern applications also include using 5% Chinese Angelica injection at acupoints such as Danzhong and Feishu to treat chronic bronchitis.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Main cough with dyspnea... women's fistula disease, infertility, various malignant sores and ulcers, incised wounds."
2. Jingyue Quanshu. Bencao Zheng: "Chinese Angelica, its taste is sweet and heavy, thus it specializes in tonifying blood; its qi is light and pungent, thus it can also move blood. It moves within tonification, and tonifies within movement, truly a qi medicine within blood, also a holy medicine within blood."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 5-15g. It is generally used raw, but stir-fried with wine to enhance blood circulation. Typically, the body of Chinese Angelica is used for tonifying blood, the tail of Chinese Angelica for promoting blood circulation, and the whole Chinese Angelica for both tonifying blood and promoting blood circulation.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Chinese Angelica contains volatile oil, the main components of which are Chinese Lovage lactone, n-butylidenephthalide, Chinese Angelica ketone, and Schizonepeta phenol, among others. It also contains water-soluble components such as Ferula acid, succinic acid, nicotinic acid, uracil, adenine, stigmasterol-D-glucoside, vanillic acid, and gelsemine, among others. Additionally, it contains Chinese Angelica polysaccharides, various amino acids, vitamins A, B₁₂, E, and various essential elements for the human body.

1. The volatile oil of Chinese Angelica and Ferula acid can inhibit the contraction of uterine smooth muscle, while its water-soluble or alcohol-soluble non-volatile substances can excite uterine smooth muscle. The effect of Chinese Angelica on the uterus depends on the functional state of the uterus and exhibits a dual-phase regulatory effect.
2. N-butylidenephthalide can counteract experimental asthma in guinea pigs caused by histamine-acetylcholine spray.
3. Chinese Angelica has anti-platelet aggregation and anti-thrombotic effects, and can promote the generation of red blood cells in common bletilla tuber; it has anti-myocardial ischemia and vasodilatory effects, and it has been proven that Ferula acid can improve peripheral circulation.
4. Chinese Angelica has a lipid-lowering effect on experimental hyperlipidemia. It enhances both non-specific and specific immune functions.
5. Chinese Angelica has a protective effect on liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in mice, and can promote liver cell regeneration and restore certain liver functions.
6. In addition, it has sedative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypoxic, anti-radiation injury effects, and can inhibit the growth of certain tumor strains and have antibacterial effects in vitro.