Common Name: Angelica

General Information

Angelica archangelica is a herbaceous, biennial to perennial plant growing 100 - 250cm tall[].
The plant is a commonly used medicinal herb, gathered from the wild and also cultivated. The plant also provides food, an essential oil, and is used to make a traditional musical instrument. It is often traded for medicinal use, and also as a confection.

Known Hazards

All members of this genus contain furocoumarins, which increase skin sensitivity to sunlight and may cause dermatitis[].

Botanical References

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Range

Northern and central Europe to western Siberia and the Caucasus. Widely naturalized in much of the Temperate zone.

Habitat

Moist shady places in Britain[, , , ]. Marshy spruce, pine-birch forests, shrubs near ditches, sedge bogs, willow wood, flooded meadows[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Biennial/Perennial
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Angelica archangelica is a plant of the northern temperate zone, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,700 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 5 - 19°c, but can tolerate 2 - 22°c[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to -10°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 700 - 1,100mm, but tolerates 500 - 1,300mm[].
Requires a deep moist fertile soil in dappled shade or full sun[, ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, but tolerates 4.5 to 7.3[].
Although by nature biennial, the plants are reliably perennial if they are prevented from setting seed[]. The plant usually dies 2 - 4 years after first setting seed[].
Angelica is occasionally cultivated in the herb garden, mainly for its culinary uses[]. The plants have a pervading aromatic odour[].
Average commercial yield of fresh roots is 7 - 10 tonnes per hectare, giving 1.7 - 2.5 tonnes of dry root drug and 6 - 10 kilos of essential oil[]. Yields of the essential oil vary according to location, plants growing at higher elevations have higher yields with a better aroma[].
The growing plant is almost untroubled by pests and diseases[]. It attracts bees and hoverflies to the garden, helping to create a natural balance of insect pests and predators[].
When well-sited, the plant will often self-sow - sometimes to the point of nuisance[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , , , , ]. A liquorice-like flavour[], they can be used as a flavouring in mixed salads[]. They are also used to sweeten tart fruits[].

Stalks and young shoots - cooked or raw[, ]. The stalks should be peeled[], they can be used like celery[]. They can also be used to sweeten tart fruits[] and to make jam[]. They are often crystallised in sugar and used as sweets and cake decorations[]. The stems are best harvested in the spring[].

An essential oil is obtained from the root and seeds, it is used as a food flavouring, and also in alcoholic drinks such as liqueurs, gin, and vermouth[, , , , ].

Root - cooked[]. The rhizome and roots are picked in the spring to be dried and used in the production of angelica spirit (spiritus Angelicae compositus), which is prescribed for improving digestion[].

Seed - used as a flavouring in liqueurs such as Chartreuse[].

A tea can be made from the leaves, seed or roots[].

Medicinal

Angelica has a long folk-history of use as a medicinal herb, in particular for the treatment of digestive disorders and problems with blood circulation[, ]. The root is the most active medicinally, it should be harvested in the autumn of its first year of growth, sliced longitudinally if necessary and dried quickly[]. If well stored, the root retains its medicinal virtues for many years[].
The leaves and seeds can also be used[]. The leaves are harvested and dried in late spring before the plant comes into flower[].
The plant is antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, tonic[, , , , , ]. An infusion is used to ease flatulence, indigestion, chronic bronchitis and typhus[]. It stimulates blood flow to the peripheral parts of the body and so is of value in treating poor circulation - it is considered a specific treatment for Buerger's disease, a condition that narrows the arteries of the hands and feet[].
Angelica is contra-indicated for people with a tendency towards diabetes since its use can increase sugar levels in the urine[].
This plant should not be prescribed for pregnant women[], nor should the juice be allowed to come into contact with the eyes[].

An essential oil from the seeds is sometimes used as a rub to relieve rheumatic conditions[].

Other Uses

An essential oil from the root and seeds is used in perfumery, creams, soaps, salves, oils, shampoos, medicinally and as a food flavouring[, , , , ]. The oil from the seeds has a musk-like aroma and is often used to flavour liqueurs[]. The dried root contains 0.35% essential oil, the seed about 1.3%[].

The one-year-old stem is used to make a musical instrument known as a fádno. Made by the Sami people (also known as 'Lapp') of Scandinavia, it is made from a 15 - 30cm length of the hollow stem and features a reed and three to six (generally four) fingerholes[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe since the seed only has a short viability[]. Seed can also be sown in the spring, though germination rates will be lower. It requires light for germination[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in the spring.
The seed can also be sow in situ as soon as it is ripe.