Where Indigo grows
Indigo Compounds
Traditional Medicinal Uses
Indigo Health Benefits
Indigo halts cancer growth
Researchers from the Beckman Research Institute have determined that a constituent of the Indigo herb called indirubin prevents leukemia cells from growing. Another recent study from Korea’s Chosun University has found that indirubin stops lung cancer cell growth. And a 2011 study from Ohio State University showed indirubin stops brain cancer cells from growing.
The lung cancer research found that indirubin also blocked phosphorylation activities and reduced the polo-like kinase (PLK) activity, which also leads to the cell death of human lung cancer cells.
Leukemia inhibited
The leukemia research, supported by the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center’s department of molecular medicine, applied indirubin to human chronic myelogenous leukemia tumor cells. They found that the indirubin blocked the cancer cells’ signaling systems and their ability to regenerate their cell membranes—a process called autophosphorylation.
The mechanism revealed by the study involved blocking processes of particular genes within the tumor cells. Indirubin blocks the process of a protein called the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 5 (STAT5) protein. In addition, a group of molecules called Src family kinases (SFKs) is blocked by indirubin, which prevents the cell from activating phosphorylation. This leads to cell death among the leukemia cells.
This is not the first study that has shown that indirubin shuts down cancer cells. A 2011 study showed that indirubin blocked the growth of brain cancer cells.
Other studies have tested the effectiveness of indirubin, a compound derived from Indigofera tinctoria in treating chronic myeloid leukemia. Results indicated significant therapeutic benefits and a good safety profile.
Anti-cancer Indirubin
Indirubin is now seen as one of the most promising anti-cancer strategies available. Thanks to mother nature.
Indirubin was discovered well over a decade ago, when researchers were trying to isolate the compound within the Traditional Chinese Herbal formula called Danggui Longhui Wan that seemed to block leukemia cancer from growing. The Danggui Longhui Wan formula contains 11 different herbs, so, through the process of elimination, researchers have been able to gradually isolate which plant and which component the mechanism was coming from.
Eventually, the plant found to block cancer growth indigo, or Indigofera sumatrana, which is also called Indigofera tinctoria, and the active constituent was called indirubin.
Other research finds that artemisia also halts the growth of cancer. Watercress also inhibits cancer growth according to other research.
It should be noted that whole plant herbs and herbal combinations are used in traditional medicine because the variety of multiple constituents help buffer the active ones, providing a higher level of safety and lower levels of side effects.
Indigo for Ulcerative Colitis
The image above illustrates this. The endoscopy image on the right side is of a healthy rectal colon. The image on the left shows the results of ulcerative colitis.
Periods of relapse will often be evidenced by blood in the stools. Anemia can also occur as a result of blood loss.
Those who have it will experience alternating remission and relapse. Relatively pain-free periods will be replaced by periods lasting days, weeks or months of gripping abdominal pain and diarrhea. Remission periods can last days, weeks or sometimes longer.
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are very similar. Their symptoms are practically the same. They are also both considered autoimmune disorders. The primary difference is that Crohn’s will affect the entire digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis is restricted to the colon and rectum.
Nearly a million Americans have ulcerative colitis. It often develops between the teenage years and early adulthood. But really it can develop anytime. Some suggest there is a genetic component because it tends to run in families. But there is no reason to think it is not associated with a family tradition of diet or lifestyle factors.
Conventional treatments for ulcerative colitis
There is currently no conventional cure for ulcerative colitis. Most conventional treatments seek to reduce the symptoms. These include medications such as corticosteroids like Prednisolone; aminosalicylates like mesalamine (Pentasa, Rowasa and others) and sulfasalazine (Azufidine); and thiopurines (such as azathioprine (Imuran), mercaptopurine and others).
Each of the above provides some temporary relief of symptoms. Some come with significant adverse effects too. And none provide a cure.
Surgical treatments for ulcerative colitis include the removal of diseased sections of colon. As many as a third of ulcerative colitis patients are operated on to remove parts of the colon. Sometimes the entire colon will be removed in urgent cases.
Herbal medicine for ulcerative colitis
It is not as if ulcerative colitis and similar intestinal conditions are new. Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine utilized herbs for thousands of years to treat conditions symptomized by abdominal pain. They might not have employed endoscopy. Nor specified ulcerative colitis. But indeed they did treat this and similar conditions quite successfully using natural herbal medicines.
The result is a dark blue or blackish powder – an indole powder – that has been used to treat mouth ulcers, abscesses, carbuncles and inflammation of many types. It is thought indole removes toxins and thus allow the sore to heal more quickly.
The Chinese consider Indigo Naturalis’ action to be heat-clearing and toxin-reducing. These two actions have been considered to be the cause of inflammatory relief for thousands of years. More below on how Indigo Naturalis works to treat colon ulcers.
Clinical evidence: Indigo Naturalis and ulcerative colitis
Researchers from Japan’s Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo have recently put Indigo Naturalis to the test.
The medical doctors enrolled 20 patients with a history of ulcerative colitis. Their medications were discontinued between two and four weeks from the beginning of the study. The only treatment that was allowed to continue was thiopurine. And this was only allowed if the medication was started more than three months before the study – and only if the current response was stable.
The researchers then proceeded to treat each patient with 1,000 milligrams of Indigo Naturalis (Qing Dai) in capsules twice a day for two months. (Powdered Qing-Dai was imported from Fujian, China to the University Hospital.)
Before and after the treatment period, the researchers carefully examined each patient. This included endoscopy. After the eight-week period, the researchers found the Indigo Naturalis had resulted in a 72 percent improvement (clinical response) among the patients.
They also found that the Indigo Naturalis resulted in a 61 percent increase in mucosal healing. And the Indigo Naturalis increased remission rates by 33 percent after only two months of treatment.
In addition, the researchers found that the Indigo Naturalis treatment reduced fecal blood release levels. It also improved C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. This indicates a reduction of inflammation.
In addition, the researchers found that endoscopic examination scores significantly improved.
The net results of the study found that the Qing Dai treatment resulted in the full remission of 30 percent of the patients, while another 35 percent had significant symptom improvement. The treatment did not seem to help 25 percent of those treated, and 10 percent of the patients discontinued the treatment before the end of the study.
Using Mayo scores, the researchers found the group has a whole improved from an average score of 5.7 to 1.4. The net clinical activity index (CAI) scores went from an average of 9.4 to 3.5 at the end of the two months.
The below image is representative of the endoscopies of the entire group. The left side is prior to treatment with Qing Dai. The right side is after two months of treatment. Most of these show a complete or nearly complete elimination of ulcers and mucosal damage.
The researchers concluded in their discussion:
“In this study, we demonstrated that a traditional Chinese medicine Qing-Dai is overall safe and effective for the induction of remission in ulcerative colitis patients.”
In 2013, researchers from the Institute of Clinical Medicine at Japan’s University of Tsukuba Graduate School also studied Indigo Naturalis treatment for ulcerative colitis.
The researchers studied nine patients with a history of ulcerative colitis. They had all been taking conventional medication but volunteered to be treated alternatively. The doctors gave each two grams per day (2,000 milligrams) of the Qing Dai powder for four months.
The researchers found the treatment resulted in a significant improvement among the patients. Utilizing the clinical activity index (CAI), the researchers scored the activity of the condition among the patients.
In the beginning of the study, the average CAI scores were 8.3. After the four months, the researchers found the Indigo Naturalis reduced the CAI scores to an average of 2.4. This means they had nearly a quarter of the condition activity (pain, inflammation and other symptoms) as they had before they began taking the Indigo Naturalis.
Furthermore, six of the seven patients that were taking prednisolone discontinued the use of the corticosteroid. Those who know this condition know how significant this is.
The researchers also found significant improvements in the patients’ endoscopic examinations. The photograph at the very top of this article shows the results of one of the patient’s endoscopic exam. The image on the left is the patient’s rectal colon before treatment with Indigo Naturalis began. The image on the right is after three months of treatment with the Qing Dai. As you can see clearly, the ulcers and mucosal damage have completely disappeared. Other patients showed similar results.
The researchers also reported no serious side effects among the patients.
Prior to this research, a 2009 paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology describes a study of seven patients with chronic hemorrhagic radiation proctitis. This might also be called inflammatory rectal bleeding. It is similar to and quite possibly a type of ulcerative colitis.
At any rate, the patients treated the patients in two-week long courses. Each course consisted of five days of 1.5 grams twice a day for five straight days every two weeks.
After one course, six of the seven patients showed significant improvement. After two courses, four patients had little or no rectal bleeding. After a follow-up period that averaged 10 months, the researchers found that only one patient had a relapse of bleeding. The others went into remission.
How does Qing Dai work?
The University of Tsukuba researchers mentioned above tried to figure out why the Indigo Naturalis was so successful with ulcerative colitis. They conducted electron spin resonance testing and determined that the indole compound was a hydroxyl radical scavenger.
The researchers also established that Qing Dai coats the mucosal membrane. This allows the mucosa to heal without becoming irritated. In addition, the Qing Dai seems to be anti-inflammatory in that it suppresses superoxide production. It also appears to affect neutrophil expression.
Research from Japan’s Keio University School of Medicine studied the indole compounds found in Qing Dai and found they also promoted healthy tight junctions in the intestinal mucosa. This is one of the mechanical elements of leaky gut syndrome.
The research has shown that Qing Dai suppresses the production of inflammatory cytokines such as interferon-alpha, interleukin-6 and nuclear factor kB (NF-kB). Decreased expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha has also been seen.
The bottom line is this ancient herbal extract therapy deserves the attention of the medical community. Clinical research is confirming Indigo Naturalis’ efficacy and safety. Doctors that want to help their patients should consider this treatment.
Will Indigo Naturalis help similar conditions such as Crohn’s disease? It successfully and safely treated a number of chronic hemorrhagic radiation proctitis. But this could only be answered by further testing.
Psoriasis
Caution about Indigo side effects
Indigo can come with several side effects, including headaches, abdominal pain and rashes. Use should be under a doctor's supervision when using this herb.
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