Wild Indigo

Botanical Name: Baptisia tinctoria, Fabaceae

Common names: Wild Indigo, Indigo Weed, Horsefly Weed, Yellow Broom, Clover broom, Rattle bush, Yellow Indigo

Plant description: Wild Indigo is a shrubby perennial plant reaching a height of between 60-90 cm in height, with a glabrous, branching, yellow-green stem studded with small black dots. The bluish-green trifoliate leaves are small, alternate and sessile, with tiny stipules and bracts, becoming black upon drying. The flowers are yellow, 2-3 cm long, borne in small, loose, terminal racemes. The flowers bloom from July into September, maturing as pods about the size of a pea, with one to several seeds.

Habitat, ecology and distribution: Wild indigo is indigenous to the eastern half of North America, found in woods and on hillsides in dry, poor soils, and also in flower gardens as an ornamental.

Part used: Fresh or dried root, leaves.

History: In some parts of North America the green shoots of Wild Indigo are eaten like asparagus, although this practice is not recommended. The genus name Baptisia is derived from the Greek word bapto or baptizo (to dye, to color), owing to the plant’s usage once as a dying agent.

Constituents: The constituent information for the root of Baptisia tinctoria is minimal due to what appears to be a general lack of interest in its medicinal use, a characteristic that is as old as it has been recommended in clinical practice. Felter and Lloyd report an acrid, poisonous alkaloid called baptisine (baptitoxine or cytisine), and two glucosides, the baptisin and baptin. Duke lists biochanin-a as an additional constituent in the root (2003).

Medical Research: There has been little research on Wild Indigo, with a few German studies dating back to the mid 1980’s to the early 1990’s that indicate an in vivo and in vitro immunostimulant activity (Wagner and Jurcic 1991; Beuscher et al 1989).

Toxicity: Baptisia is reported to be toxic in many unreferenced sources, inferred no doubt from its cytisine content, although there is no data to suggest in what amounts this constituent occurs. William Cooks states that although Baptisia “…has been pronounced poisonous… there seems to be no proof whatever that such is the case. I have used the leaves with much freedom outwardly, and at times inwardly” (1869). Felter and Lloyd observe that large doses can be dangerous, the herb having a profound “emeto-cathartic” activity, “…sometimes so violent as to produce gastro-enteritis” (1893).

Herbal action: alterative, hepatic, cholagogue, antimicrobial

Indications: infectious conditions, with atony

Contraindications and cautions: Felter states that Baptisia is contraindicated in inflammatory states (1922).

Medicinal uses: Baptisia is indicated in conditions characterized by atony and purulence, with weakness of vitality and “…suppressed or vitiated secretions” (Felter 1922). The complexion of the body generally or of the part affected will appear swollen, with a bluish or purplish hue imparting the impression that the tissue is hypothermic. The tissues may be ulcerated, purulent and even gangrenous. In diarrheal afflictions the bowel movements may appear dark and tarry, like prune-juice, and the tongue will appear smooth and enlarged, with thick pasty coating. On a more general level, Baptisia is indicated in any form of persistent diarrhea, accompanied by fever, or when there is evidence of intestinal ulceration with muco-pus or blood with pus. Baptisia’s hepatic properties appear to make it ideally suited to some forms of chronic bowel disease, to restore liver function and check alterations in the bowel ecology. For septic conditions of the ears, nose and throat Baptisia is considered to be an exceptionally useful remedy, especially when there is clear indication of purulence and tissue necrosis, with foul smelling yellowish-green or greenish-coloured mucosal discharges. In purulent otitis media an infusion of Baptisia can be injected into the ears. Felter and Loyd state that Baptisia is indicated in “…septicaemia following retained fragments of placenta after abortion…” as well as for purulent vaginal discharges and ulceration of the cervix (1893). In the treatment of tumors and swellings of the breast Felter and Lloyd state that the leaves can be applied as a fomentation (1893). Eli Jones includes Baptisia in combination with Phytolacca root and Thuja leaf in his famous ‘Cancer Drops,’ used as a general remedy in the treatment of cancer. In the case histories reported in his text Cancer: It’s Causes, Symptoms and Treatment, Jones appeared to rely upon Baptisia in formulation, often with Hydrastis and Thuja in the treatment of breast cancer. Of Baptisia specifically, Jones writes “…this is a useful remedy in cancer when the disease is in the last stage with great prostration, exhalations and discharges fetid… tongue a dirty yellow color, dry and cracked. In such conditions you should prescribe tincture Baptisia five drops once in two hours.”

Although Felter and Lloyd suggest that Baptisia “…loses much of its activity when dried or boiled” (1893), Cook states that the powdered herb is useful when applied topically, and has a decidedly stimulant effect upon the liver and bowels. Further, Cook states that Baptisia should always be dried before use (1869). Modern herbalists use both the fresh and dried forms in practice, although most herbalists would probably prefer the fresh plant extract.

Pharmacy and dosage:

• Fresh Plant Tincture: fresh root, 1:2, 95% alcohol, 3-10 gtt

• Dry Plant Tincture: recently dried root, 1:5, 25%, 3-20 gtt

• Infusion: finely chopped root, 1:20, 15-30 mL

• Powder: recently dried root, 100-200 mg

REFERENCES

Beuscher N, Scheit KH, Bodinet C, Kopanski L. 1989. Immunologically active glycoproteins of Baptisia tinctoria Planta Med Aug 55(4):358-63

Cook, WM. H. 1869. The Physiomedical Dispensatory. Cincinnati: self-published. Digitized version available from http://medherb.com/cook/home.htm.

Duke, James. 2003. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Agricultural Research Center, USDA. Available from: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/

Felter, HW. 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati: John K. Scudder.

Felter, HW and JU Lloyd. 1893. King’s American Dispensatory. Digitized version available from http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/main.html.

Wagner H, Jurcic K. 1991. Immunologic studies of plant combination preparations. In-vitro and in-vivo studies on the stimulation of phagocytosis Arzneimittel Forschung Oct 41(10):1072-6