Garden angelica
StarAngelica archangelica
Synonyms: Archangelica archangelica, Archangelica officinalis, Selinum archangelica
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
The Greenland Eskimo (Inuit) ate the tender young leaf stalks and the peeled young flowering stems raw as a vegetable (Porsild, 1953); no medicinal use is documented in the NAEB record.
Gallery
Botanical Description
Angelica archangelica is a tall, stately biennial or short-lived perennial of the Apiaceae family, native to northern and eastern Europe and naturalised in parts of the boreal North Atlantic. From a thick, aromatic taproot it produces in its first season a low rosette of large, bipinnate to tripinnate leaves with broad, dentate leaflets and inflated, sheathing petioles. In the second year a stout, hollow, purplish stem rises to two metres or more, terminating in great compound umbels of small greenish-white flowers that mature into pale, ribbed, winged schizocarp fruits. The whole plant is suffused with a sweet, musky, resinous fragrance owing to a complex blend of furanocoumarins and terpenoid volatiles. It favours moist, fertile soils along streams and in damp meadows.
Active Constituents
α-Pinene
Monoterpene hydrocarbonConcentration: Major component of the root essential oil
A dominant volatile of angelica root oil contributing the characteristic aroma along with carminative, mild bronchodilatory and antimicrobial activity that underlies traditional digestive and respiratory use.
α-Phellandrene / limonene
Monoterpene hydrocarbonsConcentration: Major essential-oil components
Together with α-pinene these terpenes make up the bulk of the root oil and provide carminative, spasmolytic and aromatic-stimulant properties used to relieve flatulence and dyspepsia.
Imperatorin
Linear furanocoumarinConcentration: Major furanocoumarin of root and fruit
A principal furanocoumarin with reported anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, calcium-antagonist and enzyme-inhibitory (CYP, cholinesterase, MAO) activity; also contributes to photosensitising potential.
Xanthotoxin (methoxsalen)
Linear furanocoumarin (psoralen)Concentration: Present in fruit and root
A phototoxic psoralen that intercalates DNA and forms cross-links on UVA exposure; responsible for much of angelica's photosensitising risk and, pharmacologically, related to psoralens used in PUVA therapy.
Bergapten (5-methoxypsoralen)
Linear furanocoumarin (psoralen)Concentration: Minor to moderate constituent
A phototoxic furanocoumarin contributing to phototoxicity and to inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes; shares the DNA-photobinding mechanism of the psoralens.
Oxypeucedanin / isopimpinellin / phellopterin
FuranocoumarinsConcentration: Minor furanocoumarins
Additional angular/linear furanocoumarins contributing to the plant's spasmolytic, anti-inflammatory and enzyme-inhibitory profile.
Archangelicin
DihydrofuranocoumarinConcentration: Characteristic constituent of the fruit
A calcium-channel-blocking coumarin isolated from angelica fruit, reflecting the vasorelaxant and spasmolytic activity attributed to the herb.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin and other coumarin anticoagulants
Angelica is rich in natural coumarins/furanocoumarins that may inhibit CYP2C9/CYP3A4 (the enzymes metabolising warfarin) and could theoretically add to anticoagulant effect, raising bleeding risk.
Clinical note: Advise caution and INR monitoring if concentrated angelica products are combined with warfarin; culinary amounts are unlikely to matter.
Photosensitising drugs (e.g. amiodarone, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, psoralens)
Furanocoumarins (xanthotoxin, bergapten, imperatorin) are phototoxic and, on UVA exposure, can cause phytophotodermatitis; combined with other photosensitisers the risk of severe skin reactions increases.
Clinical note: Warn patients using angelica internally or topically to limit sun/UV exposure, especially alongside other photosensitising medicines.
CYP3A4 / CYP1A2 substrate drugs
Angelica furanocoumarins inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes (notably CYP3A4 and CYP1A2) in vitro, so high-dose extracts could raise plasma levels of drugs metabolised by these pathways.
Clinical note: Consider potential for elevated exposure of narrow-therapeutic-index CYP3A4/1A2 substrates when concentrated extracts are used.
Preparation Methods
Decoction / infusion of root
Parts: Root, Rhizome
About 1-2 g of dried, chopped root simmered gently or steeped in 150 mL water for 10-15 minutes, taken before meals as a bitter aromatic carminative for flatulent dyspepsia and loss of appetite. Caution: the furanocoumarins are phototoxic—avoid excessive sun exposure during use, and avoid in pregnancy.
Tincture
Parts: Root
A 1:5 tincture in ~45% alcohol, typically 0.5-2 mL up to three times daily, used as a warming digestive stimulant. Handle plant material with care as sap can cause phytophotodermatitis on the skin.
Candied stem / confection
Parts: Stem, Leaf stalk
Young stems are traditionally candied in sugar as a culinary sweetmeat and mild digestive; a food use distinct from the medicinal root preparations.
Clinical Studies
Effects of Ferulic Acid and Angelica archangelica Extract (Feru-guard) on Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Prospective Trial
A supplement combining ferulic acid with Angelica archangelica extract significantly improved MMSE (24 weeks) and ADAS-Jcog cognitive scores (24 and 48 weeks) versus placebo in patients with mild cognitive impairment, suggesting a cognition-supporting effect.
Historical Texts
Paracelsus (attributed) / European plague literature
16th-17th centuryNicholas Culpeper, Complete Herbal
1653Northern/Sami and Nordic ethnobotanical tradition
Medieval to early modernReferences
- Kudoh C, Hori T, Yasaki S, Ubagai R, Tabira T. Effects of Ferulic Acid and Angelica archangelica Extract (Feru-guard) on Mild Cognitive Impairment . Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Reports (2020) [DOI]
- Prokopiuk M, et al.. Biological and Chemical Diversity of Angelica archangelica L.—Case Study of Essential Oil and Its Biological Activity . Agronomy (MDPI) (2022) [DOI]
- European Medicines Agency, HMPC. Assessment report on Angelica archangelica L., radix . European Medicines Agency (2007) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Garden angelica.
No notes yet.