The “Herb of Angels”, Angelica, is also known as dang-qui, dong quai, and Danggui – “The Herb of Love”, has a multitude of uses and a wonderful rich history. It has been used since early times to ward off evil spirits, and more recently, to prolong life. Its history is a colourful one and in the past this wonderful herb has mistakenly been used as a cure for the bubonic plague, while the Native Americans were drinking it in the form of a tea to provide enhanced strength and endurance, as well as provide an analgesic.
Yet today, Angelica tea is considered a tea with great calming qualities, like Catnip tea, which may excite your kitty, but in humans is a mild and tasty sedative that is so relaxing it should only be drank at bedtime, whereas Angelica can be enjoyed anytime as it doesn’t induce sleep. Unlike Angelica, Chamomile tea has long since been used to calm irritating tension headaches by combining 1 tsp. of dried Chamomile flowers to 1 cup of boiling apple juice and steep. Strain and enjoy. Watch your headache just fizzle away.
When boiled, the roots and seeds can alleviate flatulence, gastritis, and indigestion.
Angelica has an amazingly sweet smell and this smell is recognized as a having calming qualities, but when used dried or in an oil bath this herb is truly relaxation at its best. Like Angelica, an infusion of chamomile flowers to the bathwater will also calms and soothes.
Angelica’s sweet, aromatic smell also makes it an excellent herb to add to a batch of homemade potpourri. Other scented herbs you could easily add to potpourri include lemon balm, lemon thyme, nasturtiums, rosemary, violet, and scented geraniums.
When used fresh, the licorice tasting leaves and stalks are a lovely additive to salads. I have even candied the stalks and used them for cake decorating as you would with any other candied flower of leaf, like violets. The stalks can also be steamed as a vegetable and eaten with butter or used in sauces as an exotically delightful side dish.
Over the years, Angelica has become known as the herb that puts things back in order and that is no different when it comes to menstrual cycles or libido of women. Dong Quai - Angelica’s common name, is infused in a tea tonic or in capsule form to relieve menstrual cramps and to increase fertility. It is considered, and sold, as the female aphrodisiac, but this herb is a uterus relaxant, and therefore extremely dangerous to use if you are pregnant as it has been known to cause miscarriages. This herb is a powerful stimulant, which makes caffeine look weak by comparison.
Angelica has been used by cosmetic companies for decades to create shampoos, soaps, creams, perfumes, and more recently deodorants. Commercially, Angelica has been used to flavour vermouth, gin, and other fine liqueurs.
Both the fresh and dried versions of this amazing herb can be found in most health food stores, but like all other herbs, research into side effects, and precautionary information should first be studied before the herb is used. Like all medicinal products, this herb is powerful and should not be taken without an in-depth understanding.
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