Dang Gui
StarAngelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Menstrual & women's health
- Energy & fatigue
Cautions & contraindications
- Bleeding disorders
- Before surgery
☯ TCM Properties
Nourishes Blood; Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis; Regulates menstruation; Alleviates Pain; Moistens the Intestines and Unblocks the Bowels
Traditional Chinese Uses
Dang Gui (Chinese angelica root) is considered the most important Blood-nourishing herb in Chinese medicine, often called "the female ginseng." It simultaneously nourishes and activates Blood, relieves menstrual pain, moistens the Intestines, and addresses Blood deficiency with stasis — making it uniquely suited for the complex presentations common in women's health. It is used for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, anemia, postpartum recovery, and constipation from Blood deficiency. It is an essential ingredient in virtually all major gynecological formulas in the classical tradition.
Western Herbalism Properties
Pharmacological Effects
- Uterus (dual effect): High-boiling (180-210°C) oil fraction inhibited and relaxed uterine muscle and antagonized adrenalin/pituitrin/histamine; nonvolatile fraction stimulated contraction; no estrogenic effect but increased uterine DNA and glucose use.
- Cardiac: Decoction and oil depressed isolated toad heart; extracts antiarrhythmic.
- Coronary flow / myocardial oxygen: 2% extract dilated guinea pig coronary vessels; 2 g/kg i.v. in dogs increased coronary flow and lowered resistance and myocardial oxygen consumption.
- Hypotensive: 1-4 g/kg aqueous extract i.v. in dogs lowered arterial pressure and dose-dependently reduced coronary, cerebral and femoral resistance.
- Antiplatelet: Decoction and ferulic acid inhibited ADP/collagen-induced rat platelet aggregation and serotonin release in vitro and i.v.; ferulic acid IC50 0.56 mg/ml.
- Lipid-lowering / antiatherosclerotic: 1.5 g/kg powdered root orally lowered blood lipids in hyperlipemic rats and rabbits; 5% in feed reduced aortic lesions.
- Antiinflammatory / analgesic: Aqueous extract reduced vascular permeability comparably to aspirin and inhibited writhing in mice (ED50 65.9 mg/kg vs aspirin 114.3 mg/kg).
- Antiasthmatic / spasmolytic: Ligustilide (0.14 ml/kg i.p.; 0.08 ml/kg i.v.) inhibited acetylcholine/histamine asthma in guinea pigs and relaxed isolated trachea.
- Immunologic: Ferulic acid reduced IL-8 from influenza-infected macrophages in vitro and neutrophil exudation in infected mice; root and ferulic acid enhanced macrophage phagocytosis.
- Other: Protected mice from vitamin E deficiency arthropathy; increased hemoglobin in tumor-bearing mice; antibacterial in vitro.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 579.
Used In Formulas (281)
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Angelica sinensis, Chinese angelica or Dang Gui, is a stout, aromatic perennial herb in the Apiaceae, native to the cool, moist mountain regions of central and western China, particularly Gansu, Yunnan and Sichuan, and almost entirely produced today under cultivation. The plant grows from a short, vertical, thickened taproot that gives off several stout, descending, fleshy lateral roots, the whole forming the medicinal drug Dang Gui, yellowish-brown externally, pale yellow within, and strongly aromatic. The hollow, ribbed, glabrous stem is 0.4 to 1 meter tall, often purple-tinged at the base, branched above. The leaves are alternate, two- to three-pinnate with broadly sheathing petioles; the leaflets are ovate to ovate-lanceolate, sharply serrate, 2 to 3.5 cm long. The inflorescence is a compound umbel 7 to 12 cm across with 9 to 30 short rays bearing umbellules of small, white, five-petalled flowers. The fruit is a dorsally compressed ellipsoid schizocarp 4 to 6 mm long with narrowly winged lateral ribs.
Active Constituents
Z-Ligustilide
Phthalide (volatile oil component)Concentration: dominant component of the essential oil (essential oil ~0.4-0.7% of root; ligustilide often >45% of that oil)
The principal lipophilic active. It is antispasmodic (relaxes uterine and vascular smooth muscle), anti-inflammatory, vasorelaxant and neuroprotective, and largely accounts for the characteristic aroma and the herb's ability to regulate menstruation and relieve pain.
Ferulic acid
Hydroxycinnamic (phenolic) acidConcentration: approx. 0.05-0.1% (pharmacopoeial marker, >=0.050%)
The official water-soluble marker. It inhibits platelet aggregation, improves blood rheology, is a strong antioxidant and free-radical scavenger, and lowers serum lipids, supporting the traditional Blood-invigorating action.
n-Butylidenephthalide
Phthalide (volatile oil component)Concentration: qualitative (minor phthalide)
Antispasmodic and antiplatelet; relaxes smooth muscle and has been studied for anti-anginal and anti-tumour activity.
Angelica sinensis polysaccharides (ASP)
PolysaccharidesConcentration: qualitative (a major fraction by weight)
The main blood-enriching (haematopoietic) fraction, promoting erythropoiesis and haematopoietic progenitor proliferation and showing immunomodulatory activity; underlies Dang Gui's classical Blood-nourishing reputation.
Coniferyl ferulate
Ferulate esterConcentration: qualitative (minor)
Antispasmodic and antiplatelet; a labile ester that also serves as a chemical marker of good-quality Dang Gui.
