Dong Quai

Angelica polymorpha; Angelica sinensis; Chinese Angelica; Danggui; Tan Kue Bai Zhi; Tang-Kuei

... Dong quai is used mainly in combination with other herbals to relieve menstrual cramps, regulate menstrual periods, and lessen menopausal symptoms. Although it has been used for centuries in China to treat such conditions and other disorders of the female reproductive tract, results of controlled human studies of dong quai’s effectiveness are not conclusive. In at least one small, clinical trial of postmenopausal women, dong quai was no more effective than placebo (sugar pills) for relieving hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and other symptoms of menopause. Like herbals such as black cohosh and red clover, dong quai was believed to contain chemicals shaped like the female hormone, estrogen. No evidence from chemical analyses or clinical studies supports an estrogen-like effect for dong quai, however. ...

?Angelica sinensis Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae ...