Angelica

In the European herbal tradition the root, leaves and seeds are carminative, stimulant, diaphoretic, stomachic, tonic and expectorant, with the seeds the strongest. An infusion of the root was given for flatulence and indigestion, as a tonic for the chest in chronic bronchitis, and as an emmenagogue to bring on menstruation ^{48Reference 48Grieve · 1931A Modern Herbal — AngelicaView study →}. Crushed fresh leaves were applied as poultices for chest complaints ^{48Reference 48Grieve · 1931A Modern Herbal — AngelicaView study →}.

Peter Holmes describes angelica in the energetic terms of Chinese medicine: a warming herb that awakens the appetite, strengthens the digestion and clears cold, damp and phlegm congestion from the lungs, intestines and uterus ^{46,49Reference 46Battaglia · 2003The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy (2nd ed.)Reference 49Holmes P · 1989The energetics of western herbs Vol 1}.

Angelica was a food as well as a medicine in the far north. Icelanders ate the stems and roots raw with butter, the stalks were a delicacy in Lapland, and Finns baked the young stems in hot ashes and drank an infusion of the dried herb ^{48Reference 48Grieve · 1931A Modern Herbal — AngelicaView study →}.

Across northern Europe it was held to protect against contagion and infectious disease, and in parts of the Baltic region the flowering stems were carried into town and sold in early summer to the chanting of old songs ^{48Reference 48Grieve · 1931A Modern Herbal — AngelicaView study →}.

A 2013 parallel, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (n=69 men ≥45 with ≥2 nocturnal voids, 8 weeks) of SagaPro — a supplement made from A. archangelica leaf — found the product safe but failed its primary endpoint: nocturnal voids fell in both arms with no significant difference versus placebo ^{2Reference 2Sigurdsson S et al. · 2013RCTA parallel, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the effect of SagaPro on nocturia in men — randomised placebo-controlled trial (RCT)View study →}.

A pre-specified subgroup with reduced nocturnal bladder capacity (baseline NBC index >1.3) did improve significantly, which the authors described as hypothesis-generating ^{2Reference 2Sigurdsson S et al. · 2013RCTA parallel, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the effect of SagaPro on nocturia in men — randomised placebo-controlled trial (RCT)View study →}.

A 2025 pilot RCT (NCT04357223; n=143 adults, triple-blind, 6 weeks) of A. archangelica leaf extract in overactive bladder reported significant improvements in daytime voids (p=0.004), the IPSS storage subscore (p=0.025) and quality of life (p<0.001), with a near-significant nocturia effect (p=0.069) ^{1Reference 1López-Seoane J et al. · 2025RCTEffects of Angelica archangelica extract on overactive bladder: a pilot randomized controlled trial — randomised placebo-controlled trialView study →}.

Both trials found improvements in symptom burden and quality of life, disagree on the headline endpoint, and are small.

Gap: No adequately powered trial has confirmed a benefit on a pre-registered primary endpoint; the mechanism of a leaf extract on bladder function is not established.

Antioxidant activity is the most consistently reproduced effect. Root and leaf extracts restored superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase toward normal and reduced hemoglobin autoxidation in high-altitude-stressed rabbits ^{32Reference 32Raafat BM et al. · 2022AnimalAntioxidant-rich Angelica archangelica and Ginkgo biloba extracts modulate haemoglobin derivatives and antioxidant enzymes in high-altitude-resident rabbits — animal model (rabbit)View study →}, protected rat lens tissue against radionuclide-induced oxidative injury ^{31Reference 31Khedr MH et al. · 2018AnimalRadioprotective efficacy of Ginkgo biloba and Angelica archangelica extract against technetium-99m-sestamibi induced oxidative stress and lens injury in rats — animal model (rat)View study →}, and lowered brain oxidative-stress markers in a reserpine fibromyalgia model in mice ^{27Reference 27Kaur A et al. · 2020AnimalOptimization of extraction conditions of Angelica archangelica extract and activity evaluation in experimental fibromyalgia — animal model (mouse)View study →}.

Essential oil and phenolic fractions also show direct radical-scavenging and antiaflatoxigenic activity in vitro ^{35,28Reference 35Prakash B et al. · 2015In vitroEfficacy of Angelica archangelica essential oil, phenyl ethyl alcohol and α- terpineol against isolated molds from walnut and their antiaflatoxigenic and antioxidant activity — in vitroView study →Reference 28Langrand J et al. · 2025In vitroBiocidal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils extracted from Angelica spp. cultivated on contaminated soils — in vitroView study →}.

The endpoints are enzyme and marker changes rather than clinical outcomes.

Antiproliferative activity appears across every plant part and several isolated coumarins, entirely in cell lines and mice. A leaf extract reduced tumor growth in a mouse sarcoma model ^{19Reference 19Sigurdsson S et al. · 2005AnimalAntitumour activity of Angelica archangelica leaf extract — animal model (mouse)View study →}.

