Angelica sinensis Seeds | Dang Gui
LATIN NAME: Angelica sinensis
COMMON NAME: Dang Gui, Chinese Angelica
Plant Profile
Dang gui is the root of Angelica sinensis, a biennial umbellifer of the mountain meadows and riverbanks of Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan. In its first year it makes a rosette of divided leaves; in the second it sends up a hollow stem a metre tall, topped by umbels of small white flowers, and then it dies.
The root is thick, branching and strongly aromatic, with a sweet, celery-like smell that comes from the same lactones that flavour lovage and celery. Minxian in Gansu is the classic producing area, and root from there commands a premium on the basis of size and oil content.
Science & Biotechnology
The volatile fraction is dominated by Z-ligustilide, a phthalide that gives the root its characteristic scent and degrades readily on storage and heating. Ferulic acid is the other marker compound, and it is more stable.
The pharmacological literature is largely Chinese and largely animal-based, on blood flow, uterine tone and inflammation. Two practical points are better established than the efficacy claims: the root contains furanocoumarins, so it can cause photosensitivity, and it interacts with warfarin, with several reports of a sharp rise in INR when patients start taking it. Levels vary with the age of the root and with how quickly it was dried. The root is also one of the few herbs with a documented effect on platelet aggregation in vitro, which fits the bleeding reports that accompany its use in practice.
Uses & Benefits
Dang gui is the most prescribed herb in Chinese gynaecology, used at six to twelve grams for menstrual irregularity, cramps and recovery after childbirth. It is often paired with astragalus or with peony root.
It is contraindicated in pregnancy, where the uterine effect is a concern, and it is avoided in heavy menstrual bleeding. Because of the warfarin interaction, anyone on anticoagulants should not start it without discussing it. The sliced root is also used as a flavouring in soup, which is a food use with a much lower dose.
Growing from Seed
Seed must be fresh. It loses viability within a year, and stored seed often gives ten per cent or less. Direct sowing in late summer or early autumn, on the surface of a fine seedbed, matches the natural cycle and avoids the transplant check that causes bolting.
The plant needs deep, moist soil and cool summers; heat and dryness push it into flower in the first year, which ruins the root. Lift at the end of the second autumn, before the stem dies, and dry the roots slowly at 35 to 40°C to keep the oil. Roots left in the ground lose their aroma within weeks. Seed heads are cut before they shatter, since a single plant can shed thousands of seeds onto the bed.
Our Take
A strong-flavoured root with a genuine place in the kitchen and a real interaction risk in the medicine cabinet; grow it for the smell alone.
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