RESUMO
Cham-dang-gui (Angelica gigas nakai) has been used in traditional Korean medicine to treat hemotological disorders. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hematological effects of water extracts of Cham-dang-gui in rats with anemia induced by iron-free diets. Rats were divided into two groups, a regular diet group (RD) and an iron-free diet group (FeD). The iron-free diet group was then subdivided into the following three treatment groups: saline (1.0 ml/kgBW/day, FeDS), Cham-dang-gui (1.0 g/kgBW/day, FeDA), and iron (iron succinylate 14 mg/kgBW/day, FeDFe) groups. Rats were fed an iron-free diet for 6 weeks to induce iron-deficient anemia, and subsequently underwent the treatments, during which they were fed an iron-free diet for 3 weeks followed by a regular diet for 3 weeks. Body weights of the iron-diet groups (FeDS, FeDA, FeDFe) were lower than that of RD group. The blood levels of Hgb, Hct, MCV, MCH and TIBC were significantly higher in RD and FeDFe groups than those of other groups. The water extract of Cham-dang-gui with iron-free diet has no hematological effects. A regular diet followed by iron-free diets significantly increased blood levels of Hgb, Hct, and MCH.