Chemical Information Review Document

Dong quai has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese medicine. Dong quai is marketed in the United States as a dietary supplement. It has been used to treat a variety of ailments including, dehydration, lumbago, hypertonia, nervous disorders, menopausal symptoms, neuralgia, angina, insomnia, and arthritis. Overall, human studies suggest that there is little evidence to support the use of Dong quai for any condition. Numerous side effects have been reported in clinical studies (e.g., headaches, abnormal heart rhythms, blood pressure abnormalities) and studies suggest that Dong quai may interfere or exacerbate effects produced by numerous drugs and herbs. Acute toxicity studies indicate that administration of Dong quai produced no effects at a dose up to 5000 mg/kg; similar results were observed in subchronic studies. Dong quai extracts have been reported to have synergistic effects with various chemicals and have antiproliferative and proapoptotic activities in cancer cells. No effect on fertility was observed after administration of Dong quai extract. Numerous studies have shown that Dong quai and its constituents have anticarcinogenic effects. While some studies indicated that Dong quai produces estrogen-like effects, other studies indicated minimal interaction with the endocrine system or suggested that the effects may not occur through interaction with estrogen receptors. One study showed that ethanol extracts of Dong quai had anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity. Additional activities associated with Dong quai extracts and its constituents include modulation of enzyme activity, cellular proliferation, and gene expression; anxiolytic activity; insecticidal and antifungal activity; nephroprotective; gastric protective; pulmonary system protective; immunomodulatory effects; and antioxidant activity.