Isatis, Woad

Root: Isatis Radix: Ban Lan Gen, 板蓝根
Leaf: Isatis Folium: Da Qing Ye, 大青叶
Picture Isatis tinctoria
(Atlas des plantes de France. 1891)

Picture Persicaria tinctoria
(Photo by Udo Schröter) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:


Isatis indigotica (syn. I. tinctoria)
The Leaf (Da Qing Ye) may be obtained from:
  1. Isatis tinctoria (syn. I. indigotica)
  2. Geum aleppicum
  3. Persicaria tinctoria (syn. Polygonum tinctorium)
  4. Pteracanthus alatus
See also Indigo, the extracted pigment from this and other plants

Parts used:


Root; Leaf

Temperature & Taste:


Cold, dry. Bitter

Classification:


B. Clear Heat and Toxin

Uses:


1. Clears Heat and Toxin (Leaf; Root):
-Epidemic and Infectious diseases (TCM, West)
-acute Sore Throat, Tonsillitis, Diphtheria; also Heat-toxin affecting the Lungs (TCM, West)
-acute bacterial and viral infections, especially of the Lungs and Throat; Pneumonia
-Heat-Toxin Rashes; Mumps, Measles, Scarlet Fever
-Meningitis, Encephalitis
–Ban Lan Gen is widely available in Chinese pharmacies for acute infections and epidemic diseases, especially with acute sore Throat.

2. Clears Liver Heat and Damp:
-Damp-Heat Jaundice (Root)
-Hepatitis; Cholecystitis (Leaf)

3. Externally:
-in Europe to stop Bleeding’
-spreading and foul Ulcers, and Herpes (Dioscorides)
-Ulcers, Malignant Tumors (India)
-topically for inflammations


Dose:


Decoction of the leaf or root: 9–15 grams
Powder of the Leaf ior Root: 2–3 grams

Comment:


1. The name ‘Ban Lan Gen‘ is applied to several plants in China. In general, the northern variety is Isatis spp. while the southern variety is Baphicacanthus cusia. Other plants are used in other locations, all having similar effects of clearing acute Heat and Toxin.
2. The leaf and root are listed separately in the Chinese Materia Medica, but are used very similarly. The leaf is most used for heat Rashes and acute sore Throat; the root is most used for Febrile diseases and Mumps. One traditional TCM text (Convenient Reader of Materia Medica) states the leaf disperses while the root purges (‘drains downward’). However, they are largely interchangeable.
3. In Europe it was most used externally to stop Bleeding, and for Inflammation. More recently it has been used for bacterial infections, Fever, Sore Throat, Tonsillitis, Measles, Scarlet Fever etc, much like the Chinese use.

Main Combinations:


ROOT:
1. Acute Sore Throat, Tonsillitis, Diphtheria, Isatis Radix Da Qing Ye or Isatis Ban Lan Gen with Scrophularia Xuan Shen and Anemarrhena Zhi Zi
2. Influenza Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Notopterygium Qiang Huo
3. Fever, Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye or Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Lonicera Jin Yin Hua, Forsythia Lian Qiao and Gypsum
4. Mumps:
i. Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Burdock seed
ii. Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Chrysanthemum Ju Hua, Lonicera Jin Yin Hua,
iii. to protect from Mumps, Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Forsythia Lian Qiao, Cremastra Ci Gu, Indigo Qing Dai, Licorice
5. Acute Heat diseases affecting the Head, Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Scutellaria Huang Qin, Coptis Huang Lian, Fosrythia Lian Qiao, Licorice, Peppermint
6. Damp-Heat Jaundice, Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Artemisia Yin Chen Hao.
7. Cirrhosis of the Liver, Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Artemisia Yin Chen Hao, Curcuma Yu Jin, Coix Yi Yi Ren
8. Conjunctivitis:
i. Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Chrysanthemum Ju Hua, Self Heal (Xia Ku Cao)
ii. Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen with Dandelion (Pu Gong Ying), Licorice

LEAF:
1. Jaundice from Heat, Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye with Artemisia Yin Chen Hao, Gentiana Qin Jiao
2. Hepatitis:
i. Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye with Gentiana Long Dan Cao, Curcuma Yu Jin.
ii. Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye with Salvia Dan Shen and Chinese Date (Da Zao)
3. To prevent Meningitis and Encephalitis, decoct Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye (25 grams) with Soy Bean (50 grams) and take for 7 days (Jiang Xi Cao Yao)
4. Epidemic Eruptions, Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye with Burdock Seed (Niu Bang Zi), Licorice
5. Measles, Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye with Scrophularia Xuan Shen, Rehmannia Sheng Di, Lycium Di Gu Pi, Schizonepeta Jing Jie, Licorice
6. Epidemic High Fever, Isatis Folium Da Qing Ye with Gypsum (Shi Gao), Gardenia Zhi Zi, Coptis Huang Lian

Cautions:


Generally Safe.
1. Not used in cold and weakness of the Stomach

Main Preparations used: