Journal of ethnopharmacologyMar 14, 2007

Ligustilide reduces pain caused by acetic acid or formalin

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Updated Apr 1, 2026

Abstract

LIG caused a significant dose-related reduction in pain responses in animal models.

LIG, a compound from Danggui essential oil, shows multiple effects on uterine smooth muscles.
LIG demonstrates non-specific antispasmodic properties, suggesting its involvement in the therapeutic effects of Danggui for primary dysmenorrhoea.
In vivo tests reveal that LIG reduces pain responses induced by acetic acid and formalin in a dose-dependent manner.
The findings indicate that LIG possesses both antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.
LIG may have potential as a treatment for various pain syndromes, including primary dysmenorrhoea.

Simplified

Danggui is a popular traditional Chinese medicinal (TCM) herb, which has long been used clinically to treat primary dysmenorrhoea. In a recent study, we demonstrated that ligustilide (LIG), one of the main compounds of Danggui essential oil, has multiple effects on uterine smooth muscles and possesses a non-specific antispasmodic function, which suggests that LIG might play a major role in the therapeutic activity of Danggui in primary dysmenorrhoea. Since pain is the main syndrome of dysmenorrhea, the present investigation was carried out to evaluate the analgesic activity of LIG in vivo. LIG was intra-gastrically administered to animals. We demonstrated for the first time that LIG could cause a significant dose-related reduction of acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced licking time in both the early and late phases. These results showed that LIG possessed antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. These findings plus the data we reported recently implied that LIG not only has an active dilatory effect on myometrium but also an effective role in reducing the neurogenic and inflammatory pain, thus having the potential to be developed into an effective drug for the treatment of various pain syndromes including primary dysmenorrhoea.

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Ligustilide reduces pain caused by acetic acid or formalin

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