Angelica Root (>1% Ligustilide)

History and Uses:
In Iceland and Lapland, European Angelica stems are cooked as a vegetable, candied and made into syrups and jellies, added to fruitcake and used to season fish. Leaves are added to salads and soups, and they have been used to wrap and preserve food when traveling. The oil from seeds and roots is used in Benedictine, Chartreuse, vermouth and gin. Angelica is an anti-spasmodic for strong menstrual cramps with minimal flow and an expectorant for coughs. It also aids in alleviating intestinal colic and poor digestion. The drug contains essential oil, coumarin and coumarin derivatives. Angelica is used to strengthen the heart and lungs and improve liver and spleen function. Small amounts stimulate digestive secretions, and some find that when Angelica is used, they lose their taste for alcohol. It is believed that this herb obtained the name Angelica, or angelic herb, as it helped protect people from disease and poisoning. It also blooms around,the feast day of the Archangel Michael. It has also been said that the Archangel Raphael appeared to a monk in a dream and told him that Angelica would cure bubonic plague. Angelica contains essential oil (beta-phellandrene, pinene, limonene, caryophyllene, linalool), coumarins, macrocyclic lactones, acids (valerianic, angelic), resins, sterol and tannin. Many people use Angelica Root for the purpose of warding off evil and bringing good luck in health and family matters. In America, Angelica Root is commonly found in African-American mojo bags, prepared for protection from evil or and to break a spell. In powdered form, it is an ingredient in sachets used for healing and blessing. It is more commonly used for loss of appetite, peptic discomforts such as mild spasms of the gastrointestinal tract, feeling of fullness and flatulence.