Dong Quai can help relieve cramping during PMS
Dong Quai: Uncovering This Ancient Herb
Updated Apr. 25th, 2024 | Read Time: 2 Minutes | What You Will Learn:
- Exploring How Dong Quai Works In Your Body & It's Many Health Benefits
- Dong Quai Supplement Varieties: Forms, Formats & Potency
- Important Insights & Potential Side Effects/Cautions
Dong Quai is one of the most important herbs in traditional Asian medicine. It is considered to be a tonic for females and can be used for everything from fatigue and recovery from illness to hormonal imbalances. This herb is a phytoestrogenic agent. This means that it contains plant estrogens, compounds that look similar to human estrogen and can interact with estrogen receptors in the human body.
Exploring How Dong Quai Works In Your Body & It's Many Health Benefits
The important thing to remember is that these plant estrogens only stimulate the receptors a fraction of the amount that the hormone estrogen would. Therefore, dong quai can be used to treat conditions of high estrogen activity by blocking the activity of the hormone estrogen.
It can also support conditions of low estrogen activity by binding to vacant receptor sites and causing a bit of hormonal stimulation. This herb is used to help menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes, anxiety and depression, PMS and painful periods.
Some compounds in this herb have been found to decrease blood pressure by dilating vessels making this herb useful for treating high blood pressure. It is also reported that dong quai supports the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to body tissues. By increasing blood production this herb can alleviate anemia and improve energy.
Dong Quai Supplement Varieties: Forms, Formats & Potency
Dong quai can be used as an encapsulated herb, dried herb or tincture. Better quality supplements are standardized which is an assurance that the product contains dong quai and has some active properties. This herb is found as a component of hormonal balancing and blood pressure-lowering formulas.
Important Insights & Potential Side Effects/Cautions
This herb contains substances that decrease your blood clotting ability; therefore, those with active bleeding, or those who use blood thinners, aspirin or NSAIDs should use caution. For the same reason, stop using this herb 2 weeks before surgery or dental procedures.
Do not use this herb during pregnancy, while nursing, or while taking oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy because this herb can alter hormone levels.
This herb may alter the effectiveness of some heart and blood pressure medications. Diabetics or those with estrogen-sensitive tumours should not use dong quai. Use of this herb has been linked to increased risk of burns from the sun and tanning beds.
