Natural Indigo
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Heat Clearing Herbs to Clear Heat and Toxics
Natural Indigo
Latin:
Indigo Naturalis
Origin:
The pigment derived from the leaves of Isatis indigotina (dyers woad) of the family Cruciferae, Polygonum tinctorium Ait. (indigo plant) of the family Polygonaceae, and so on. The fallen leaves of the said plants are collected in autumn. Soak the fallen leaves in water until they putrefy. When the leaves are peel off, scoop them away, add an adequate amount of lime milk, stir the soaking solution fully until it turns from blackish green to deep red, scoop the bubbles off the surface of the solution and dry in the sun for use.
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Properties:
Salty in flavor, cold in nature, it is related to the liver, lung and stomach channels.
Functions:
Clears away heat, expels toxic substances, removes heat from the blood, eliminates ecchymoses (the escape of blood into the tissues from ruptured blood vessels), purges the liver of fire and arrests convulsions.
Applications:
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1. For treating maculae caused by violent heat-pathogen, hematemesis (vomiting of blood) and epistaxis (nosebleed):
(A) Maculae caused by violent heat-pathogen:
Use it with such herbs as raw rehmannia, tree peony root-bark, etc.
(B) Hematemesis and epistaxis due to blood-heat:
Use it with such herbs as raw rehmannia, tree peony root-bark, cogongrass rhizome (Rhizoma Imperatae), etc.
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2. For treating mumps, throat inflammation and skin and external diseases caused by pathogenic fire-toxin:
(A) Mumps and throat inflammation caused by affection due to epidemic seasonal noxious agents:
This herb can be used alone and mixed with a dash of borneol for application onto the affected part or it can be decocted together with skullcap root (Radix Scutellariae), dyers woad root (Radix Isatidis), Zhejiang figwort root (Radix Scrophulariae), etc.
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(B) Skin and external diseases due to pathogenic fire-toxin:
Use it with herbs that remove toxic substances to relieve pyogenic infections such as dandelion (Herba Taraxaci), Chinese violet (Herba Violae), honeysuckle flower (Flos Lonicerae), etc.
3. For treating coughing and chest pain with blood in sputum:
This herb is often used together with clam meal, e.g., Dai Ge San. For serious cases, it can be used in combination with Mongolian snakegourd (Fructus Trichosanthis), gardenia fruit (Fructus Gardeniae), tree peony root-bark, etc., e.g., Ke Xue Wan.
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4. For treating epilepsy due to summer-heat and infantile convulsions:
(A) Epilepsy due to summer-heat:
Use it with licorice and talcum, e.g., Bi Yu San.
(B) Infantile convulsions:
Use it with gambirplant (Ramulus Uncariae Cum Uncis), bezoar, etc., e.g., Liang Jing Wan.
Dosage and Administration:
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1.5-3 g.
Oral ingestion. As it is hard for this drug to dissolve in water, it is generally taken as a powder preparation infused in boiled water or in the form of pills. Use an adequate amount externally.
Cautions on Use:
This drug should be used carefully by anyone affected by cold syndrome of the stomach.
Reference Materials:
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'Kai Bao Materia Medica' :
"Poisoning, infantile fever, convulsions with fever and seasonal headache with chills and fever, when taken after grinding and decocting in water. It is also applied externally for the treatment of herpes simplex, malignant swelling, incised wound with bleeding and snake and dog bite."
'Realistic Approach to Herbs' :
"Purging the liver channel of fire of excess type and dispersing stagnant fire in the liver channel."
, 百拇医药
'Herbs Traded to Shen Nong's Herbal Classic' :
"Maculae caused by violent heat-pathogen and postpartum dysentery of the heat type with tenesmus, in which case it is taken as (Qianjin) Lanqing Wan; and seasonal headache with chills and fever, in which case it is taken after grinding and decoction in water."
Toxic or Side Effects:
Modern Researches:
Natural indigo contains indigo and indirubin.
The indigo decoction has an antimicrobial effect on Staphylococcus aureus, anthrax bacillus, Shigella dysenteriae, Vibrio comma, etc.
Indigo has a certain liver-protective effect., http://www.100md.com