Senkyunolides
PhthalidesConcentration: qualitative (minor)
Related phthalides with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity that complement ligustilide.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin and other anticoagulants
Dang Gui contains coumarin derivatives and its ferulic acid and phthalides inhibit platelet aggregation; case reports describe markedly increased INR and bleeding when Dang Gui was added to warfarin. The effect may involve both pharmacodynamic (antiplatelet) and pharmacokinetic components.
Clinical note: Avoid or use only with close INR monitoring in patients on warfarin or other anticoagulants.
Antiplatelet agents (aspirin, clopidogrel)
Ferulic acid, ligustilide and butylidenephthalide inhibit platelet aggregation, which may add to the effect of antiplatelet drugs.
Clinical note: Monitor for bruising or bleeding; caution around surgery.
Photosensitizing drugs / UV exposure
The root contains furanocoumarins (psoralens), which are photoactive and could in principle increase sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
Clinical note: Advise sun protection with high or prolonged intake, particularly alongside other photosensitizers.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6–12 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】6～12g。 【性味与归经】甘、辛，温。归肝、心、脾经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Preparation Methods
Whole / plain root (quan dang gui)
Parts: root
The whole dried root nourishes and invigorates Blood and is the general-purpose form; the head (dang gui tou) is considered more nourishing, the body (shen) tonifies Blood, and the tail (dang gui wei) more strongly invigorates and breaks up Blood stasis. Typical decoction dose 6-12 g.
Wine-washed / wine-fried (jiu dang gui / jiu xi dang gui)
Parts: root
Slices are sprayed or fried with rice wine (about 10-15 mL wine per 100 g) and dried. Wine processing enhances the warm, moving nature and strengthens the Blood-invigorating and menstruation-regulating actions, favoured for dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea and traumatic pain.
Dry-fried to charred (dang gui tan)
Parts: root
Slices are stir-fried until scorched/charred on the surface. Charring shifts the emphasis toward stopping bleeding while retaining some Blood-nourishing action, used for uterine bleeding with Blood deficiency.
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Liver blood is nourished and the liver softened while blood is harmonised, treating blood deficiency with abdominal pain and menstrual disorders.
Named pairing — Bensky et al., Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica (3rd ed.)
Drains damp-heat and resolves toxicity while harmonizing blood, treating damp-heat with blood stasis in the lower body.
Bleeding hemorrhoids or intestinal abscess with damp-heat.
Core pair of a classical formula — Chi Xiao Dou Dang Gui San, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
Together they nourish and invigorate blood at once, so blood moves without being damaged and is supplemented without stagnating.
Blood deficiency with stasis: irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain.
Core pair of a classical formula — Fo Shou San (Xiong Gui San), Pu Ji Ben Shi Fang (Xu Shuwei)
Qi is tonified strongly so that it can generate blood, turning a qi tonic into an effective blood-building combination.
Classic for blood deficiency with fever from exhaustion or after blood loss.
Core pair of a classical formula — Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang, Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun (Li Dongyuan)
Kidney yang and essence are warmed while blood is nourished and the intestines moistened, moving the stool without purging.
Constipation from kidney deficiency in the elderly.
Core pair of a classical formula — Ji Chuan Jian, Jing Yue Quan Shu (Zhang Jingyue)
Blood and essence are richly nourished while the blood is kept moving, the foundation of blood tonification.
Core pair of a classical formula — Si Wu Tang, Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang
Warming, nourishing animal flesh combined with nourishing and moving blood, which warms the middle and supplements blood deficiency with cold.
Postpartum abdominal pain or cold hernia pain from blood deficiency with cold.
Core pair of a classical formula — Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Tang, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
Cooling the blood and resolving toxicity is combined with nourishing and moving blood, promoting healing of burns and sores when applied topically.
External ointment for burns, eczema and non-healing sores.
Core pair of a classical formula — Zi Yun Gao, Wai Ke Zheng Zong (Chen Shigong)
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 1 studyRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
0
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Does dong quai have estrogenic effects in postmenopausal women? A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Seventy-one postmenopausal women were randomised to Dang Gui alone or placebo for 24 weeks. Used as a single herb, Dang Gui produced no estrogen-like change in endometrial thickness or vaginal cytology and was no more effective than placebo for hot flushes, indicating that its traditional gynaecological use relies on multi-herb formulas rather than the herb alone.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Bleeding disorders
- Before surgery
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with exuberant dampness and abdominal flatulence, and diarrhea.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 361–364.
Side Effects
- Intravenous essential oil injection (1 ml/kg) caused respiratory inhibition and hypotension; higher doses caused sharp blood pressure fall and respiratory arrest (animal).
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 579.
⚠ Rule-Based Cautions
These entries come from the deterministic rule tables that gate Verscienta's formula tools — classical pair prohibitions, pregnancy and lactation contraindications, and dose ceilings.
Pregnancy
Caution blood-mover — avoid with any bleeding
Historical Texts
Shennong Bencao Jing (Divine Husbandman's Classic of Materia Medica)
Han dynasty, c. 200 CEBencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty, 1578 CEReferences
- Bensky D, Clavey S, Stoger E. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd edition . Eastland Press, Seattle (2004) [DOI]
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission. Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, Volume I (Danggui / Angelicae Sinensis Radix) . China Medical Science Press, Beijing (2020) [DOI]
- Chao WW, Lin BF. Bioactivities of major constituents isolated from Angelica sinensis (Danggui) . Chinese Medicine (2011) [DOI]
- Hirata JD, Swiersz LM, Zell B, Small R, Ettinger B. Does dong quai have estrogenic effects in postmenopausal women? A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial . Fertility and Sterility (1997) [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.
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