This unique Chinese herbal (and fragrant or smelly, depending on how you look at it) is also known as “female ginseng”  and is a popular herb used in Chinese medicine.  It’s a highly revered root, second to the ginseng root.  This herb is indigenous to China and can be found in various forms, such as long dried roots, smaller chips, or powdered.  It’s actually got a very distinct smell when dried and carries that flavour into the soup slightly. 

This ingredient is considered warming and sweet and often used to support blood and qi deficiency, targeting the heart, liver, and spleen.  It’s used to tonify blood, improve circulation, and welcome in tonics and soups for women and menstruation, but is also a very healing herb.

How do I prepare it?

Not much preparation is needed other than rinsing in warm water before usage.   You can also drop it in directly into your soup as well.  

Any precautions?

• Be sure you are buying these from a reputable source 

• Also to check that this is angelica root (or dang quai), there are so many herbs that look like this (small and brown) that it’s sometimes hard to tell, but you can definitely identify this from its smell.