This gorgeous plant is Angelica dahurica - Bai Zhi, a well-known Chinese medicinal plant we love to grow.
We grow 3 different Angelica’s here for medicines; Angelica archangelica – the European version; Angelica sinensis – Chinese angelica and this one - Angelica dahurica. Just to note, in Ireland we do have a native Angelica.
The native Angelica sylvestris can be harvested from the wild and used in similar medicinal ways to the garden Angelica archangelica. Be careful though, it could easily be mistaken for one of the many other Apiaceae family wild plants like Hogweed! Make sure to identify all wild plants properly before using them.
All of the Angelicas we use as medicines have some similar properties but as herbalists we use them quite differently. For example, all species of Angelica are considered diaphoretic and antirheumatic. Which Angelica we choose to use in formulations for patients depends on the presentation of the health issue, the specific medical condition, or the constitution of the patient.
Angelica dahurica root is one of our favourite herbs in clinical practice for sinus congestion and achy eyes or heavy frontal headaches that come with head colds. These are unique traits to this Angelica. It is a superb plant for alleviating the pain of sinusitis and clearing mucus of the sinus cavities. We see this A LOT in clinic as Ireland is so damp! In Traditional Chinese Medicine terms, it expels wind and cold and although it is warming it clears internal heat. We would use it in herbal formulas for Yin and Blood deficiencies.
Angelica dahurica is a perennial herb but for making medicines it is treated as a biennial. We would harvest the roots in the first year of growth. We do this in autumn due to our wet Irish winters. Many other root crops survive our rainy winters and are fine to harvest in early Spring. This plant is in its 3rd year of growth and flowering for the first time! This is possibly due to shock of being moved in its first year. We will be saving seeds from this beauty and then sowing directly outdoors in Autumn.
I’ll post up information about medicinal uses and growing the other Angelicas over the summer. We’ll have the plants available again next Spring when the nursery reopens
