Dong Quai

Angelica sinensis · Dang gui

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Menopausal hot flashes¹ Dysmenorrhea² Premenstrual syndrome²	Pregnancy³ Breastfeeding³ Diarrhoea or haemorrhagic diseases³

Dong quai (Angelica sinensis, dang gui) is the root of a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine and promoted as a woman's herb for menstrual and menopausal symptoms². An aqueous extract showed estrogen-agonist activity in vitro². Supplementation is used for menopausal hot flashes, painful menstruation, and premenstrual symptoms². Typical users are women who decline hormonal therapy for vasomotor symptoms.

Human research is limited to about eight small trials, mostly in menopausal hot flushes, with others in platelet function, ulcerative colitis, and cervical spondylosis. A 2003 placebo-controlled trial of an angelica and chamomile combination reported fewer hot flushes in postmenopausal women, while a pilot trial in men on androgen deprivation therapy found no difference from placebo. Memorial Sloan Kettering calls the menopausal findings inconclusive². A 2017 randomized, placebo-controlled trial in healthy volunteers found Angelica sinensis, alone or with aspirin, produced no clinically relevant change in coagulation or platelet function⁴. Products listing dong quai are mostly capsules and liquid extracts; see Form comparison.

Pregnancy is the most consequential exclusion: Memorial Sloan Kettering reports dong quai can raise miscarriage risk².² A 1999 case report described a marked rise in international normalized ratio (INR) with warfarin, and Memorial Sloan Kettering directs patients on warfarin or with hormone-sensitive cancers to talk with their healthcare provider².

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

30 sources, 15 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources