Dong quai.

Botanical name: 
Angelica sinensis
Problems: 
Menses

Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 00:02:17 +0100
Sender: HERB.TREARNPC.EGE.EDU.TR
From: Paul Iannone <pi2.LOOP.COM>
Subject: Re: Dong Quai

>I would like some information on Dong Quai. Is it the same as Tang Kuei? If not how do they differ?

Current official spelling is Danggui. They all are the same thing.

> Exactly what is it supposed to do for women? How does it do what it does? How much of the information "out there" is hype? How much is accurate? What form is best used? When and how much. Any first hand testimonials?

Danggui is an enormously useful herb. Warm and Aromatic/Spicy, it Moves Blood (helping resolve Stagnancy), nourishes the Heart, and comforts the Womb. It is not, however, universally good for women, or anything like that.

A simple experiment. Assuming you have no major health problems, and no tendency to get big headaches, take five or so capsules of Danggui and note your mood twenty minutes later. [Happy, happy.] This doesn't suggest you should take the herb frequently, but it does suggest that the approximately one billion people who have eaten this herb weren't fools.

From: lesley bricker <lbricke.BGNET.BGSU.EDU>

> Danggui is an enormously useful herb. Warm and Aromatic/Spicy, it Moves Blood (helping resolve Stagnancy), nourishes the Heart, and comforts the Womb. It is not, however, universally good for women, or anything like that.

Also, if one tends to bleed heavily when menstruating it is not advised to take it as it can make the bleeding worse, causes uterine contractions, and can cause breast tenderness in some women.

From: Paul Iannone <pi2.LOOP.COM>

>Also, if one tends to bleed heavily when menstruating it is not advised to take it as it can make the bleeding worse, causes uterine contractions, and can cause breast tenderness in some women.

Danggui, like any Chinese herb, should be used IN FORMULA. In the appropriate formula, it won't do any of these things.

If these side-effects occur when it is being used as a single herb, it is because it is a Warm, Aromatic herbal ... and therefore frankly inappropriate as a single herb for women with Heat patterns and weak Digestion.