Alias: Gan Gui, Mawei Danggui, Qin Gui, Mawei Gui, Yun Gui
Main Efficacy: Nourishing blood and activating circulation, regulating menstruation and alleviating pain, promoting bowel movement, strengthening the heart and preventing thrombosis, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer, enhancing immunity, etc.
Angelica Sinensis (Danggui) has a sweet and spicy flavor, is warm in nature, and enters the Liver, Heart, and Spleen meridians.
Angelica Sinensis is sweet and can nourish and moisten, while its spicy and warm nature promotes circulation. It primarily enters the Liver and Heart meridians, with a secondary effect on the Spleen meridian. It is effective in nourishing blood, activating circulation, regulating menstruation, alleviating pain, and promoting bowel movement. It can also dispel cold, making it suitable for conditions of blood deficiency, blood stasis with cold symptoms, and particularly beneficial for those with dry intestines and constipation. It is a key herb for gynecological regulation and an excellent tonic for blood replenishment in internal medicine, as well as commonly used in surgery and trauma for reducing swelling and healing injuries.
Angelica Sinensis contains volatile oils such as ligustilide, butylidenephthalide, and other components including ferulic acid, vanillic acid, niacin, succinic acid, as well as polysaccharides, amino acids, and vitamin A.
Main Functions and Effects of Angelica Sinensis
1. Effect on Uterine Smooth Muscle
Studies have shown that the volatile oil of Angelica Sinensis has a direct inhibitory effect on the isolated uterus of rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, rats, and dogs, whether they are non-pregnant, early pregnant, late pregnant, or postpartum, leading to a gradual decrease in rhythmic contractions until they disappear, resulting in a relaxed state. It also counteracts contractions induced by posterior pituitary hormones, histamine, adrenaline, and acetylcholine.
2. Effect on the Cardiovascular System
The decoction of Angelica Sinensis or its roots and leaves can significantly inhibit the contraction frequency of myocardial cells, prolonging the refractory period of isolated rabbit atria and showing therapeutic effects on atrial fibrillation induced by acetylcholine or electrical stimulation in anesthetized cats and dogs.
3. Effect on Blood and Cardiovascular System
After oral administration of Angelica Sinensis water decoction in rats, the plasma coagulation time is prolonged, reducing thrombosis and slowing the rate of thrombus formation, demonstrating significant anti-thrombotic effects.
4. Effect on the Digestive System
It has protective effects against liver damage caused by acute carbon tetrachloride poisoning in mice and can alleviate fibrosis and promote the recovery of liver cell function in chronic liver damage. In the respiratory system, Angelica Sinensis extract shows considerable efficacy in chronic bronchitis complicated by emphysema and early or remission stage pulmonary heart disease, significantly improving lung ventilation function and physical strength.
5. Immune Effects
Angelica Sinensis and its extracts, such as sodium ferulate and Angelica polysaccharides, have a significant stimulating effect on the mononuclear-macrophage system and can mediate and restore immune function in immunocompromised individuals. It also promotes lymphocyte transformation in healthy individuals.
6. Anti-inflammatory Effects
Components of Angelica Sinensis, such as butylidenephthalide and phenylacetate, can relax bronchial smooth muscle and counteract bronchial asthma induced by histamine and acetylcholine.
7. Anti-cancer Effects
Angelica Sinensis can be widely used for various tumors, especially gynecological tumors, particularly suitable for those with stagnation of qi and blood stasis. It can also be selected for patients with blood deficiency and weakness in the middle to late stages of cancer or those with weakened vital energy after surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy to support the body against cancer.
8. Antibacterial Effects
The decoction of Angelica Sinensis shows mild inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, typhoid and paratyphoid bacteria, dysentery bacillus, Proteus, and diphtheria bacillus in vitro.
9. Free Radical Removal
Ferulic acid in Angelica Sinensis has anti-lipid peroxidation effects, can directly eliminate free radicals, inhibit oxidation reactions, and free radical reactions, and can bind with biological membrane phospholipids to protect membrane lipids from free radical damage to tissues.
10. Anti-aging Effects
The decoction of Angelica Sinensis has a significant impact on learning and memory in mice, as measured by the Morris water maze method. It can improve dementia caused by aluminum trichloride, reducing the levels of lipid peroxidation in the brains of demented mice and the activity of B-type monoamine oxidase, thus treating senile dementia.
11. Promoting Hematopoiesis
The sodium ferulate and Angelica polysaccharides in the water extract of Angelica Sinensis can significantly promote the generation of hemoglobin and red blood cells, thus having anti-anemia effects.
12. Surgical Applications
This herb is effective for reducing swelling and promoting healing during the ulcerative phase of wounds.
13. Angelica Sinensis protects liver function.
What are the benefits of drinking Astragalus and Angelica Sinensis tea?
The Astragalus and Angelica Sinensis tea comes from the formula – Angelica Blood Nourishing Decoction, which has the function of tonifying qi and nourishing blood, primarily treating blood deficiency with yang floating and fever symptoms.
Angelica Sinensis nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, alleviates pain, while Astragalus tonifies qi, raises yang, benefits the stomach, strengthens the exterior, promotes diuresis, and aids in wound healing.
Angelica Sinensis and Astragalus, with qi in the blood, can promote blood circulation, and when combined, blood can nourish qi, allowing qi to flourish. Therefore, the ancients established the pairing of Angelica Sinensis and Astragalus to tonify qi and nourish blood.
Modern individuals experiencing early symptoms of qi and blood deficiency, such as fatigue, weakness, insufficient heart blood, and liver blood deficiency, may lead to menstrual irregularities in women, poor sleep, autonomic dysfunction, lack of energy, general fatigue, and abdominal distension after eating. These symptoms of qi and blood deficiency can be improved through qi-nourishing and blood-nourishing formulas or tea drinks.
However, current tea drinks cannot replace the full therapeutic effects of herbal formulas. The combined use of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine requires syndrome differentiation and individualized clinical treatment.
If you need to use this medication, please consult a doctor before use and inform them of all diagnosed diseases and ongoing treatment plans.
The above content is for medical knowledge dissemination only, and cannot replace professional medical advice. Please follow your doctor’s instructions for specific decisions.Source: Baidu Health, Youlai DoctorEdited by: Wu Xinrong
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