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It nourishes the blood for anemics. It helps treat liver cirrhosis and liver stagnation caused by low energy and too many toxins in the body. It regulates a woman’s menstrual cycle and soothes her cramps—it can even be prepared as a tonic to help a woman after childbirth. The elderly have used it to encourage digestive regularity and relieve constipation. If you suffer from bronchial problems, rheumatism, arthritis, or influenza, it can aid in your speedy recovery or minimize your symptoms. What is this “miracle” drug? It’s not a drug at all, actually—“it” is a number of herbal remedies drawn from the tall biennial plant called angelica.
The many species of angelica, with their candied stalks and roots, have been used for hundreds of years to create herbal remedies, particularly in Eastern medicine. The roots of the angelica plant are key ingredients in tonics that combat various kinds of infections and raise an individual’s energy levels. One of the most important of all Chinese tonic herbs is a variety of the angelica plant known as dang gui, which is the remedy used to treat anemia and menstrual irregularity and pain; there are many commercially available preparations of dang gui now available in the West as well. Angelica roots also can be turned into a tincture that releases bronchial phlegm, operates as a liver stimulant, and is used to treat chest coughs and digestive problems. You can make a compress with the root that is used to treat painful rheumatism or joint pain related to arthritis, or you can make massage oil by diluting drops of angelica oil with another oil, such as sunflower oil, and applying it on your pained joints.
The leaves of the angelica plant, generally considered the gentlest part of the plant, are usually harvested in summer and can be infused with water and taken as a hot tea to treat indigestion and problems of the bronchial system, or they can be prepared in a tincture to treat bronchitis. Most herbalists recommend taking up to 3 ml of the angelica plant tincture a day. Got irritated skin? The leaves also can be incorporated into a cream to be directly applied to problem areas to treat dermatological problems.
You may not have heard of it before, but with its many medical benefits, the angelica plant is sure to soothe some symptom that’s bothering you!
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