Dong Quai

Also called

Chinese Angelica, Tang Kuei, Female Ginseng

Traditional names

Danggui

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

• Dong quai (danggui) has a long history of use in China, Korea and Japan, and is still one of the herbs most commonly used by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners in China and Europe. It is mainly used for women's reproductive problems, such as period pain, missing periods and menopause.[4]Study

  Technical detail: dysmenorrhea, amenorrhoea.

• In traditional Chinese medicine, dong quai is used for menstrual cramps and for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes.[3]General reference

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

• In lab studies, dong quai showed anti-tumor effects, and in animals it protected against damage from chemotherapy and radiation. But it also acted like estrogen in the lab, and it promoted the growth of estrogen-sensitive breast tumors in mice.[3]General reference

  Technical detail: estrogen receptor-positive breast tumors in a murine model.

• In lab tests on mouse bone marrow cells, a dong quai extract stopped the cells that break down bone from forming, without harming the cells. The authors suggest it might help prevent bone loss, but it wasn't tested in animals or people.[5]Study

  Technical detail: inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation in bone marrow macrophages, dose-dependently; suppressed c-Fos, c-Jun and NFATc1.

• Ligustilide, the main active compound in dong quai, helped bone-building cells develop in lab tests. In zebrafish, it lessened the bone loss caused by a steroid medicine (prednisolone).[6]Study

  Technical detail: promoted osteoblast differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via GPR30/EGFR signaling.

• In mice with prediabetes or diabetes, a sugar-based compound (polysaccharide) from fresh dong quai root lowered blood sugar and insulin resistance. It also lowered cholesterol and triglycerides. In prediabetic mice it reduced body weight.[7]Study

  Technical detail: Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP); prediabetic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice; HOMA-IR decreased; hepatic and muscle glycogen increased; serum IL-6 and TNF-α reduced.

• In rats made depressed by 5 weeks of mild, unpredictable stress, a dong quai extract (1 g per kg of body weight) brought their behavior back to normal. It also raised levels of a brain protein (BDNF) linked to mood.[8]Study

  Technical detail: chronic unpredictable mild stress model; sucrose preference, forced swim and open field tests; upregulated hippocampal BDNF and phosphorylated CREB and ERK1/2.

Research in people

• Studies of dong quai for menopausal symptoms are inconclusive. Some research supports its use for PMS and period pain, but formal clinical trials are limited.[3]General reference

• Well-designed trials using standardized dong quai are in short supply, though research on its extracts and compounds suggests many of its traditional uses have some scientific basis.[4]Study

• In a small trial of 22 men with hot flashes caused by prostate cancer hormone treatment, dong quai taken daily for 3 months made no difference to how often, how badly or how long they had hot flashes, compared with placebo.[9]Study

  Technical detail: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot; 17 of 22 completed.

• In a US trial, 71 women past menopause who had hot flashes took dong quai on its own or a placebo for 24 weeks. Dong quai worked no better than placebo for hot flashes or other menopausal symptoms. It also didn't act like estrogen on the lining of the womb or the vagina.[10]Review or trial

  Technical detail: double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled; no significant differences in endometrial thickness, vaginal maturation index, vasomotor flush count or Kupperman index.

• In a 6-month trial in Hong Kong, 100 women with menopausal symptoms took a traditional formula (Dang Gui Buxue Tang, 1 part dong quai to 5 parts astragalus) or a placebo. Overall it worked no better than placebo for hot flashes and night sweats; it did better only for mild hot flashes. No serious side effects were linked to it.[11]Review or trial

  Technical detail: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled; 103 enrolled, 50 per group; mild flushes per month 18.9 to 8.6 (p < 0.01) vs placebo 26.0 to 12.4 (p = 0.062).