Identification of Angelica oil as a suppressor for the biological properties of Danggui Buxue tang: a Chinese herbal decoction composes of Astragali Radix and Angelica Sinensis Radix

Abstract

Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a Chinese herbal decoction commonly used in treating women׳s ailments, contains two herbs: Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR) and Astragali Radix (AR). Traditionally, ASR had to be pre-treated with yellow wine before the herbal preparation, which reduced the amount of volatile oil in water extract of ASR and DBT, and meanwhile the volatile oil-reduced DBT processed better bioactivities in cell cultures. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of volatile oil from ASR (Angelica oil) on the solubility of AR-derived ingredients and the biological properties of DBT.