Aromatherapy for Body and Mind: The Holy Medicine for Nourishing Blood and Regulating Menstruation – Angelica Sinensis
Written by: Yang Li’e, Chief Chinese Medicine Pharmacist, Pharmacy Department
Aromatherapy
refers to the method of treatment using medicinal substances with aromatic scents.
It originated in ancient civilizations such as Egypt and became popular in modern Europe. The four great ancient civilizations, with their long-standing cultural histories, have an inseparable bond with spices. The Chinese nation, with a 5,000-year culture, is at the forefront of aromatic culture. As early as the era of the Yellow Emperor and Shennong, aromatic items were used to ward off epidemics, pay respect to deities, and purify the body and mind, used in rituals, worship, and funerals.
Due to the significant influence of aromatic culture, during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, Chinese medicine utilized the theories of herbal medicine to study aromatic herbs and widely applied them in clinical practice.
Research in TCM pharmacology indicates that aromatic herbs can “penetrate” the human body through the skin and meridians, playing a role in opening pores, invigorating blood circulation, and balancing Yin and Yang. Therefore, modern aromatherapy primarily extracts essential oil components from aromatic herbs, using methods such as massage, inhalation, hot compress, soaking, and steaming to achieve effects like calming the mind, antibacterial properties, deodorizing, and promoting health.
Angelica Sinensis is one of the commonly used herbs in gynecology, rich in volatile oils and other aromatic compounds, and is a member of the aromatic herb family.
Source and Origin of Angelica Sinensis
Angelica Sinensis is derived from the dried root of the plant in the Umbelliferae family. It has a long history of medicinal use, first recorded in the Shennong Bencao Jing: “It treats cough, counterflow of qi… for women with menstrual disorders, infertility, and various sores and ulcers,” classified as a medium-grade herb. The Bencao Gangmu also records: “It treats headaches, abdominal pain, moistens the intestines and stomach, and skin conditions. It treats carbuncles, drains pus, relieves pain, and harmonizes and nourishes blood.”
Angelica Sinensis is primarily produced in Gansu, Sichuan, and Shaanxi provinces, with the best quality coming from Min County in Gansu (historically known as Qinzhou), commonly referred to as “Qin Gui.” The best quality is characterized by a long body, few legs, oily, and plump flesh, with a yellow-brown outer skin, a yellow-white cross-section, and a strong aroma. Specimens that are too dry, lack oil, or have a green-brown cross-section are not suitable for medicinal use.
Figure 1: Angelica Sinensis Tail Slices (Image provided by the author)
Figure 2: Angelica Sinensis Slices (Image provided by the author)
Effects and Indications of Angelica Sinensis
Angelica Sinensis has a sweet taste, a pungent aroma, and a warm nature. It enters the Liver, Heart, and Spleen meridians. It nourishes blood, invigorates blood circulation, regulates menstruation, and alleviates pain. It is used for blood deficiency, pale complexion, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain due to deficiency and cold, rheumatic pain, traumatic injuries, carbuncles, and constipation due to dryness of the intestines.
When Angelica Sinensis is wine-fried, it enhances the extraction of effective components, thereby increasing its efficacy in invigorating blood circulation and unblocking meridians, mainly used for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and postpartum abdominal pain, rheumatic pain, and traumatic injuries.
Applications of Angelica Sinensis
The traditional specifications of Angelica Sinensis slices are divided into Angelica Sinensis heads, bodies, tails, and whole Angelica Sinensis. Different specifications have different clinical applications. Li Dongyuan, one of the four great masters of the Jin and Yuan dynasties, recorded in the Piwei Lun: “Angelica Sinensis heads stop bleeding and ascend, Angelica Sinensis bodies nourish blood and stabilize the center, Angelica Sinensis tails break blood and descend, and whole Angelica Sinensis nourishes and invigorates blood.”
Angelica Sinensis can be used for blood deficiency syndrome as a key blood-nourishing herb, which can both nourish blood and regulate menstruation, as well as invigorate blood and relieve pain. It is often combined with herbs that invigorate blood and promote qi, such as Chuanxiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong), to promote the flow of qi and blood, dispel stasis, relieve pain, and invigorate blood circulation, mainly used for treating blood deficiency headaches, dysmenorrhea, and postpartum abdominal pain.
Angelica Sinensis can also be used for blood stasis syndrome, commonly used for gynecological stasis syndromes, traumatic injuries, chest, abdominal, and flank pain due to stasis, limb pain, numbness, hemiplegia, and bi syndrome. The Taohong Siwu Decoction combines it with Taoren (Peach Kernel), Honghua (Carthamus tinctorius), and Chuanxiong to treat menstrual irregularities and dysmenorrhea caused by blood stasis in women; when combined with Ruxiang (Frankincense) and Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), it treats qi and blood stagnation, abdominal pain, traumatic injuries, and internal and external sores and carbuncles.
Angelica Sinensis has a laxative effect and can be used for constipation due to dryness of the intestines, especially in cases of blood deficiency and dry intestines, often used in combination with Shudihuang (Rehmannia glutinosa), Roucongrong (Cistanche deserticola), and Huomaren (Cannabis sativa) to nourish blood and moisten dryness.
In addition to its medicinal use, Angelica Sinensis can also be used as an ingredient in marinated products for its aroma-enhancing and fishy odor-removing properties.
The volatile oil components of Angelica Sinensis can be made into Angelica Sinensis essential oil, with the main components being ferulic acid and ligustilide, which can be used in pharmaceutical raw materials, medicinal food, and daily chemical products. Angelica Sinensis essential oil can inhibit the formation of melanin by tyrosinase, showing good therapeutic effects on chloasma and other pigmentary skin diseases. In terms of beauty, it can help promote skin metabolism, enhance skin vitality, and improve complexion, giving the skin a rosy and radiant glow. When combined with aromatherapy methods, massaging the abdominal and uterine areas can help harmonize the body and alleviate dysmenorrhea symptoms. Angelica Sinensis essential oil also has pharmacological effects such as inhibiting uterine smooth muscle contraction, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-thrombosis, promoting the generation of hemoglobin and red blood cells, anti-myocardial ischemia, and vasodilation.
Precautions for Use
Angelica Sinensis is sweet and warm, and should not be used in cases of damp-heat obstruction, lung heat phlegm-fire, or yin deficiency with yang excess. Additionally, due to its moistening and laxative properties, it should be avoided in cases of diarrhea.
References
[1] Pharmacopoeia Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1) [S]. Beijing: China Medical Science Press, 2015, 133-134.
[2] Zhang Tingmo, Deng Jiagang, Zhou Zhenxiang, et al. Clinical Chinese Medicine [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai University of Science and Technology Press, 2007: 337-338.
[3] Chen Hua, Jin Yang. The Application of Aromatherapy in Clinical Chinese Medicine [J]. Hubei Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2013, 35(2): 42-43.
Author Profile
Name: Yang Li’e
Department: Pharmacy Department
Title: Chief Chinese Medicine Pharmacist
Address: No. 16 Airport Road, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine First Affiliated Hospital
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