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Indigo Herb - Uses And Side Effects

Indigo comes from the leaves and branches of a group of plants called Indigofera. Many Indigofera species grow worldwide, but only a few (such as I. tinctoria and I. suffruticosa) grow in the United States. An herbaceous perennial which takes its name from the Greek Bapto (to dye); has a black woody root, yellowish internally with many rootlets; stem about 3 feet high smooth, glabrous, round, and branched; leaves, small, subsessile, alternate and palmately trifoliate; leaflets rounded at end; calyx four-cleft; flowers, yellow, blooming August and September, in small loose terminal racemes. Legume short, bluish-black seeds, subreniform.

Extracting this magic herb into pure alcohol produces an interesting purplish ink good for magical workings. It also makes a nice color for wax or soap.

Common doses of Indigo

Indigo comes as tablets and a blue powder. Experts disagree on what dose to take.

Uses of Indigo herb

Used internally in form of decoction or syrup in scarlatina, typhus, and in all cases where there is a tendency to putrescency; it is purgative, emetic, stimulant, astringent, and antiseptic, principally used for its antiseptic qualities. Specifically, indigo may help to :-

• Bleeding disorders
• Boils
• Carbuncles (pockets of infected, pus-containing abscesses or boils under the skin)
• Diabetes
• Fever
• Hemorrhoids
• Inflammation
• Infant seizures
• Mumps
• Ovarian cancer
• Pain
• Scorpion bites
• To induce vomiting
• To purify the liver

Side effects of Indigo

Call your health care practitioner if you experience any of these possible side effects of indigo:

• eye irritation
• skin inflammation from direct contact with indigo dyes.
• Indospicine, a component of I spicata, may cause liver damage and can harm an embryo or a fetus. In animals, it has caused cleft palate and embryo death.

Interactions

Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Tell your health care practitioner about any prescription or nonprescription drugs you're taking.

Important points to remember

• Keep indigo away from your eyes. Flush your eyes with water if contact occurs.
• If you suspect you're pregnant or if you're planning a pregnancy, check with your health care practitioner before using this herb.

What the research shows

Researchers haven't substantiated therapeutic claims for indigo-used alone or combined with other ingredients. Until indigo is tested on people, medical experts can't recommend this herb.

Other names for Indigo : -

Other names for indigo include common indigo, Indian indigo, and qingdai.