ANGELICAE SINENSIS RADIX
Angelica Sinensis
Source
This product is the dried root of the plant Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, belonging to the Umbelliferae family.
Related Names
Angelica, Whole Angelica, Qin Gui, Qin Angelica, Western Angelica, Wine Angelica, Fried Angelica, Root of Angelica, Body of Angelica, Tail of Angelica, Beard of Angelica, Dry Angelica, Sweet White, Dry White, Wen Wu
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Source Textbook
Origin
Mainly produced in Gansu Province, including Yangxian, Wudu, Zhangxian, Chengxian, and Wenxian; also found in Hubei, Yunnan, and Sichuan provinces. Primarily cultivated.
Harvesting and Processing
Angelica is generally harvested in the autumn of the second year after cultivation. The stems, leaves, fibrous roots, and soil are removed, and the roots are placed to allow moisture to evaporate slightly until they become soft. They are then bundled and dried slowly over smoke.
Identification of Properties
This product is slightly cylindrical, with 3 to 5 or more lateral roots at the lower part, measuring 15 to 25 cm in length. The surface is light brown to brownish-yellow, with longitudinal wrinkles and transverse lenticels. The root head (Gui Tou) has a diameter of 1.5 to 4 cm, with ring patterns, the upper end rounded or with several prominent rhizome scars, and remnants of purple or yellow-green stems and leaf sheaths; the main root (Gui Shen) has a bumpy surface; the lateral roots (Gui Wei) have a diameter of 0.3 to 1 cm, thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, often twisted, with few fibrous root scars. The texture is flexible, with a yellowish-white or light yellow-brown cross-section, thick bark, fissures, and numerous brown dot-like secretion cavities, while the wood part is lighter in color, with the cambium ring being yellow-brown. It has a strong aroma, with a sweet, spicy, and slightly bitter taste.
Roots that are excessively dry, lacking oil, or with a greenish-brown cross-section are not suitable for medicinal use.
Processed Angelica
In the form of round, oval, or irregular thin slices. The outer skin is light brown to brownish-yellow. The cut surface is yellowish-white or light brownish-yellow, flat, with fissures, thick bark, scattered brown oil spots, and light brown cambium ring patterns, with the wood part being lighter. The texture is flexible and oily. It has a strong aroma, with a sweet, spicy, and slightly bitter taste.
Wine Angelica
Resembles Angelica slices. The cut surface is deep yellow or light brownish-yellow, with slight scorch marks. It has a strong aroma, with a hint of wine fragrance.
Properties and Channels
Sweet, spicy, warm. Enters the Liver, Heart, and Spleen channels.
Characteristics
This product is sweet and warm, nourishing and moistening, with a spicy nature that promotes circulation. It primarily enters the Liver and Heart channels, and also the Spleen channel. It is effective in nourishing blood, invigorating blood circulation, regulating menstruation, alleviating pain, moistening the intestines, and relieving constipation. It can also dispel cold, making it suitable for conditions of blood deficiency, blood stasis with cold symptoms, and particularly beneficial for constipation due to dryness in the intestines. It is a key herb for gynecological regulation and an excellent tonic for internal medicine, commonly used in external and trauma medicine for reducing swelling and healing injuries.
Functions
Nourishes blood, invigorates blood circulation, regulates menstruation, alleviates pain, moistens the intestines, and relieves constipation.
Memory Aid
Angelica: Remember the story of “the husband returns but does not come back, causing the wife to remarry.”
Memory Association: Is a man who comes home after work like an Angelica? To others, it may seem so, but I believe that a married man who comes home after work is like Angelica, as he takes care of the children, does housework, cooks, and cares for his wife: often tutoring the children (nourishing blood), maintaining harmony in the family (harmonizing blood), giving massages to relieve fatigue and asking about their well-being (warming channels and alleviating pain), and cooking delicious meals (moistening the intestines and relieving constipation).
Use Angelica root for nourishing blood, Angelica tail for breaking blood, and whole Angelica for invigorating blood.
When the Angelica is whole (Quan), it is alive; when it has nourished the body and the tail is broken, it is no longer whole. (Invigorating blood uses whole Angelica, nourishing blood uses the body, breaking blood uses the tail.)
Indications
(1) Blood deficiency with pale complexion, dizziness, and palpitations.
(2) Irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea.
(3) Abdominal pain due to deficiency-cold, pain due to blood stasis, trauma, and numbness.
(4) Painful sores and ulcers.
(5) Blood deficiency with dry intestines and constipation.
Compatibility
Angelica combined with Astragalus: Angelica is warm and nourishes blood, while Astragalus is slightly warm and tonifies Qi. When Qi is abundant, blood is generated. The combination of these two herbs strongly benefits Qi and blood, treating blood deficiency or simultaneous Qi and blood deficiency.
Dosage and Administration
For internal use: decoction, 6-12g; or in pills or powders. Angelica root nourishes blood, Angelica tail breaks blood, and whole Angelica harmonizes blood. Generally, it is best used raw, while for invigorating blood and promoting menstruation, it is advisable to fry it in wine.
