Volume 152, Issue 1, 27 February 2014, Pages 1–13
Review
Danggui to Angelica sinensis root: Are potential benefits to European women lost in translation? A review
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Danggui (Chinese Angelica root; Dong quai; Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels.)
is a traditional Chinese herbal remedy with a long history of use in
China, Korea and Japan. Even today it is still one of the herbs most
commonly used by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in
China, as well as Europe. It is mainly used for the treatment of women's
reproductive problems, such as dysmenorrhea, amenorrhoea, menopause,
among others. Using Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. root as
the example, this Review examines the ease with which the use of a
Traditional Chinese Herbal Remedy can be transposed from one culture to
another. By examining the more recent literature, a number of aspects
are considered by the author to be potentially lost in translation:
(i) identity and quality (phytochemistry); (ii) tradition of use and
processing (smoke-drying, stir-frying, with and without wine); (iii)
method of use and traditional types of Chinese herbal medicines; (iv)
ethnic differences (Caucasian vs. Asian); (v) efficacy, safety and
potential for western drug–herb interactions.
Materials and methods
This
review is based on evaluation of the literature available in scientific
journals, textbooks, electronic sources such as ScienceDirect, PubMed,
Scopus, etc., as well as other web-sites.
Results
A vast amount of information concerning the use of Angelica sinensis
exists in the public domain. Many aspects associated with the use of
the root are deemed problematical, such as identity, processing, amount
and types of constituents, tradition of use in combination with other
Chinese herbs, ethnicity of users, etc. Numerous constituents have been
isolated with phthalides, ferulic acid and polysaccharides showing
biological activities.
Conclusion
In
spite of the potential activities associated with the traditional use
of danggui, and the many trials using the Chinese system of ‘Zheng
differentiation’, well-designed western-style clinical trials carried
out using the authenticated, chemically standardized crude drug material
to confirm clinical efficacy are in short supply. However increasing
research into Angelica sinensis extracts and constituents shows that many of the traditional uses are not without scientific basis.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. root;
- Danggui;
- TCM;
- Quality;
- Safety;
- Efficacy
- Tel.:
+353 1 8962802; fax: +353 1 8962810.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
