Natural
Indigo (qing dai)
Indigo
Naturalis
Properties:
Salty in flavour, cold in
nature, it acts on the liver, lung and stomach
channels. This herb can clear away heat,
detoxicate in the blood, cool blood and dissolve
ecchymoses. Its functions are similar to that of
the Isatis leaf. So it is indicated for the
syndromes of the warm and heat invasion of ying
system and masculas and eruptions with high
fever. It is good at purging the liver-fire to
arrest convulsion and curing infantile acute
convulsion.
Effects:
Clearing away heat,
detoxicating, removing blood-heat and
ecchymoses, purging liver-fire and arresting
convulsion.
Indications:
1.
For epidemic febrile diseases manifested
as intense hest in both qi and blood division,
high fever, masculas and eruptions, it is used
in combination with the heat-clearing and
blood-cooling drugs, such as rhinoceros horn,
scrophularia root and gypsum. In cases of
bleeding due to blood-heat, hema-temesis and
epistasis, it is used with the blood-cooling
drugs and hemostatics, such as rehmannia root
and moutan bark.
2.
For suppurative infections due to noxious
heat, swollen throat and canker sores in the
mouth, measles with swelling and pain, it is
often used in combination with honeysuckle
flower, scutellaria root and scrophularia root,
for clearing heat and detoxicating.
3.
For infantile acute convulsion with high
fever, or epilepsy provoked by terror and clonic
convulsion, it is used in combination with the
drugs for removing heat from the liver and
calming the pathogenic wind, such as cow-bezoare
and uncaria stem with hooks.
Dosage and Administration:
1.5-3g. The drug is difficult to dissolve in
water. It is proper to prepare it in forms of
pills or powder for deglutition. Quantum satis
for external use.
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