- Region
- North America
- Origin
- Mountains of California and the Pacific Northwest
North America · Herb · № 631
Angelica breweri, A. arguta, A. hendersonii
Herb · North America
Brewer's angelica
Angelica breweri, A. arguta, A. hendersonii
Traditionally attributed effects: expels wind, dampness and cold in stiff, painful joints, opens the surface in wind-cold and moves qi and blood in pain.
Safety notes
Not during pregnancy. Caution with yin deficiency with heat, a sensitive stomach or heartburn. Angelicas can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight. Do not pick wild members of the carrot family: confusion with toxic species such as water hemlock is life-threatening. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Western herbs in Chinese medicine: Not during pregnancy; caution with yin deficiency, a sensitive stomach or heartburn.
Preparation
Root as a decoction or tincture; externally as a balm, salve or plaster.
Use in traditions
Angelica species from western North America. The author uses them for the same patterns as the Chinese du huo, but does not call them equivalent.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Western herbs in Chinese medicine
- Nature and taste
- pungent, bitter, warm
- Meridians
- kidney, lung, bladder
Attributed effects
Expels wind, dampness and cold in pain and stiffness of the joints (especially in the lower body) and a heavy feeling. Opens the surface in wind-cold with headache, tension in neck and shoulders and chills. Moves qi and blood and soothes pain in stagnation from cold or after an injury; externally as a balm for joint pain, muscle irritation and trauma.
Preparation and amount
3–9 g as a decoction (preferred, because the tincture is pungent and hard to mask) or 2–4 ml tincture of dried root; a fresh tincture only externally. Good dried root is firm, aromatic and rich in resin, with clear resin marbling inside.
Combinations
- With yerba mansa and turmeric for cold, damp pain of shoulders, elbows or wrists (also externally as a salve or plaster)
- With oshá for wind-cold with stiff neck, sore throat, chills, mild fever and headache, and for dampness from external wind
- With sassafras, wintergreen and yerba mansa for wind-damp-cold
Caution: Not during pregnancy; caution with yin deficiency, a sensitive stomach or heartburn.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- DecoctionTinctureSalve and balm