Fruit extracts and two essential-oil chemotypes were antiproliferative/cytotoxic against cancer cell lines in vitro ^{20,21Reference 20Sigurdsson S et al. · 2004In vitroAntiproliferative effect of Angelica archangelica fruits — in vitroView study →Reference 21Sigurdsson S et al. · 2005In vitroThe cytotoxic effect of two chemotypes of essential oils from the fruits of Angelica archangelica L — in vitroView study →}.

A root extract was cytotoxic to breast cancer cells and slowed tumor development in mice ^{22Reference 22Oliveira CR et al. · 2019In vitroMedicinal properties of Angelica archangelica root extract: Cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells and its protective effects against in vivo tumor development — in vitro and animal model (mouse)View study →}.

Among constituents, imperatorin inhibited larynx cancer and rhabdomyosarcoma cells ^{23Reference 23Grabarska A et al. · 2020In vitroImperatorin as a Promising Chemotherapeutic Agent Against Human Larynx Cancer and Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells — in vitroView study →}, and angelicin induced G2/M arrest and suppressed migration in triple-negative breast cancer cells in vitro ^{24Reference 24I-Hsiao C et al. · 2023In vitroAngelicin inhibits the growth and migration of triple-negative breast cancer cells — in vitroView study →}.

Effects generally required high micromolar concentrations.

Gap: No in vivo dosing that maps to achievable human exposure, and no clinical data; furanocoumarin phototoxicity/genotoxicity complicates any systemic anticancer use.

The root essential oil shows consistent antimicrobial activity in vitro, attributed to its monoterpene and coumarin content. Root EO inhibited a panel of bacteria ^{33,34Reference 33Fraternale D et al. · 2014In vitroEssential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of Angelica archangelica L. (Apiaceae) roots — in vitroView study →Reference 34Aćimović MG et al. · 2017In vitroChemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Angelica archangelica Root Essential Oil — in vitroView study →} and, along with α-terpineol, suppressed walnut-spoilage molds while blocking aflatoxin production ^{35Reference 35Prakash B et al. · 2015In vitroEfficacy of Angelica archangelica essential oil, phenyl ethyl alcohol and α- terpineol against isolated molds from walnut and their antiaflatoxigenic and antioxidant activity — in vitroView study →}.

Coumarin-derived compounds from the herb also reduced Herpes simplex virus-1 and Coxsackievirus B3 replication in cell culture ^{36Reference 36Rajtar B et al. · 2017In vitroAntiviral effect of compounds derived from Angelica archangelica L. on Herpes simplex virus-1 and Coxsackievirus B3 infections — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: All activity is in vitro at essential-oil concentrations; no evidence that oral or topical use of the whole herb reaches antimicrobial levels in the body.

Rodent behavioral models give a reproducible anti-anxiety signal that tracks the coumarin fraction. Coumarins isolated from A. archangelica reduced anxiety-like behavior in rats ^{10Reference 10Kumar D et al. · 2013AnimalCoumarins from Angelica archangelica Linn. and their effects on anxiety-like behavior — animal model (rat)View study →}, and successive whole-extract fractions were anxiolytic on the elevated T-maze and forced-swim tests ^{11,12Reference 11Kumar D et al. · 2012AnimalAnti-anxiety activity of successive extracts of Angelica archangelica Linn. on the elevated T-maze and forced swimming tests in rats — animal model (rat)View study →Reference 12Kumar D · 2012AnimalAnti-anxiety Activity of Methanolic Extracts of Different Parts of Angelica archangelica Linn — animal model (rat)View study →}.

The isolated furanocoumarin imperatorin was anxiolytic and altered memory-related behavior in mice ^{13Reference 13Budzynska B et al. · 2012AnimalThe effects of imperatorin on anxiety and memory-related behavior in male Swiss mice — animal model (mouse)View study →}.

Effects are dose-dependent and consistent across labs.

Three Japanese trials of “Feru-guard” — ferulic acid combined with A. archangelica extract — reported improved MMSE/ADAS-cog scores in mild cognitive impairment ^{4Reference 4Kudoh C et al. · 2020RCTEffects of ferulic acid and Angelica archangelica extract (Feru-guard) on mild cognitive impairment — randomised placebo-controlled trial (RCT)View study →}, reduced amyloid-β measures ^{5Reference 5Matsuyama K et al. · 2020Clinical trialEffect of Feru-guard 100M on amyloid-beta deposition in individuals with mild cognitive impairment — controlled clinical trialView study →}, and eased behavioral/psychological symptoms in dementia ^{6Reference 6Kimura T et al. · 2011Clinical trialEffect of ferulic acid and Angelica archangelica extract on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and dementia with Lewy bodies — open-label clinical trialView study →}. The design cannot separate angelica’s contribution from ferulic acid’s.

