Angelica glauca, Lca ba ལྕ་བLca ba (Tibet)Coraka (Ayurveda) |
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K.R. Kirtikar, B.D. Basu, Indian medicinal plants (1918)Botanical name:
Angelica glauca
Some sources have listed A. sinensis, A. archangelica and A. dahurica for Lca ba.
Parts used:
Root, leaf
Temperature & Taste:
Warm, dry. Pungent, Sweet, Bitter
Uses:
Generally used as for Angelica Archangelica
1. Warms the Stomach, Moves Qi:
-Indigestion, Colic, Abdominal pain (API, Tibetan Medicine)
-Hiccup (API)
-Anemia, Debility (Tibetan)
2. Warms the Kidneys:
-Edema from Cold
3. Clears Damp, Settles Wind, Stops Spasms:
-Epilepsy, Insanity (API), Schizophrenia
-Dyspnoea (API)
-used for Wind-Damp disorders; Damp obstructing the Joints (Tibetan Medicine)
4. Clear Wind-Damp, Stops Itching:
-Obstinate skin diseases, Itchiness, Urticaria (API)
5. Clears Wind-Cold, Resists Poison:
-acute Fever
-Poison (API)
-Toxin in the Blood
-Wounds
Dose:
Powder: 1–3 grams
Decoction: 3–9 grams
Comment:
Angelica glauca appears to have functions and indications similar to Angelica archangelica of the Western Tradition (‘Angelica’). Gyatso mentions the latter as a substitute for Angelica glauca, and several sources have indicated that A. archangelica is collected indiscriminately with A. glauca in the Himalayas. Frawley in ‘Yoga of Herbs’, however, claims it to have tonic properties resembling Dang Gui.
Substitutes::
1. Angelica archangelica (Angelica) can generally replace A. glauca, Lca ba of Tibetan Medicine.
2. Buryat sources have listed Peucedanum spp. and Kitagawia baicalensis as sources.
3. When used as a tonic, such as when it is used in the ‘Five Roots’, Dang Gui may be more suitable.
Main Combinations:
It is used in the combination, Five Roots: Angelica glauca, Soloman’s Seal, Tribulus terrestris, Mirabilis himalaica, Asparagus root. These Five roots warm and strengthen the Kidneys, benefit Yin and Blood. As a unit, they are often combined where tonification is required, such as in chronic joint disease, weakness or rigidity of the limbs and paralysis.
The general appearance and form of A. glauca is similar to Angelica. It is perhaps similar to the Wild or Mountain-gathered variety of Angelica that was sometimes used in Europe, being smaller and more hardy than its lush lowland and garden relatives.
1. Warms and strengthen the Kidney:
i. Angelica glauca with Tribulus terrestris, Soloman’s Seal, Lesser Cardamon
ii. Angelica glauca with Tribulus terrestris, Asparagus root, Cinnamon
Major Formulas:
Betel Immense Pleasure Giver (Gu yu bde dpags) (Tibetan)
Cardamon 19 (Sug smel bcu dgu) (Tibetan)
Catechu 25 (Seng ldeng 25) (Tibetan)
Mandala of the Sun (Se bru nye dkyil) (Tibetan)
Paraquilegia 6 (Mde’u ‘byin drug pa) (Tibetan)
The Melting Solar Disk (Ju byed nyi mai dkyil khor) (Tibetan)
Cautions:
1. Not used during Pregnancy
2. See Angelica archangelica for more
Drug Interactions:
Use carefully in people taking Blood thinning medicine as it may potentiate the effect.