Precautions
This product is sweet and warm, thus it is contraindicated in cases of excessive dampness, fullness, or diarrhea.
Pharmacology
This product has anti-anemia effects, enhances immune function, inhibits platelet aggregation, has anti-thrombotic effects, protects against myocardial ischemia and hypoxia, dilates peripheral blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, stimulates or inhibits uterine smooth muscle, relaxes bronchial smooth muscle, lowers blood lipids, has anti-inflammatory effects, and protects the liver.
Story
In a great mountain, although there are many precious medicinal materials, few dare to enter the mountain to collect herbs due to the presence of many poisonous snakes and fierce beasts.
Outside the mountain, there is a village where young people were chatting, and one young man said, “I have the greatest courage.”
Others doubted him and challenged, “If you are so brave, would you dare to enter the mountain to collect herbs?”
“Of course! When I collect the herbs, I will cure your ‘cowardice’!”
“Alright, if you get bitten by a poisonous snake or fierce beast, we will have to find a ‘revival medicine’ for you!”
The young man was very indignant and vowed to enter the mountain to collect herbs. However, when he returned home and told his mother, she strongly opposed it:
“I only have you as a son. If anything happens to you, our family will be left without a successor!”
The son replied, “I have sworn that if I do not go, I will not be able to hold my head high in the village.”
His mother thought for a moment and said, “If you must go, then marry the girl you are engaged to first. If anything happens to you, at least we will have a family.”
Thus, the son temporarily did not enter the mountain and first married the girl he was engaged to. After marriage, the couple had a good relationship. The young man could not bear to abandon his newlywed wife, so he never mentioned going into the mountain again.
Months passed. One day, the young men in the village gathered again and criticized the young man:
“Now you are convinced, right, boastful king!”
“Who is boasting?” The young man changed his expression.
“You are!”
“Nonsense!”
“Alright, we can see clearly that you only love your wife.”
Young men care about their reputation; who would take such words? The young man went home and told his wife, “Help me prepare; I will go into the mountain to collect herbs tomorrow.”
“I won’t let you go…” His wife threw herself into his arms, crying.
“I must have the appearance of a man; I cannot let others ridicule me and say I am all talk and only love my wife.”
“But what will happen to me if you leave?”
“Let me tell my mother; you wait for me for three years. If I do not return in three years, you can remarry!”
On the second day, the young man bid farewell to his mother and wife and went into the mountain. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law lived together at home. A year passed, and the young man did not return; two years passed, and still no news. The wife waited and waited, crying every day. Due to worry and sadness, she developed a serious women’s illness due to blood deficiency and Qi deficiency. As the third year approached, the mother-in-law could not bear to see her daughter-in-law suffer and said, “You have waited for him for three years; it seems he will not return. Do not delay your own life; go and marry someone else.”
At first, the daughter-in-law refused, but after repeated persuasion from her mother-in-law, and thinking her husband might be dead, she returned to her family and married someone else.
However, just a few days later, the young man who had gone to collect herbs suddenly returned. The whole village was in an uproar. When everyone saw that he had brought back many medicinal herbs, they praised him for his courage and ability. When the young man entered the house and did not see his wife, he hurriedly asked where she had gone. His mother said:
“You had said it yourself! She waited for you for three whole years, and you did not send a single word. Now, she has married someone else.”
The son was filled with regret, hating himself for not returning sooner. He could not forget his wife and asked someone in the village to send a message to meet her again.
When the wife heard that her original husband was still alive, she cried bitterly. People advised her, “The rice is already cooked; it is useless to regret. You should at least meet him; this is also a matter of loyalty.”
Later, the two met. The wife was in tears, saying to the young man:
“These three years have been so painful waiting for you! I looked forward to your return every day, but for three years you did not come back, nor did you send a single letter. Now I have married someone else, and my heart is filled with hatred and regret!”
The young man sighed deeply and said, “Do not be sad; this is not your fault. I went into the mountain and dug up many precious medicinal materials, some of which are rare. I originally wanted to dig more, come back, and buy you some clothes. Alas, now who should I give them to? You take these medicinal materials and sell them! I hope you have a happy life in the future.”
After saying this, the young man turned and left.
The wife, who was already ill, could not bear such a blow and collapsed to the ground. After a while, she saw the medicinal materials left by the young man and thought, “Since living has no meaning, I might as well eat some herbs and die from poisoning!” So she grabbed a few roots of unknown herbs and ate them one by one. To her surprise, she not only did not get poisoned, but after a while, her face gradually regained color, and her women’s illness was cured.
Someone asked her, “How did your illness get better?” She showed the herbs the young man had brought back and said, “It was this that cured me.”
People remembered this herb that specifically treats women’s diseases. Later, some people cultivated this herb and named it “Angelica” to remember the story of “the husband returns but does not come back, causing the wife to remarry.”
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Source | Five Flavors Academy
Image and Text Layout | Jiang Yunfeng
Editor | Jiang Yunfeng
