INDIGO IS A HEALTH-GIVING PLANT: HISTORY AND USES OF TRUE INDIGO

INDIGO OR TRUE INDIGO, INDIGOFERA TINCTORIA

Indigo has been used as a dye for millennia as have woad (Isatis tincotria) and madder, (Rubia tinctoria). Indigo is native to Asia and was the blue dye used there, while woad was used in Europe. In India indigo has been used in Ayurveda and other traditional medicine systems to cure a number of ailments, despite the fact that the whole plant contains indican, which is a carcinogenic glucoside. The plant also contains rotenoids which are effective insecticides against mosquito larvae.

  Because of its use in traditional medicine there have been studies to attempt to support these uses. Indigotin, the substance responsible for the blue of the dye is thought to have antiseptic and astringent properties, and there are studies currently underway on indirubin, also found in woad, to discover if it has anti-cancer properties. Early studies have shown that the alcohol extracts of indigo’s stems and leaves protect the liver from damage by chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride, found in cleaning agents, refrigerants and aerosols and the leaves can help to lower blood pressure. One study reported in the International Journal of Pharmacology vol 7 (3) pages 356-63 2011 by Renukadevi, K.P. and Suhani Sultana, S. suggests that the plant’s extracts from the leaves have potent antioxidant actions and antibacterial and anti-cancer ones. However the studies were carried out on animals and in vitro, no tests have been done on human subjects in any of the research quoted here.

  In the same study the leaves were analyzed and found to contain flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroidal terpenes, phenols and anthroquinone, and were found to be effective against lung cancer cells in vitro. The report concludes with this sentence “This study suggests that ethanol extract (sic) of Indigofera tinctoria have profound antibacterial, antioxidant and cytotoxic effect. (sic)”

  In another study, “Anti-hyperglycaemic activity of ethanol extract and chloroform extract of Indigofera tinctoria leaves in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice (Family Papilionaceae)” published in the  Research Journal of Pharmaceutical. Biological and Chemical Sciences Jan-March 2011, Bangar, A.V. and Saralaya M.G. conclude “…from the present study that Indigofera tinctoria leaves alcoholic extract long-term treatment may be beneficial in the management of type-1, type-2 diabetes.”                            

Yet another study looked at the traditional use of the plant in treating epilepsy and in the Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical  Research published 2010 vol9 (2) pages 149-56, it is concluded that extracts from the whole plant were “useful in controlling lithium/pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in albino rats.”

  Indigofera tinctoria means dyer’s indigo-bearing plant (tinctoria means dyer and indigofera means indigo bearing). There are many plants in the genus; it is thought that there are around 700, which is of the Fabaceae family, making indigo a relative of the pea. Marco Polo wrote about the indigo dying industry in the 13^th century on his travels around what is now Quilon in the Indian state of Kerala in 1298. However we know that indigo was used as a dye by the people of the Indus Valley Civilization between the 4^th and 2^nd millennia BC. In the Industrial Revolution the dye was used for European military uniforms and of course has been used in the US to dye blue jeans their distinctive colour. However imported indigo was banned in many countries in Europe in the 17^th century so that it did not compete with woad, as dyers and cultivators of this native European plant protested against the importing of indigo. Later indigo and woad were used together to strengthen the colour of the dye.

  In India indigo has been used to colour paper used for writing letters as well as for ink and oil-based paints for artists. A Persian rug dating back to the 5^th century BC has been found to have indigo-dyed fibres and at Thebes Egyptian mummies were found to have indigo-dyed cloth with them. The Greek historian Herodotus (who wrote rather fancifully of the collection of cinnamon bark, claiming it was from the nest of the fabled bird, the phoenix), writing circa 450 BC described the use of indigo in the Mediterranean region at that time, and we know that ancient Greeks and Romans used indigo imported from India in “cakes”. The ancient Egyptians and Romans applied it to wounds and ulcerous sores.

  In traditional Chinese medicine indigo has been used as a pain reliever, for fever, inflammation and to purify the liver and blood. In Indian traditional medicine it has been used to promote hair growth and is used as a hair dye for black hair, just as henna is used for red hair. It has been used for centuries in Ayurveda to treat depression, for cancer, bronchitis and other respiratory problems such as asthma, hemorrhaging, as well as problems with the spleen, lungs and kidneys. Some research suggests that it has liver protective properties. In other traditional medicine systems in the Indian subcontinent it has also been used for cardio-vascular problems, urinary tract problems and the paste made with the leaves is applied to sores, ulcers and piles and a decoction of the leaves was applied to the stings and bites of venomous creatures as well as to relieve pain and aid fast healing of burns and scalds. At one time in India it was used to cure bites from rabid dogs and the resulting hydrophobia.

