INDIGO NATURALIS (Chinese: Qing Dai, Japanese: seitai; Korean: cheongdae)
Size: 3 gm extract powder
Properties: salty, cold, Liver, Lung, Stomach
Action 1: Clears Heat and Relieves Toxicity.
Action 2: Cools the Blood and Disperses Swellings.
Use 1-3 grams per day. We suggest mixing 1-3 grams in a non-irritating lotion and apply topically or as recommended by your physician. Discontinue if any skin irritation results. As noted below, crush the granules into a finer powder so that it will mix better. Also mixing a drop or two of water may help it dissolve better.
For external use only.
Note: The article on WebMD (see link below for full article) states:
"Indigo naturalis is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the plant Strobilanthes formosanus Moore. ...Lin's team mixed the indigo powder with a base made of petroleum jelly, yellow wax, and olive oil."
The original published article concluded that: "Topical indigo naturalis ointment was a novel, safe, and effective therapy for plaque-type psoriasis."
For more information on the recent news article on Indigo and psoriasis please click the link below.
Using Indigo Naturalis for psoriasis of the scalp. Recently a customer called to reorder Indigo and stated that it helped control his psoriasis of the scalp. We asked how he used it and he stated that he took one Sanjiu packet of Indigo and ground the powder even finer, then mixed the powder into one tablespoon of a natural brand of shampoo. Then he used it to shampoo his scalp. He did this daily and was very happy with the results.
If you have psoriasis of the scalp and this helps you please let us know. Thanks! -EETW, 7/30/07
Another customer told us recently that it took several months of application to clear up his psoriasis (which was extensive). -EETW, 3/30/09
Packets can be taken singley or combined with other herbs to make a formula. Use one packet to four cups water. Drink 1-3 cups per day. Please consult Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd Ed. (see link below) for more information on the uses of individual herbs. We have many other books that give recipes for formulas that you can make with the Sanjiu herbs