Ligusticum sinense.  藁 本 Gǎo běn   Chinese Lovage, Ligusticum root   Family: Umbelliferae    
Ligusticum chuanxiong is also called Chinese Lovage
PART USED: Rhizome- harvested in Autumn after the aerial parts have become dissicated; also in the Spring at the time of sprouting.
Nature: Warm     FLAVOR: Pungent, acrid      CHANNEL: Urinary Bladder
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Exterior Clearing- Warming
1. Expel Wind, disperse Cold.[2] Alleviates pain,[3,2] especially headache.[2]
INDICATIONS
1. Wind Cold or Wind Cold Damp causing Headache- particularly on top of head.[3] This herb has acrid and warm energy which rises to the top of the head.[3] Also for acute lower back pain due to invasion of Wind Cold, as it treats both ends of the Governing channel.[2]
2. Headaches generally: Headache on one side and sinus headache.[3] Pain that travels from the top of the head to cheeks and teeth.[2] Body pain.[3]
3. Regulates Blood stopping headache.[3]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Blood Yin deficiency because it is very drying.[2]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
- External Wind Cold or invasion of Damp- Heat with Lung Qi deficiency: Releases exterior Wind-Cold, unblocks the nasal passages, alleviates sinus pain. Clears Damp Heat in the Lung Magnolia flower combination- Xin yi san. 
OTHER COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: The roots are dug in spring and dried in the sun. They are then cut into slices, after soaking them in water. Dry rhizome and root 3-9 g.[1,2,3] Good quality is dry and aromatic.

ORIGIN: Grown in Shaanxi, Ganu, Henan, Sichuan, Huan provinces in China.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. 
Constituents
Research

Bioactive phthalides from Ligusticum sinense Oliv cv. Chaxiong.
Wei Q, Yang J, Ren J, Wang A, Ji T, Su Y.
Abstract
Five new phthalides (1-4, 6), two new natural products (5, 7) and five known phthalides (8-12) were isolated from the aerial parts of Ligusticum sinense Oliv cv. Chaxiong. Their structures were elucidated by HR-ESI-MS, UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR (HSQC, HMBC, (1)H-(1)H COSY, NOESY) methods. The absolute configurations were established by the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum and the modified Mosher's method. Compounds 1-8 were tested against SK-N-SH cell depriving oxygen and glucose and showed different degrees of increasing the cell survival, among which compounds 1, 4 and 8 (10 μM) showed higher cell survival than Ginsenoside Rg1.
PMID: 24456660 DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2014.01.010  Fitoterapia. 2014 Mar;93:226-32. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2014.01.010. Epub 2014 Jan 20. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Remarkable repellency of Ligusticum sinense (Umbelliferae), a herbal alternative against laboratory populations of Anopheles minimus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)
Rukpong Sanghong, Anuluck Junkum,corresponding author Udom Chaithong, Atchariya Jitpakdi, Doungrat Riyong, Benjawan Tuetun, Daruna Champakaew, Jitrawadee Intirach, Roongtawan Muangmoon, Arpaporn Chansang, and Benjawan Pitasawat
Abstract
Background
For personal protection against mosquito bites, user-friendly natural repellents, particularly from plant origin, are considered as a potential alternative to applications currently based on synthetics such as DEET, the standard chemical repellent. This study was carried out in Thailand to evaluate the repellency of Ligusticumsinense hexane extract (LHE) against laboratory Anopheles minimus and Aedes aegypti, the primary vectors of malaria and dengue fever, respectively.
Methods
Repellent testing of 25% LHE against the two target mosquitoes; An. minimus and Ae. aegypti, was performed and compared to the standard repellent, DEET, with the assistance of six human volunteers of either sex under laboratory conditions. The physical and biological stability of LHE also was determined after keeping it in conditions that varied in temperature and storage time. Finally, LHE was analysed chemically using the qualitative GC/MS technique in order to demonstrate a profile of chemical constituents.
Results
Ethanol preparations of LHE, with and without 5% vanillin, demonstrated a remarkably effective performance when compared to DEET in repelling both An. minimus and Ae. aegypti. While 25% LHE alone provided median complete-protection times against An. minimus and Ae. aegypti of 11.5 (9.0–14.0) hours and 6.5 (5.5–9.5) hours, respectively, the addition of 5% vanillin increased those times to 12.5 (9.0–16.0) hours and 11.0 (7.0–13.5) hours, respectively. Correspondingly, vanillin added to 25% DEET also extended the protection times from 11.5 (10.5–15.0) hours to 14.25 (11.0–18.0) hours and 8.0 (5.0–9.5) hours to 8.75 (7.5–11.0) hours against An. minimus and Ae. aegypti, respectively. No local skin reaction such as rash, swelling or irritation was observed during the study period. Although LHE samples kept at ambient temperature (21–35°C), and 45°C for 1, 2 and 3 months, demonstrated similar physical characteristics, such as similar viscosity and a pleasant odour, to those that were fresh and stored at 4°C, their colour changed from light- to dark-brown. Interestingly, repellency against Ae. aegypti of stored LHE was presented for a period of at least 3 months, with insignificantly varied efficacy. Chemical analysis revealed that the main components of LHE were 3-N-butylphthalide (31.46%), 2, 5-dimethylpyridine (21.94%) and linoleic acid (16.41%), constituting 69.81% of all the extract composition.
Conclusions
LHE with proven repellent efficacy, no side effects on the skin, and a rather stable state when kept in varied conditions is considered to be a potential candidate for developing a new natural alternative to DEET, or an additional weapon for integrated vector control when used together with other chemicals/measures.
Malar J. 2015; 14: 307.
Published online 2015 Aug 7. doi: 10.1186/s12936-015-0816-y
PMCID: PMC4527275 PMID: 26249666 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov