Best Way to Benefit from Angelica

Angelica is a stately plant in a woodland garden. It has a beguiling aroma, and its essential oil is used in aromatherapy and perfumes. Its foliage is scented when dried, its seeds can be used as a fixative for potpourris, and the tiny flowers also have a sweet fragrance. It was beloved by medieval herbalists, and John Parkinson in his book Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris (1629) placed it above all medicinal plants. It was called ‘herba angelica — the herb of the angels.

Most people knowingly encounter angelica only as green pieces of candied stem on cake decorations. However, it is also used to flavour Benedicrine liqueur and gin.

Angelica root has been approved by Commission E for the treatment of digestive problems and loss of appetite. It can be taken in the form of infusions of the dried roots.

However, the American Pharmaceutical Association state that ingesting angelica root carries a health risk.

Unfortunately, two of the compounds in angelicas root oil (xanthotoxin and bergaptene) are furocoumarins. These are phototoxic — that is, they sensitize the skin to light — so you should avoid ultraviolet sun beds or extended sunbathing if using angelica root. Dried roots have less of this effect and so are safer than fresh ones. In animal studies it was found that the furocoumarins could cause cancer. Avoid using angelica preparations during pregnancy and if you are diabetic.

Avoid gathering angelica in the wild. It can easily be mistaken for similar-looking but poisonous plants, including the spotted water hemlock (Cicuta maculata)

Other species

Great angelica, also known as masterwort (Angelica atropurpurea), grows wild in much of eastern North America. It looks similar but has purple stems and grows in wet places. It has been used in similar ways to the garden angelica, particularly as a leaf tea for indigestion and colds. It carries the same cautions.

In Europe wild angelica (A. sylvestris), a striking plant with purple-flushed stems, also grows in freshwater marshes and wet woodlands. A yellow dye can be extracted from it.