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Angelica Sinensis (Dong Quai) is the dried root of the plant Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, belonging to the Apiaceae family. It is harvested in late autumn, with the fibrous roots and soil removed. After some moisture evaporates, it is bundled into small bunches and slowly dried with smoke.
Angelica Sinensis Cultivation
Angelica Sinensis Plant
【Characteristics】 The 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 brown, with longitudinal wrinkles and transverse, elongated, pore-like protrusions. The root head (gui tou) has a diameter of 1.5 to 4 cm, with ring patterns, the upper end is rounded or has several prominent rhizome scars, and remnants of purple or yellow-green stems and leaf sheaths; the main root (gui shen) has an uneven 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 cross-section that is yellowish-white or light yellow-brown, thick bark, with cracks 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. Products that are excessively dry, brittle, or have a greenish-brown cross-section are not suitable for medicinal use.
Angelica Sinensis Medicinal Material
Below is Sulfur-containing Angelica Sinensis
Identification of Angelica Sinensis Characteristics
【Counterfeit Angelica Sinensis】
1. Qian Hu (Peucedanum decursivum Maxim.) is the dried root of the plant belonging to the Apiaceae family. It is produced in Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, and other regions. In the southwestern regions of China, it is commonly referred to as “Tu Dong Quai” (Earth Dong Quai), while in Fujian, it is called “Ye Dong Quai” (Wild Dong Quai). It is often irregularly cylindrical, conical, or spindle-shaped, with a thinner main root and a few lateral roots, measuring 3 to 15 cm in length and 0.8 to 1.7 cm in diameter. The surface is brown to black-brown, with occasional remnants of stem bases and membranous leaf sheath remnants, with shallow straight fine longitudinal wrinkles, visible gray-white transverse pore-like protrusions, and dot-like fibrous root scars. The texture is hard, with a whitish cross-section, and the bark is relatively narrow, scattered with a few yellow oil spots. It has a fragrant aroma, with a slightly bitter and spicy taste.
Qian Hu (Peucedanum decursivum)
2. European Angelica (Levisticum officinale Koch.) is the dried root of the plant produced in Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and other regions. It is cylindrical, with slight branching at the lower part or none, varying in length, up to 20 to 30 cm long and 0.7 to 2 cm in diameter. The surface is gray-brown or brown, with longitudinal and transverse wrinkles and scar-like pores. The top is rounded, with purple or yellow-green stem base and leaf sheath remnants, surrounded by several bud-like leaf sheath coverings. The texture is flexible, with a white or slightly yellowish-white cross-section, and the brown ring (cambium) is particularly prominent. It has a mild aroma and a slightly sweet and numbing taste. Most slices are transverse, with a few being longitudinal, measuring 0.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter and 0.1 to 0.3 cm thick. The surface is gray-brown or gray-yellow, with longitudinal and transverse wrinkles, and the cut surface of the bark is light brown, while the wood part is yellow-white, with numerous brown dot-like secretion cavities near the root head. When iodine solution is added to transverse slices, the bark immediately shows blue, and the wood part can be seen with blue radial patterns (genuine Angelica Sinensis transverse slices gradually show star-like blue spots when iodine solution is added).
European Angelica (Levisticum officinale)
3. Dong Angelica (Ligusticum acutilobum Sieb. et Zucc.) is the dried root of the plant. The main root is short and thick with fine ring patterns, measuring 10 to 18 cm in length and 1.5 to 3 cm in diameter, with leaf petiole and stem base scars at the top, and a central depression, some of which have been cut evenly. Lateral roots grow from the main root, with more than 10 or more. The surface is yellow-brown, brown-yellow, or brown. The entire root has fine longitudinal wrinkles and transverse protruding scar-like pores, fibrous roots, or fibrous root scars. When dry, it is brittle, but becomes soft and flexible when damp, with a neat cross-section, the bark is whitish, and the wood part is yellow-white or yellow-brown. It has a fragrant aroma, with a sweet and slightly bitter taste.
Japanese Dong Angelica
Jilin Dong Angelica
4. Da Du Huo (Angelica gigans Nakai) is the dried root of the plant. It is produced in Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, with a short and thick root head, measuring 2 to 5 cm in length and 2 to 3 cm in diameter. The surface has transverse ring patterns, with leaf base scars at the top, and several lateral roots below. The lateral roots measure 5 to 15 cm in length and 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter. The surface has longitudinal wrinkles and numerous transverse protruding scar-like pores, and a brownish viscous resin-like substance may be seen oozing out. The texture is brittle, with a gray-white bark and yellow-white wood part. It has a fragrant aroma, with a slightly sweet and then spicy taste.
North Korean Dong Angelica
Yunnan Wild Dong Angelica
【Processing】
Angelica Sinensis is cleaned of impurities, washed, soaked, sliced thinly, and then dried in the sun or at low temperatures.
【Characteristics of Angelica Sinensis Slices】 The product appears as round, oval, or irregular thin slices. The outer skin is light brown to brown. The cut surface is light brown or yellow-white, flat, with cracks, and a light brown cambium ring in the middle, with numerous brown oil spots, a strong aroma, and a sweet, spicy, and slightly bitter taste.
Angelica Sinensis Slices
Wine Angelica Sinensis is prepared by stir-frying clean Angelica Sinensis slices with wine.
