Qing Dai (青黔) is natural indigo, a pigment prepared from the leaves of indigo-bearing plants, recorded as Indigo Naturalis. It is salty in flavour and cold in temperature, entering the Liver, Lung and Spleen channels. The catalogue files it among the herbs that clear Heat.

Pinyin

qing dai

Chinese

青黛

Latin Name

Indigo Naturalis

English Name

Indigo·Indigo Naturalis·natural indigo

Japanese

seitai

Korean

cheongdae

Actions and indications

Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxin, cools Blood and reduces maculae

Blotches or purpura from Heat at the Blood level
Reckless bleeding from Blood Heat, particularly nosebleed; may be used alone
Blood in the phlegm, or blood coughed up or vomited

Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxin, cools Blood, disperses stagnation and reduces swelling

Blazing Heat with an inflamed throat, difficulty swallowing, mouth sores or mumps, taken internally or applied
Skin infections and lesions from Heat toxin

Drains Liver Fire, clears Summerheat and extinguishes Wind to stop tremor

Heat, particularly Summerheat, affecting the Liver: convulsions, red eyes, sore throat and similar signs
Febrile or childhood convulsions and spasm when Heat stirs Liver Wind

Clears Liver Fire, drains Lung Heat and cools Blood

Cough from Lung Heat
Liver Fire assailing the Lung, producing coughing, pain in the chest and phlegm streaked with blood

Combinations

sheng di huang + shi gao + sheng ma

Warm toxin with maculae and a rapid, flooding pulse

xing ren

Blood Heat with epistaxis or hematemesis

huang bai + gan cao

Mouth and tongue sores

bing pian + ming fan

Non-healing oral sores, applied topically

huang bai + shi gao + duan ge qiao

Eczema with severe itching, applied topically

hua shi + gan cao

Summerheat with mouth sores, sore throat and red eyes

long dan cao + huang lian

Liver Fire with convulsions and restlessness

niu huang + gou teng

Convulsions, including febrile convulsions in children

ge qiao

Liver Fire attacking the Lungs: cough, chest pain and sputum streaked with blood

fu shi + gua lou ren + chuan bei mu

Lung Heat cough with yellow, sticky sputum that is hard to expectorate

gua lou ren + zhe be mu + fu shi

Lung Heat.

bing pian + huang bai

Oral ulcers and eczema, applied topically

ce bai ye + bai mao gen

Bleeding.

xuan shen + jin yin hua + lian qiao

Sore throat.

Age

Raw

Granule

Tincture

Concentrate

Frequency

Any 1.5-3g; Use in pill or powdered form and add to strained decoction

1.5-3 g

—

Cautions

contraindication Heat that comes from Yin-deficiency Fire

contraindication No genuine Heat present

caution Stomach Deficiency Cold, or Spleen and Stomach Cold with weak digestion, a cold epigastrium and loose stools

caution Keep internal use to small amounts

caution Overdose can bring on abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and bloody stools

caution Rarely, it may impair liver function, lower the platelet count and suppress the bone marrow

caution High oral doses, tried in modern research on inflammatory bowel disease, have been tied to pulmonary arterial hypertension, intussusception and colitis with changes in the bowel wall; only under qualified supervision

Interactions

Drug interactions

Allergy to sulfonylureas (tolbutamide, glipizide, glyburide) or sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfisoxazole, sulfamethoxazole, including combinations with trimethoprim or erythromycin): such patients may also react to Da Qing Ye
Other inflammatory bowel disease treatments, or existing heart or lung conditions: take care with internal use, given the safety signals at higher oral doses (precautionary; no interaction demonstrated)

qing dai

About qing dai

Names

Classification

Actions and indications

Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxin, cools Blood and reduces maculae

Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxin, cools Blood, disperses stagnation and reduces swelling

Drains Liver Fire, clears Summerheat and extinguishes Wind to stop tremor

Clears Liver Fire, drains Lung Heat and cools Blood

Combinations

Dosage

Cautions

Interactions

Drug interactions

About qing dai

Names

Classification

Actions and indications

Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxin, cools Blood and reduces maculae

Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxin, cools Blood, disperses stagnation and reduces swelling

Drains Liver Fire, clears Summerheat and extinguishes Wind to stop tremor

Clears Liver Fire, drains Lung Heat and cools Blood

Combinations

Dosage

Cautions

Interactions

Drug interactions

Related

Used in 1 formula