Work on the herb alone is preclinical: extracts and furanocoumarins inhibit acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase in vitro ^{7,8Reference 7Sigurdsson S · 2007In vitroInhibition of acetylcholinesterase by extracts and constituents from Angelica archangelica and Geranium sylvaticum — in vitroView study →Reference 8Wszelaki N et al. · 2011In vitroBioactivity-guided fractionation for the butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of furanocoumarins from Angelica archangelica L. roots and fruits — in vitroView study →}, and oral imperatorin improved memory in mice ^{9Reference 9Sigurdsson S · 2013AnimalEffect of oral imperatorin on memory in mice — animal model (mouse)View study →}.

Gap: No trial isolates A. archangelica from ferulic acid; the whole-herb cognitive effect in humans is therefore unproven.

Anti-inflammatory activity shows up mainly as cytokine suppression in rodent pain models. Extracts significantly lowered TNF-α and IL-6 in an alloxan diabetic-neuropathy rat model ^{26Reference 26Suciu F et al. · 2025AnimalEvaluation of the antihyperalgesic potential of Morus alba, Angelica archangelica, Valeriana officinalis, and Passiflora incarnata in alloxan-induced diabetic neuropathy in rats — animal model (rat)View study →} and reduced serum cytokines and brain oxidative stress in a reserpine fibromyalgia model in mice ^{27Reference 27Kaur A et al. · 2020AnimalOptimization of extraction conditions of Angelica archangelica extract and activity evaluation in experimental fibromyalgia — animal model (mouse)View study →}. Angelica essential oils also showed anti-inflammatory activity in vitro ^{28Reference 28Langrand J et al. · 2025In vitroBiocidal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils extracted from Angelica spp. cultivated on contaminated soils — in vitroView study →}.

Two rodent studies support a protective liver effect. A. archangelica reduced hepatic injury markers in chronically ethanol-treated mice ^{29Reference 29Yeh ML et al. · 2003AnimalHepatoprotective effect of Angelica archangelica in chronically ethanol-treated mice — animal model (mouse)View study →}, and an extract combined with Ginkgo biloba normalized the hepatic apoptotic/anti-apoptotic protein ratio after radionuclide (technetium-99m) exposure in rats ^{30Reference 30Raafat BM et al. · 2013AnimalGinkgo biloba and Angelica archangelica bring back an impartial hepatic apoptotic to anti-apoptotic protein ratio after exposure to technetium 99mTc — animal model (rat)View study →}. Both are single-lab and one uses a combination.

Most of the seizure evidence concerns the constituent imperatorin. Root essential oil delayed seizures in mice ^{14Reference 14Pathak S et al. · 2010AnimalEvaluation of Antiseizure Activity of Essential Oil from Roots of Angelica archangelica Linn. in Mice — animal model (mouse)View study →}, and imperatorin raised the maximal-electroshock seizure threshold ^{15,16Reference 15Luszczki JJ et al. · 2007AnimalTime-course and dose-response relationships of imperatorin in the mouse maximal electroshock seizure threshold model — animal model (mouse)View study →Reference 16Luszczki JJ et al. · 2009AnimalAnticonvulsant and acute neurotoxic effects of imperatorin, osthole and valproate in the maximal electroshock seizure and chimney tests in mice: a comparative study — animal model (mouse), comparative studyView study →}, possibly by suppressing voltage-gated Na⁺ channels ^{17Reference 17Wu KC et al. · 2013In vitroSuppression of voltage-gated Na(+) channels and neuronal excitability by imperatorin — in vitroView study →}.

A 2025 in vivo study found A. archangelica ethanolic extract produced only moderate, non-significant anticonvulsant activity in an electroshock model ^{18Reference 18Suciu F et al. · 2025AnimalInvestigation of anticonvulsant potential of Morus alba, Angelica archangelica, Valeriana officinalis, and Passiflora incarnata extracts: in vivo and in silico studies — animal model (in vivo) and in silicoView study →}.

Gap: Whole-extract efficacy is unconfirmed; the positive data are largely for an isolated compound at controlled doses.

Analgesic/antihyperalgesic activity is limited to two rodent pain models. In alloxan diabetic-neuropathy rats, A. archangelica extract raised nociceptive thresholds and lowered TNF-α/IL-6, though less than the comparator Morus alba ^{26Reference 26Suciu F et al. · 2025AnimalEvaluation of the antihyperalgesic potential of Morus alba, Angelica archangelica, Valeriana officinalis, and Passiflora incarnata in alloxan-induced diabetic neuropathy in rats — animal model (rat)View study →}. In a reserpine fibromyalgia model, the root extract increased paw-withdrawal thresholds and improved motor function and cognition ^{27Reference 27Kaur A et al. · 2020AnimalOptimization of extraction conditions of Angelica archangelica extract and activity evaluation in experimental fibromyalgia — animal model (mouse)View study →}.

