Indigo

Indigo

(Ben Cao Tu Jing)

[synonyms] huailan (a collection of Materia Medica), Da LAN and Da Lan Qing (a preparation of raw herbs), Shui LAN (a collection of herbs in Lingnan), Xiao Qing and Indian LAN (a taxonomy of Chinese trees), qingzicao and Yeqing indigo (Fujian Chinese herbal medicine).

[source] the leaves and stems of the leguminous plant indigo.

[plant morphology] indigo

Erect shrubs, 40-60 cm high. Branchlets covered with silvery white pubescence. The leaves are singularly pinnate compound, alternate, 3-5 cm long; leaflets usually 9-13. Opposite, egg. The leaves are oblong or oblong, 1.5-1.8 cm long, entire, covered with T-shaped hairs, and blue black when dry. Raceme, loose, nearly sessile, 1.6-3.5 cm long; calyx small, oblique, silver white, upper 5-toothed, teeth as long as calyx tube; corolla butterfly shaped, red yellow, flag petal round to rectangular, wing petal oval, slightly connected with keel, keel spoon shaped, claw with a distance; stamens 10, 2 bundles; ovary sessile, style short, curved, stigma capitate. Pods ca. 2. 5 cm long, glabrous. Seeds 8-12, not moniliform.

Wild or cultivated. Distributed in Shandong, Jiangsu, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places.

The roots (Indigo root) and the processed products (indigo naturalis and indigo indigo) of this plant are also used for medicine. Please refer to the special section for details.

[collection] harvest in summer and autumn.

[chemical composition] the whole herb contains indigoside, which is hydrolyzed to form 3-hydroxyindole, which is oxidized to indigo. The seeds contain polysaccharides.

Bitter, cold.

① "Preparation of the nature of raw herbal medicine": "it is mild in taste and cold in nature. "

② Fujian Chinese herbal medicine: "slightly bitter, cold. "

Functions and indications: clearing away heat and toxin, removing blood stasis and stopping bleeding. Treatment of Japanese encephalitis, mumps, red eyes, sore swelling, hematemesis.

① "Preparation of the nature of raw herbal medicine": it can eliminate sore and swelling, remove blood stasis and generate new. "Ye Zhi eye heat film, hematemesis. "

② Fujian Chinese herbal medicine: "clearing heat and detoxifying. "

[usage and dosage] for internal use: decoction, 0.5-1 Liang. For external use: decoction, washing or tamping.

[selection] ① prevention of Japanese encephalitis: the fresh branches and leaves of indigo are five to one or two yuan, fried in water. Once every three days for several times.

② Treatment of Japanese encephalitis: Indigo fresh whole grass two to three Liang, decoction service.

③ Treatment of mumps: one or two pieces of fresh whole herb of Indigofera, fried in water; in addition, mash the juice with Indigofera leaves and vinegar, and smear the affected area. (Fujian Chinese herbal medicine was selected)

Chinese PinYin : Mu Lan