Angelica

Folk medicine has known Angelica since ancient times. Almost all parts of the plant (flowers, leaves, and seeds, but especially the roots) have been used for digestive tract complaints, exhaustion, and respiratory ailments. The healing powers are said to have been revealed to humans by an angel. This suggests that the plant was attributed a connection to higher forces and provides a possible explanation for the protective effects described in literature against panic attacks or other anxiety disorders. Paracelsus already regarded Angelica as an effective remedy for flatulence. Hufeland valued its stimulating effect in states of weakness, and Madaus lists many more traditional indications for Angelica – however, the main focus is clearly on stomach and intestinal complaints. Medicinal preparations are prescribed as stomachics and carminatives. Use as an expectorant for lung conditions and as a tonic for nervous weakness is also common. In recent decades, the use of Angelica archangelica L. has primarily concentrated on its properties as an amarum aromaticum, cholagogum, and spasmolytic, often employed for complaints such as pain and burning in the upper abdomen, bloating, and flatulence. Thus, the Angelica root is also found in many bitter digestifs. Bitter remedies like Angelica are generally prescribed to stimulate saliva flow and the production of gastric and pancreatic juices in dyspepsia and loss of appetite.