Wild indigo

Baptisia tinctoria

Wild indigo - an erect annual growing up to 3 feet tall, with smooth, round, branching stems. Blue-green leaves, divided clover-fashion into three 3/4-inch-long leaflets, turn blue-black when dried. Canary-yellow flowers of wild indigo (May-September), 1/2 inch long, are borne atop the tallest branches. The seed capsule is an oblong pod.

The word "indigo" in a plant's name invites the assumption that a rich blue dye must be forthcoming. Unhappily, wild indigo is a poor substitute for the indigo dye that has furnished the world with a distinctive deep blue color for 4,000 years. The wild indigo native to North America is a bushy plant with blue-green leaves and yellow flowers similar to those found on pea plants, and it has some history as a North American Indian medicinal plant. The Mohegans of southern New England steeped the root of wild indigo to obtain a medicine with which they bathed cuts and wounds, and the pioneers followed them in this practice. Wild indigo had a reputation as an effective antiseptic, especially when fever accompanied the wound.

For a decade during the early 19th century the U.S. Pharmacopeia carried wild indigo, as doctors made trials of extracts derived from the plant to treat typhoid fever. Experimental doses and overdoses of the root tincture and powder resulted in symptoms similar to those of the onset of typhoid, and this led practitioners of homeopathy (a medical system based on the doctrine that "like cures like") to hope for cures in actual cases of the disease.

Other names

• Baptisia
• Clover Broom
• Horsefly Weed
• Indigo Broom
• Rattlebush
• Shoofly
• Yellow Indigo

Parts used

Root, leaves.

Uses

Wild indigo is an immunostimulant and a strong antiseptic. Wild indigo is considered particularly effective for upper respiratory infections such as tonsillitis and pharyngitis, and is also valuable in treating infections of the chest, gastrointestinal tract, and skin. Its anti-microbial and immunostimulant properties combat lymphatic problems. When used with detoxifying herbs such as burdock, wild indigo helps to reduce enlarged lymph nodes. Wild indigo is prescribed along with Echinacea for chronic viral conditions or chronic fatigue syndrome. A decoction of the root soothes sore or infected nipples and infected skin conditions. Used as a gargle or mouthwash, the decoction treats canker sores, gum infections, and sore throats.

Wild indigo roots have served as an antiseptic for cuts and wounds since Indian days. Herbalists still recommend preparations of the plant as a gargle and external antiseptic. There is no scientific evidence, however, to support the effectiveness of the plant in these uses.

Habitat & cultivation

Native to eastern parts of North America, wild indigo grows from North Carolina to southern Canada in dry, hilly woods.

Constituents

Wild indigo contains isoflavones, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, and polysaccharides. The isoflavones are estrogenic.

How much to take

Decoction: put 1/2-1 teaspoonful of the root in a cup of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day.
Tincture: take 1-2 ml of the tincture three times a day.

Collection & harvesting

The root of wild indigo is unearthed in the autumn after flowering has stopped. Clean the root and cut, dry well.

Combinations

For the treatment of infections wild indigo may be used with Echinacea and myrrh. For lymphatic problems wild indigo can be combined with cleavers and poke root.

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