A. archangelica was gastroprotective in a rat model, but only as one component of a multi-herb combination (STW 5-type), so its individual contribution is unclear ^{25Reference 25Khayyal MT et al. · 2001AnimalAntiulcerogenic effect of some gastrointestinally acting plant extracts and their combination — animal model (rat)View study →}. Separately, N-phenylpropenoyl amino-acid amides present in the herb reduced Helicobacter pylori adhesion to human gastric cells in vitro ^{37Reference 37Hensel A et al. · 2007In vitroOccurrence of N-phenylpropenoyl-L-amino acid amides in different herbal drugs and their influence on human keratinocytes, on human liver cells and on adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to the human stomach — in vitroView study →}.

Metabolic activity is entirely in vitro and constituent-level. Angelica root preparations modulated pancreatic β-cell function in vitro ^{40Reference 40Patyra A et al. · 2024In vitroPharmacological and phytochemical insights on the pancreatic β-cell modulation by Angelica L. roots — in vitroView study →}, and a bioactivity-guided screen identified angelica constituents as inhibitors of ketohexokinase, the enzyme central to fructose metabolism ^{41Reference 41Le MT et al. · 2016In vitroBioactivity-Guided Identification of Botanical Inhibitors of Ketohexokinase — in vitroView study →}.

A single older comparative study reported antimutagenic properties for A. archangelica in vitro ^{39Reference 39Salikhova RA · 1995In vitroSalikhova RA, Poroshenko GG (1995). [Antimutagenic properties of Angelica archangelica L] — in vitro, comparative study. Vestn Ross Akad Med Nauk. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7767122/View study →}. The herb’s own furanocoumarins are photo-genotoxic under UV ^{44Reference 44Raquet N · 2014In vitroApplication of the equivalency factor concept to the phototoxicity and -genotoxicity of furocoumarin mixtures — in vitroView study →}, and the net balance between the two is unresolved.

Phototoxicity. A. archangelica is rich in linear furanocoumarins (imperatorin, xanthotoxin/8-MOP, bergapten/5-MOP), which are photoactive and can cause phytophotodermatitis when skin in contact with the plant is exposed to UV light ^{43,44,45Reference 43Ojala T et al. · 1999In vitroA bioassay using Artemia salina for detecting phototoxicity of plant coumarins — in vitro bioassayView study →Reference 44Raquet N · 2014In vitroApplication of the equivalency factor concept to the phototoxicity and -genotoxicity of furocoumarin mixtures — in vitroView study →Reference 45Knapp CF · 2009ReviewBotanical briefs: garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica) — reviewView study →}. Furanocoumarin mixtures modeled on A. archangelica extract are photo-cytotoxic and photo-genotoxic under UVA in vitro ^{44Reference 44Raquet N · 2014In vitroApplication of the equivalency factor concept to the phototoxicity and -genotoxicity of furocoumarin mixtures — in vitroView study →}. The essential oil should not be applied before sun exposure.

Drug metabolism. In six volunteers, a single dose of angelica root extract more than tripled their exposure to caffeine, which the liver enzyme CYP1A2 clears, an effect linked to the root’s furanocoumarins ^{52Reference 52Alehaideb et al. · 2021In vitroInhibition of Caffeine Metabolism by Apiaceous and Rutaceae Families of Plant Products in Humans: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies — human pharmacokinetic and in vitro studyView study →}. Drugs cleared by CYP1A2 may be affected in the same way.

Dietary furanocoumarins, best characterized in grapefruit, also inhibit CYP3A4. An interaction with CYP3A4-metabolized drugs is possible, but no study has measured one for A. archangelica.

Diabetes. Some herbal references advise care in diabetes. Angelica root preparations modulate pancreatic β-cell function in vitro, and angelica constituents inhibit ketohexokinase ^{40,41Reference 40Patyra A et al. · 2024In vitroPharmacological and phytochemical insights on the pancreatic β-cell modulation by Angelica L. roots — in vitroView study →Reference 41Le MT et al. · 2016In vitroBioactivity-Guided Identification of Botanical Inhibitors of Ketohexokinase — in vitroView study →}.

Leaf extract. The SagaPro leaf-extract product was reported safe over 6–8 weeks in two clinical trials ^{1,2Reference 1López-Seoane J et al. · 2025RCTEffects of Angelica archangelica extract on overactive bladder: a pilot randomized controlled trial — randomised placebo-controlled trialView study →Reference 2Sigurdsson S et al. · 2013RCTA parallel, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the effect of SagaPro on nocturia in men — randomised placebo-controlled trial (RCT)View study →}.