Common Name: Du Huo

General Information

Angelica pubescens is a herbaceous, perennial plant with a stout stem 100 - 200cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is sold for medicinal use in local markets.

Known Hazards

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

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - central and southern Japan

Habitat

Damp habitats in hills and low mountains[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.80 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus generally grow best in a deep moist fertile soil in dappled shade or full sun[].
Plants are reliably perennial if they are prevented from setting seed[].
A polymorphic species[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked[, ].

Medicinal

The roots and rhizomes are anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, carminative, nervine and vasodilator[, ]. A decoction is used to promote menstruation[], to treat rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, headache, toothache and abscesses[].

This herb is used medicinally in the same ways as Angelica dahurica (Bai Zhi)[]. These uses are as follows:-

Bai Zhi has been used for thousands of years in Chinese herbal medicine where it is used as a sweat-inducing herb to counter harmful external influences[]. Bai Zhi is contraindicated for pregnant women[].
The root is analgesic, anodyne, antibacterial, antidote, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, poultice and stimulant[, , ]. It is used in the treatment of frontal headache, rhinitis, boils, carbuncles and skin diseases[]. It appears to be of value in treating the facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia[].
Small quantities of angelicotoxin, one of the active ingredients in the root, have an excitatory effect on the respiratory centre, central nervous system and vasculomotor centre. It increases the rate of respiration, increases blood pressure, decreases the pulse, increases the secretion of saliva and induces vomiting[]. In large doses it can cause convulsions and generalized paralysis[].

Other Uses

None known

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.