Among various kinds of herbs recommended for treating fertility, dong quai or the Angelica sinensis plant is among the most preferred options. Also called the Chinese angelica, the root of this plant has been used for many decades in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In fact, its usage for treating infertility is widespread across many Asian nations.
How Dong Quai Treats Infertility
It is now understood that each part of the dong quai root has different medicinal qualities that serve this purpose. The contribution of each part of the dong quai root has been systematically listed below:
Top Portion of Dong Quai Root
The head portion of the root acts as an anticoagulant and helps to increase blood circulation levels in reproductive organs with impaired functionality due to reduced circulation of blood. The flow of blood in our bodies is regulated through a minimal degree of clotting. However, the clotting can often become excessive, causing decreased blood flow in some parts. The dong quai herb helps to alleviate conditions like dry vagina and uterine abnormalities by increasing the flow of blood, which in turn stimulates the healing and regeneration of tissue in these critical reproductive organs.
End Portion of Dong Quai Root
The end portion of the root is helpful for assisting in decreasing blood stagnation along with acting as a blood purifier. Internal infections that are often undiagnosed are often the underlying cause of infertility. Here, dong quai is acts as a natural antiseptic agent, complementing the effect of other infertility herbs or treatments like acupuncture.
Main Portion of Dong Quai Root
The main part of the root acts as a tonic for the sexual health of the individual. It helps to nourish critical reproductive organs because it contains rare compounds like Phyto-estrogens. These potent plant-based compounds have an estrogenic effect. This means that they raise the level of estrogen hormone produced in females by acting upon the ovaries. Further, dong quai has a regulating effect on the female estrogen levels too. If the hormone levels are too high, the scheduled intake of dong quai can harmonize the hormone levels.
Dong quai contains important nutrients that are commonly found in supplements recommended for women seeking cures for infertility. This includes folic and folinic acid, along with trace amounts of nicotinic acid, biotin, pantothinic acid and various vitamins. The high concentration of vitamin B12 in dong quai explains the preference for this herb for treating blood disorders in women.
Phytochemicals in dong quai have a stimulating effect on the synthesis of white blood cells or WBCs that help to raise body’s overall immunity and combat existing infections. This explains the choice of this herb for treating inflammation among women diagnosed with infertility. Further, dong quai can assist in the comprehensive healing of other organs that might be inducing infertility, i.e. secondary infertility caused due to the impaired functioning of metabolic organs like the liver.
Other Effects of Dong Quai Useful for Treating Infertility
Dong quai is often referred to as an anti-spasmodic herb. This feature is particularly helpful for women wherein menstrual pains or pre-menstrual cramping is disturbing the ovulation cycle. The anti-spasmodic effect of dong quai helps to stimulate the smooth muscles of the uterus and improves the circulation of blood into the uterine tissue. Many women have multiple reasons for their infertility, wherein a deficiency of iron or anemia is one of the reasons. Though dong quai cannot provide active iron, it helps in the retention of iron in the blood.
