Angelica

the root of angelica (Angelicae radix)

Angelica (Angelica archangelica) is an imposing biennial, or short-lived perennial, of the umbellifer family. It grows over two metres tall, with a thick hollow stem and large umbels. It grows beside streams, in damp meadows and in mountain places; here it is also cultivated.

The root is lifted in the autumn of the first year or early in the spring of the second, before the plant runs to flower. It is washed, the thicker parts are cut through, and it is dried in the shade or at a low temperature; the root smells strongly of its essential oil and must be kept in a tightly closed container.

Care is essential when gathering: angelica can be confused with poisonous umbellifers, hemlock among them, so it is gathered only when the identification is certain. In Ašič's collection the root appears in the PuroSIT, ŽoSIT and MemoSIT blends.

Use and evidence

Clinical effectiveness for migraine, the blood vessels, “cleansing the blood” and rheumatism is not reliably established; such claims do not belong in a description on a website.