DavidWolfe.comIt’s amazing how many health benefits angelica essential oil has. Officially called Angelica archangelica, the angelica plant is believed to be an African herb that made its way into Europe in the 16th Century. It gained tremendous popularity as a treatment for the Plague. After widespread use in Europe, its many other medicinal properties were discovered. The essential oil is extracted through steam distillation of its rhizome (root nodules), seeds, and the whole herb. Angelica oil is widely used as a flavoring agent in the food and beverage industry due to its sweet, spicy aroma. (1)
12 Health Uses For Angelica Essential Oil
1. It Helps With Cramps and Coughs As An Anti-Spasmodic
Where there is spasming, there are cramps, coughs, aches, diarrhea, nervous afflictions, and convulsions. What actually is a spasm? It’s an involuntary and unpredictable contraction in the body. This includes the respiratory tracts, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs. The contractions can result in severe coughs, cramps, convulsions, obstructed blood circulations, and aches in the stomach and chest. The way to stop spasms is to induce relaxation in the affected parts, which angelica essential oil is able to do. Angelica oil relieves spasms and gives relief from the painful symptoms discussed above.
2. It’s A Relaxing Carminative
The relaxing effect of angelica essential oil is beneficial in driving out gas from the intestines as well. This relaxes the intestinal and abdominal muscles and lets the gases pass through a downward motion. That is much healthier than letting them build up and push upwards on the torso. As a result, the user receives immense relief from troubles related to excess gas, such as indigestion. Stomach aches, headaches, cramps, flatulence, nausea, and high blood pressure can also be relieved.
3. It Purifies The Blood As A Depurative
Depurative means an agent that purifies the blood. Angelica essential oil does exactly that. It is considered a diuretic that promotes urination and a diaphoretic that promotes sweating. Therefore, it speeds up the removal of toxins like uric acid. Other toxins and excess salt, water, fat, and bile are also eliminated via urination and sweat. Therefore, angelica oil also gives relief from ailments associated with their accumulation. In this way, it lowers blood pressure and reduces fat. This protects your heart and provides relief from issues like rheumatism, arthritis, and gout.
4. It’s Also A Digestive Aid
Angelica essential oil also promotes digestion by stimulating the secretion of digestive juices like acid and bile into the stomach. It also promotes the proper movement of food through the intestines and absorption of the digested food by intestinal villi.
5. It Helps The Liver As A Hepatic
Angelica essential oil protects the liver and makes it function well by stimulating secretions from that organ. It also cleanses the liver and protects from infections. It also helps to heal wounds.
6. It Can Regulate Menstration As An Emmenagogue
Angelica essential oil also triggers the opening of obstructed menstruation and makes it more regular. In addition, angelica oil provides relief from the other symptoms associated with periods as well. This includes headaches, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
7. It Helps With Colds and Coughs As An Expectorant
As an expectorant, angelica oil clears out the accumulation of phlegm in the respiratory tracts. Angelica oil also fights infections that cause colds. It helps relieve colds and coughs, sinus infections, and congestion in the lungs.
Angelica oil has also shown antimicrobial properties to which can eliminate sickness-causing bacteria. (2)
8. It Can Reduce Fevers As A Febrifuge
Angelica oil can also reduce fevers by fighting the infections that cause the fever. The diaphoretic and diuretic properties of angelica oil also contribute to this effect. The reason? The removal of toxins and waste from the body speeds up the recovery time of infections. Perspiration also helps to reduce fevers.
9. It Treats Nerve Disorders As A Nervine
Angelica oil also acts as a tonic for the nerves. It is effective in treating nervous afflictions and disorders and in strengthening the nerves. It also acts as an anxiolytic to calm anxiety. (3)
Angelica oil is both a relaxant and stimulant, therefore, it sedates the nervous afflictions and relaxes them in cases of shock and hyper-reactivity, while also stimulating them in order to make us more active and alert.
As a relaxant, the oil has a relaxing effect on the body, the mind, and the nervous system. This becomes particularly beneficial in situations of shock, depression, anxiety, anger, and hypertension.
As a stimulant, for the systems functioning inside the body, it stimulates blood circulation. It also speeds up the secretion of hormones, enzymes, and other juices, and also stimulates metabolic processes. These include digestion, absorption, and excretion. This attribute, in total, stimulates healthy growth.
10. It Helps Balance The Stomach
Angelica oil’s stomachic property means it is good for the stomach. The oil keeps the stomach in a good shape by maintaining the proper balance of acids and bile. It also protects it from infections, and helps heal any stomach wounds or ulcers.
11. Tonic
Angelica oil promotes the overall development of health, boosts growth, and strengthens the immune system of the body.
12. It Helps The Lymphatic Sytem
Angelica oil is good for the lymphatic system. It provides an effective treatment for bronchitis, asthma, sciatica, headaches, infections, anorexia, anemia, and psoriasis. It is also rich in anti-seizure properties and this is attributed to the presence of terpenes. (4)
A final note of caution here. Angelica oil should be avoided during pregnancy and by diabetics. It can cause skin irritation in higher concentrations and also photo-toxicity. Higher doses of this oil can cause excessive stimulation or hyperactivity of the nervous system.