【Characteristics of Wine Angelica Sinensis】 The product resembles Angelica Sinensis slices. The cut surface is deep yellow or light brown-yellow, with slight scorch marks. It has a strong aroma, with a hint of wine fragrance.
Wine Angelica Sinensis Slices
Angelica Sinensis Charcoal Slices
【Chemical Components】
1. Volatile Oils Volatile oils are an important component of Angelica Sinensis, with a content of about 0.4%, including three types: neutral oils, phenolic oils, and acidic oils. (1) Neutral oil components, which have the highest content, account for about 88% of the total oil, mainly including ligustilide, chuanxiongzine, butyl phthalate, angelica ketone, new angelica lactone, borneol ferulate, o-coumaric acid, and about 19 other medicinal components. (2) Phenolic oil components mainly include p-methylbenzyl alcohol, 5-methoxy-2,3-dimethylphenol, phenol, o-cresol, p-cresol, guaiacol, 2,3-dimethylphenol, p-ethylphenol, m-ethylphenol, 4-ethylmethylphenol, 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone, and others. (3) Acidic oil components include dimethyl phthalate, dimethyl nonanedioate, dimethyl decanedioate, dimethyl camphorate, and o-coumaric acid.
2. Organic Acids Mainly include ferulic acid, succinic acid, phthalic anhydride, anethole, decanoic acid, niacin, etc.
3. Other Components Such as uracil, adenine, choline, sucrose, fructose, glucose, vitamins A, B12, E, 17 amino acids, and over 20 trace elements.
【Pharmacological Effects】
1. Pharmacological effects related to efficacy and indications
(1) Promoting Hematopoietic Function: Angelica Sinensis can increase the levels of peripheral red blood cells, white blood cells, and hemoglobin, with a more pronounced effect on bone marrow hematopoietic function suppression caused by chemical drugs and radiation. Angelica polysaccharides are one of the main effective components that promote hematopoietic function.
(2) Antithrombotic: Oral decoction of Angelica Sinensis can prolong the plasma coagulation time and activated partial thromboplastin time in rats.
Ferulic acid inhibits platelet aggregation, possibly related to its inhibition of platelet release reactions, increasing the cAMP/cGMP ratio within platelets, and inhibiting the phosphorylation of phosphoinositides in platelet membranes.
The antithrombotic effect of Angelica Sinensis may be related to increasing fibrinolytic enzyme activity, anticoagulation, and inhibiting platelet aggregation.
(3) Lipid-lowering: Ferulic acid can inhibit the rate-limiting enzyme HMG-CoA reductase in the liver, reducing cholesterol synthesis in the liver, thereby lowering plasma cholesterol levels, which is one of the mechanisms of ferulic acid’s cholesterol-lowering effect.
(4) Cardiovascular Effects: Anti-myocardial ischemia and anti-arrhythmia: Water extracts of Angelica Sinensis and ferulic acid can alleviate myocardial ischemia induced by posterior pituitary extracts, increasing the uptake of 86Rb in mouse myocardium.
Vasodilation and blood pressure reduction: Angelica Sinensis has vasodilatory effects on coronary, cerebral, pulmonary, and peripheral blood vessels.
The vasodilatory effect of Angelica Sinensis on peripheral blood vessels is not affected by β-receptor blockers like propranolol and α-receptor agonists like methoxamine, suggesting that the vasodilatory effect of Angelica Sinensis is unrelated to α-adrenergic and β-adrenergic receptors.
(5) Regulating Uterine Smooth Muscle Function: Angelica Sinensis has both excitatory and inhibitory effects on animal uterine smooth muscle. The volatile oils and ferulic acid from Angelica Sinensis have an inhibitory effect on uterine smooth muscle contractions; while the water-soluble and alcohol-soluble non-volatile components have an excitatory effect on uterine smooth muscle.
(6) Enhancing Immunity: Angelica Sinensis and its components (Angelica polysaccharides, ferulic acid) can enhance the immune function of the body.
2. Other Pharmacological Effects: (1) Hepatoprotective (2) Anti-radiation, anti-injury
In summary, the essence of Angelica Sinensis’s effects of nourishing blood, invigorating blood circulation, regulating menstruation, and relieving pain is to promote hematopoietic function, inhibit platelet aggregation, prevent thrombosis, lower blood lipids, protect against myocardial ischemia, prevent arrhythmias, dilate blood vessels, lower blood pressure, regulate uterine smooth muscle function, and enhance immune function. The material basis for the efficacy of Angelica Sinensis mainly includes its volatile oils, polysaccharides, and ferulic acid. Angelica Sinensis also has anti-radiation, anti-injury, and hepatoprotective effects.
【Taste and Meridian Entry】 Sweet, Spicy, Warm. Enters the Liver, Heart, and Spleen meridians.
【Functions and Indications】 Nourishes blood, invigorates blood circulation, regulates menstruation, and relieves pain. Used for blood deficiency, pale complexion, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain due to deficiency and cold, rheumatic pain, trauma, carbuncles, and constipation. Wine Angelica Sinensis invigorates blood circulation and regulates menstruation. Used for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, rheumatic pain, and trauma.
【Dosage and Administration】 6 to 12 g.
【Storage】 Store in a cool, dry place, protect from moisture and pests.
Note: This article is for reference only; specific treatment and medication should follow medical advice! This public account is only for academic exchange.
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