Family

Apiaceae

Genus

Angelica

Common Name

Dong Quai

Plant Figure

Description

Angelica sinensis, commonly known as dong quai or female ginseng, is a herb belonging to the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China. A. sinensis  grows in cool high altitude mountains in China, Japan, and Korea. The plant's chemical constituents include phytosterols, polysaccharides, ligustilide, butylphthalide, cnidilide, isoenidilide, p-cymene, ferulate, and flavonoids. When isolated from the plant, one of the chemicals, angelica polysaccharide sulfate, has in vitro antioxidant activity. The dried root of A. sinensis is commonly known as Chinese angelica and is widely used in Chinese traditional medicine in the belief it benefits women's health, cardiovascular conditions, osteoarthrosis, inflammation, headache, infections, mild anemia, fatigue and high blood pressure.