Angelica pubescens
| Angelica pubescens | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Angelica pubescens (common name: du huo)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe since the seed only has a short viability[1]. Seed can also be sown in the spring, though germination rates will be lower. It requires light for germination[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in the spring.
The seed can also be sow in situ as soon as it is ripe.
Cultivation: Requires a deep moist fertile soil in dappled shade or full sun[1].
Plants are reliably perennial if they are prevented from setting seed[1].
A polymorphic species[2].
Range: E. Asia - Japan
Habitat: Damp habitats in hills and low mountains, C. and S. Japan[2][1].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[3][4].
Medicinal: The roots and rhizomes are anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, carminative, nervine and vasodilator[5][6]. A decoction is used to promote menstruation[7], to treat rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, headache, toothache and abscesses[5].
This herb is used medicinally in the same ways as A. dahurica (Bai Zhi)[8]. These uses are as follows:-
Bai Zhi has been used for thousands of years in Chinese herbal medicine where it is used as a sweat-inducing herb to counter harmful external influences[8]. Bai Zhi is contraindicated for pregnant women[8].
The root is analgesic, anodyne, antibacterial, antidote, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, poultice and stimulant[6][9][7]. It is used in the treatment of frontal headache, rhinitis, boils, carbuncles and skin diseases[6]. It appears to be of value in treating the facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia[8].
Small quantities of angelicotoxin, one of the active ingredients in the root, have an excitatory effect on the respiratory centre, central nervous system and vasculomotor centre. It increases the rate of respiration, increases blood pressure, decreases the pulse, increases the secretion of saliva and induces vomiting[6]. In large doses it can cause convulsions and generalized paralysis[6].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All members of this genus contain furocoumarins, which increase skin sensitivity to sunlight and may cause dermatitis[10].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.