New to this? Read about Four Natures & Five Flavors and Channel Tropism

HerbIndigo Naturalis

青黛

Qīng Dài

Indigo Naturalis

A dried powder or mass processed from the leaves of Baphicacanthus cusia, Polygonum tinctorium, or Isatis indigotica. Cold and salty, entering the Liver and Lung channels. Clears heat, resolves toxicity, cools the blood, and dissipates macules. Usually taken in pill or powder form or applied externally; not suitable for prolonged decoction.

Actions · 功效

清热解毒Clear heat and resolve toxicity
凉血消斑Cool the blood and dissipate macules
清肝泻火Clear the Liver and drain fire

Indications · 主治

温病热盛，发斑吐衄Warm disease with intense heat, macules, hematemesis, or epistaxis
小儿惊痫Pediatric convulsions and epilepsy
口疮咽痛Mouth sores and sore throat

Dosage · 用量

Per day · decoction · non-pregnant adult

1–3 g

Reference range for non-pregnant adults. Not a personalized prescription. Pregnancy, lactation, and pediatric use require specialist supervision.

Draft· 2026-04-16

Footnotes · 引用

[1]Yaoxinglun (Treatise on the Properties of Drugs)
[2]Kaibao Bencao (Kaibao Materia Medica)
[3]Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica)

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-qing-dai,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Qīng Dài 青黛 (Indigo Naturalis) — Indigo Naturalis},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/herbs/qing-dai},
  urldate      = {2026-04-16},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

@misc{bencaodian-qing-dai, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Qīng Dài 青黛 (Indigo Naturalis) — Indigo Naturalis}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/herbs/qing-dai}, urldate = {2026-04-16}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }