Indigowoad Leaf

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Hebei, Shaanxi.

Wrinkled into lumps, sometimes mashed, grayish-green or yellowish-brown. Intact leaf is long elliptical to oval-oblanceolate, 4~11cm long, 1~3cm wide, entire leaf margin or slightly waved; apex is blunt and round, base is gradually narrowed to the petiole, appearing wing-like, some with raised spots on the upper surface and obvious middle vein on the lower surface. Leaf stem is 5~7cm long, ventral surface is slightly indented. Brittle and easily broken texture; faint odor; slightly bitter taste.

Superior medicinal material has large leaves without leaf stem, dark grayish-green.

Bitter; cold.

Clear heat, resolves toxin, cools blood, stops bleeding. Apply to pyrexia and dipsesis due to pyreticosis, flu, acute infectious hepatitis, bacillary diarrhea, acute gastroenteritis, acute pneumonia, erysipelas, hematemesis, non-traumatic hemorrhage, jaundice, dysentery, throat impediment, sore mouth, ulcer and swollen toxin.