PART(S) USED : Fruit, leaf, rhizome, root
MEDICINAL: Angelica is a good herbal tea to take for colic, gas, indigestion, hepatitis, and heartburn. It is useful to add in remedies for afflictions of the respiratory system, as well as liver problems and digestive difficulties. Promotes circulation and energy in the body. It is often used to stimulate the circulation in the pelvic region and to stimulate suppressed menstruation. Angelica should not be used by pregnant women or diabetics.
RELIGIOUS: Grow it in your garden as a protection for garden and home. The root is often used as a protective amulet, and has been used to banish evil by burning the leaves. It is also used to lengthen life, and is used in protection against diseases, as well as to ward off evil spirits. Adding it to a ritual bath will break spells and hexes. It has often been used to ward off evil spirits in the home.
GROWING: Angelica needs rich, moist garden soil in partial shade. It prefers wet bottomlands and swamps, and prefers the cooler northern regions to grow best. It is a perennial that can reach up to 6 feet tall.
HERBAL USE : Angelica is stated to possess antispasmodic, diaphoretic, expectorant, bitter aromatic, carminative, diuretic and local anti-inflammatory properties. It has been used for respiratory catarrh, psychogenic asthma, flatulent dyspepsia, anorexia nervosa, rheumatic diseases, peripheral vascular disease, and specifically for pleurisy and bronchitis, applied as a compress, and for bronchitis associated with vascular deficiency.(G7, G49, G64, G75) The German Commission E monograph states that angelica can be used for lack of appetite and dyspeptic complaints such as mild stomach cramps and flatulence.(G4)
Many related species, including A. sinensis (dong quai), are traditionally used in Chinese medicine.(G57) A. sinensis occurs in about 70% of all traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions to treat dysmenorrhoea, postnatal disturbances, anaemia, constipation and chronic pelvic infections.(5) Western naturopaths recommend the use of dong quai in hypertension, for modification of high blood sugar concentrations, regulation of the immune system, liver detoxification, anaemia and to relieve allergic conditions. Several unlicensed over-the-counter (OTC) products containing dong quai are readily available.
FOOD USE : Angelica is widely used in foods.(1, G32) Angelica is listed by the Council of Europe as a natural source of food flavouring (stem: category 1; other parts and preparations: category 4, with limits on coumarin and furanocoumarin) (see Appendix 3).(G17) Previously, angelica has been listed as GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe).(G41)