Common Name: Wild Angelica

General Information

Angelica sylvestris is a biennial to perennial, herbaceous plant with a stout stem, growing 80 - 200cm tall from a thick taproot[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for mainly local use as a medicine and food.
The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

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

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Central and northern Europe; northern Asia - Siberia, northwestern China

Habitat

Found mainly on base-rich soils in moist fields and hedgerows, open woods, marshes and fens, not usually found on acid soils[, , ]. Forest margins, damp grasslands, marshy areas, river banks; at elevations from 900 - 1,100 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Biennial/Perennial
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a deep moist fertile soil in dappled shade or full sun[]. Succeeds in deep shade.
Plants are reliably perennial if they are prevented from setting seed[].

Edible Uses

Leaves, young shoots and stems - used as an aromatic addition to salads[], or cooked and used as a vegetable[, , , , ]. The taste is somewhat bitter[]. The chopped leaves are a good addition to cooked acid fruits, especially rhubarb[].

The stem and leafstalks are used in candies and sweetmeats[, , , ].

Seed - used as an aromatic flavouring in confections and pastries[, ].

Root - cooked[].

Medicinal

The root and the seeds are antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic[, , , , ]. This plant is less rich in active principles than Angelica archangelica and so is much less used medicinally than that species[, ], but a decoction is sometimes used in the treatment of bronchial catarrh, coughs and dyspepsia[]. Large doses have the effect of depressing the central nervous system[].

Other Uses

The pulverized fruits are used to kill head parasites[, ].

A good yellow dye is obtained from the plant (the report does not specify which part of the plant)[].

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.