ABSTRACT

Ligusticum belongs to the Umbelliferae family, members of which include L. chuanxiong (Chuan Xiong), L. wallichii, L. sinense (Gao Ben), and L. brachylobum. The dried rhizome of L. chuanxiong is one of the most common crude drugs described in the traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean pharmacopoeia. In Japan, Senkyu is obtained from the dried rhizome of L. officinale Kitagawa (also known as C. officinale Makino). In China, the herb is grown in Sichuan province and the root is usually collected in the summer when the node of the plant stem becomes swollen and purplish. Once removed from the soil, it is gently baked until dry before storage.