Ligustilide

Because of the traditional use of Angelica sinesis in herbal medicine, particularly traditional Chinese medicine where it is known as dong quai, there has been interest in identifying chemical compounds responsible for its putative pharmacological effects. Ligustilide is typically identified as the principal bioactive component.^[3] A variety of in vitro effects of ligustilide have been reported, including antiinflammatory and neuroprotective effects.^[4] However, because of the chemical instability of ligustilide, the relevance of these studies to any effects in humans is uncertain.^[5]

Ligustilide is a volatile compound, found in the essential oil of various herb roots.^[6] The oil is obtained by distillation or supercritical CO₂ extraction of the dried root. In one report, total (Z)-ligustilide content in Angelica acutiloba root samples ranged from 0.08% to 0.22%.^[7] In an other report, ligustilide was not mentioned as a component in hydrodistilled essential oil of Angelica archangelica root from Serbia.^[8] When dried whole root is used, as in traditional Chinese medicine, the pharmacological effect may be ascribed to a range of components, including polysaccharides.^[9]