Angelica sinensis, a Chinese medicinal herb, refers to the dried roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, a member of the Umbelliferae family. It is primarily produced in the southeastern part of Gansu Province, with Min County being the major production area known for its high quality. It is also cultivated in Yunnan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and other provinces. Danggui is known for its functions in nourishing blood, promoting blood circulation, regulating menstruation, alleviating pain, and moisturizing the intestines for bowel movement. It is commonly used for conditions such as blood deficiency with sallow complexion, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, cold abdominal pain, rheumatic arthralgia, injuries from falls or blows, carbuncles, and sores, as well as constipation due to intestinal dryness.
Medicinal materials pictures:
Distribution Area: Primarily produced in the southeastern part of Gansu Province, with Min County being the major production area known for its high quality.
Harvesting Time: Late autumn.
Dosage: 6-12g.
Storage: Store in a cool, dry place away from moisture and pests.
Medicinal Part Used: Dried roots.
Taste and Property: Sweet and spicy, warm in nature.
Meridians Entered: Enters the liver, heart, and spleen meridians.
Functions: Nourishes blood, promotes blood circulation, regulates menstruation, alleviates pain, and moisturizes the intestines for bowel movement.
Main Uses: Used for blood deficiency with sallow complexion, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, cold abdominal pain, rheumatic arthralgia, injuries from falls or blows, carbuncles, and sores, as well as constipation due to intestinal dryness. Wine-steamed Danggui promotes blood circulation and regulates menstruation. It is used for dysmenorrhea, rheumatic arthralgia, and injuries from falls or blows.
Related Formulations:
1. For constipation: Make powder from Danggui and Bai Zhi, take 2 qian (about 6 grams) each time, and administer with rice soup.
2. For nourishing yin and blood, treating deficiency of the Chong and Ren meridians, irregular menstruation, abdominal pain, blood stasis, hard masses, intermittent pain, cold during pregnancy, improper fetal position, restless fetal movement, incessant bleeding, postpartum deficiency, internal attack of wind-cold, retained lochia, conglomeration and accumulation in the lower abdomen, and alternating chills and fever: Danggui (de-luted with water, soaked in wine, and fried), Chuanxiong, Baishao, and Shengdihuang (steamed with wine and dried) are mixed in equal amounts and ground into coarse powder. Take 3 qian (about 9 grams) each time, boil in one and a half bowls of water until reduced to eight-tenths, remove the dregs, and take it hot on an empty stomach before meals.
Dosage and Administration: 6-12g.
Collection and Processing: Harvested in late autumn, remove the fibrous roots and dirt, tie into small bundles, and dry slowly over a fire after some moisture has evaporated.
Processing Method:
1. Danggui: Remove impurities, wash, moisten until soft, slice thinly, and sun-dry or dry at low temperature.
2. Wine-steamed Danggui: Take clean slices of Danggui and fry them according to the wine-steaming method (see Appendix ⅡD).
Plant Characteristics:
Perennial herb, 0.4-1 meter tall. The root is cylindrical, branched, with numerous fleshy fibrous roots, yellow-brown, emitting a strong fragrance. The stem is erect, green-white or purple, longitudinally grooved, smooth and hairless. Leaves are tripinnate, with two to three pinnate lobes; leaflets are ovate-lanceolate, with serrated margins and acute tips. Flowers are small, white, arranged in compound umbels. Fruits are oval to oblong, with winged ridges on the edges.
Growing Environment:
Primarily produced in the southeastern part of Gansu Province, with Min County being the major production area known for its high quality. It is also cultivated in Yunnan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and other provinces.
Growth picture:
Identification:
1. Dried Danggui: It is roughly cylindrical in shape, with 3-5 or more fibrous roots, 15-25 cm long. The surface is yellow-brown to brown, with longitudinal wrinkles and protrusions resembling long skin pores. The upper end (Danggui head) is 1.5-4 cm in diameter, with rings, rounded at the upper end, or with several prominent stem and leaf sheath remnants in purple or yellow-green; the main root (Danggui body) is uneven on the surface; the lateral roots (Danggui tail) are 0.3-1 cm in diameter, thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, often twisted, with a few fibrous root scars. It is soft and flexible, with a yellow-white or light yellow-brown cross-section, flat, with cracks, and numerous brown secretory cavities resembling dots. The bark is thick, with cracks and numerous brown point-like secretory cavities, and the wood is lighter in color with a yellow-brown formative layer. It has a strong fragrance, sweet, spicy, and slightly bitter taste.
2. Wine-steamed Danggui: Similar to Danggui slices, the cross-section is deep yellow or light brownish-yellow, with slight scorch marks. It has a strong fragrance, with a slight smell of wine.
