Angelica Root: Effects, Uses, and Dosage

Medicinal Angelica (Angelica archangelica) feels very comfortable in cold and damp conditions. The biennial herb, also known as Angelica and True Angelica, grows in cool-temperate to subarctic regions. Its distribution area extends across the entire Northern Hemisphere from Northern and Eastern Europe, Siberia, and the Himalayas to North America.

Nutritious, wet soils, often flooded, attract Angelica – the plant, which belongs to the Apiaceae family, prefers to settle in moist meadows and along riverbanks.

As a medicinal plant from the far north, the Vikings brought True Angelica to Central Europe. Its effects primarily relate to problems of the digestive tract. The bitter taste of the Angelica root stimulates the production of stomach acid. Additionally, True Angelica is known for its antispasmodic effects. The Angelica root is administered as tea or tincture for external applications.

Because all parts of the plant are edible, True Angelica was formerly cultivated and used as a vegetable in northern regions. Today, the plant is often included in herbal liqueurs, and its candied stems are a popular sweet treat.

True Angelica is rich in essential oils, which mainly consist of terpenes. The main active ingredient identified is 15-oxypentadecenlactone, found in the fresh rhizome and dried roots. Other ingredients of Angelica include furanocoumarins such as bergapten and archangelicin, coumarins, and flavonoids.

True Angelica grows as a herbaceous, deciduous plant reaching heights of up to three meters. It blooms between June and August and has been known as a medicinal plant since the Middle Ages. The large greenish-white flowers emit a characteristic sweet scent that attracts numerous insects. True Angelica is often confused with other Apiaceae plants such as the poisonous hemlock or hogweed.

The furanocoumarins in True Angelica make the skin more sensitive to light and can trigger skin reactions similar to sunburn. Therefore, gloves are recommended when harvesting the plant. After using the root, sun exposure should be avoided.

According to legend, an angel brought the remedy to earth when it was in great distress. In earlier times, True Angelica was also used as a remedy against the plague. Paracelsus regarded the Angelica root as a cure-all.