Ligusticum ~ Ligusticum wallichii

Ligusticum

Latin name: Ligusticum wallichii

Family: Umbelliferae

Part used: rhizome

Habitat: E. Asia

Main constituents: ferulic acid, tetramethylpyrazine

Energetics: pungent, warm

Main herbal actions: cardiovasular/coronary restorative, circulatory tonic, increases cerebral blood flow, accelerates the velocity of blood flow, dilates the spastic artery, decreases peripheral arterial resistance, decreases thromboxane B2, tracheal smooth muscle relaxant

Minor herbal actions: analgesic, emmenagogue, sedative

Main medicinal uses: bronchospasm, asthma

Minor medicinal uses: generalized myalgia, headaches, carbuncles, anemia, menstrual disorders

Preparations: decoction: 3-9 g qd

Contraindications: yin deficiency

Toxicity: high dosage may cause nausea, vomiting, or dizziness

Sources: http://www.planetherbs.com/articles/li_dong_yuan.htm; http://www.senhealth.com/vsite/vcontent/page/xmlcontent/0,11740,4822-128126-129434-18647-65565-xmlcontent-item,00.html; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1301850&dopt=Abstract; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7841753&dopt=Abstract; http://dreampharm.com/garlic/ligusticum.asp; http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Ligusticum+wallichii&CAN=LATIND