Dong quai has a two-thousand-year record of use and a thin, divided evidence base. The clearest signal is menstrual pain, where multi-herb formulas built around the root beat standard painkillers in poorly conducted trials. Taken alone it matched an inactive placebo for menopausal symptoms. Risks are modest in probability and serious in consequence: slowed clotting and weak estrogen imitation. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hemoglobin | 13.5–15.0 g/dL (women); 14.5–16.0 g/dL (men) | Tests the blood-building claim directly |
| Ferritin | 50–100 ng/mL (women); 50–150 ng/mL (men) | Iron stores must be adequate for any red-cell response |
| INR | 0.9–1.1 if not anticoagulated; the individually prescribed target if on warfarin | Detects the documented warfarin interaction |
| Platelet count | 200–350 × 10⁹/L | Establishes bleeding margin before adding a clot-modifying botanical |
| ALT | Under 20 U/L (women); under 25 U/L (men) | Confirms liver capacity to clear the root's coumarins |
| hs-CRP | Under 1.0 mg/L | Baseline inflammation, and the correction factor for reading ferritin |
| Estradiol | No established target; track change from the individual's own baseline | Detects any real hormonal effect where laboratory work predicts one |
Cadence: Baseline panel before the first dose; repeat labs at 12 weeks, then every 6–12 months. On warfarin, weekly INR for the first four weeks after starting or stopping, then monthly. Symptom tracking runs continuously from baseline.