  Indigo is sometimes used as ground cover in tea, coffee and rubber plantations and often food crops such as potatoes are interspersed with cultivated indigo.

  It is likely that many of these treatments will be the basis for future research into Indigofera tinctoria and other related indigo bearing plants.

WOAD - NOT ONLY FOR DYING: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF WOAD

WOAD, ISATIS TINCTORIA

Woad is native to south-eastern Europe or to the grasslands of south-western Russia. In prehistory it spread throughout Europe and was used by ancient Britons as body paint used by warriors going into battle. As the woad plant has antiseptic properties this may have been why the tribes wore it – to heal battle wounds. In films the Picts are shown wearing woad- think about the film “Braveheart”- the Scots wore woad. However, the tribe of the Iceni whose one-time queen was Boudicca, used woad as body paint in East Anglia in Britain. This would explain why Julius Caesar wrote in his history books that British tribes (not Scots) used woad as body paint which he noted during his campaign of 55 BC. Woad may have been prolific in Britain then, but may have been over-harvested for use as body paint and dye by our ancestors.

Colour of woad dye

  Woad is also known as Dyer’s woad as it was used to dye textiles blue. In Asia indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) was used for this purpose (the two plants are not related). In the 16^th century Queen Elizabeth I issued a “Proclamation against the sowing of woade” (14^th October 1585) because a lot of arable land was being turned over to woad production at a time when there was a shortage of food in Britain. With the introduction of synthetic dyes woad cultivation virtually ceased in Europe. However there has been a resurgence of interest in the plant and in 2004 the European Sustainable Production of Indigo (SPINDIGO) and it is once again being cultivated in Toulouse, France and around Norfolk in East Anglia UK.

  Woad was also used as a blue ink by the monks who illuminated the Lindisfarne Gospels in the 7^th or 8^th century AD. Blue inks made with woad are also being manufactured once again.

  In Britain woad has been found in an Iron Age pit at Dragonby in South Humberside, dating back to the first century AD. Woad has been used as a shape-shifter and to investigate past lives in magic and shamanic rituals through the ages.

  The Anglo-Saxon name for this plant was wad, which shows how the word came to be woad; and wad has been incorporated into place names, presumably showing where woad was cultivated or where it grew wild in the distant past. Such names are Wadland Furlong in Warwickshire (my favourite of these names), Wadborough in Worcestershire and Wadden in Dorset and Surrey but this list is not complete by any means.

  Writing in the 16^th century the herbalist John Gerard has this to say about the plant:-  

 “Garden Woad is dry but not sharp, Wild Woad is drier and sharper and biting. The decoction made of Woad is good for hardness of the spleen, also good for wounds and ulcers to those of strong constitution and those accustomed to much physical labour and coarse fare. It is used as a dye, profitable to some, hurtful to many.”

  Culpeper, writing a century later concurs, but also says that woad is beneficial when used in ointments for ulcers, and to staunch bleeding. Because of these old herbalists it was accepted for centuries in the western world that woad should not be taken internally. However times have changed and we now know that woad leaves are edible if they have been soaked for a very long time in water to remove some of their astringency and bitterness. (It isn’t worth your while bothering – it takes too long and you may not like the taste.)

  Woad is a Brassica and so related to cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli. Research has shown that woad is rich in the compound glucobrassicin and has 20 times more of it than is found in broccoli. Foods rich in glucosinolates are known to have a beneficial effect on smoking-related lung cancers, and glucobrassicin in particular has shown itself to have anti-tumour properties being especially effective against breast cancer. This substance is released by woad when its leaves are damaged, so it is easier to obtain from this source than from broccoli. (University of Bologna research published 2006 and reported by the BBC.) This also kills pests which try to eat the leaves - it’s a good defence mechanism.

  Earlier research, published in the Alternative Medicine Review, vol. 7 (6) 2000 states that the root and leaves have anti-microbial actions although exactly what is responsible for these is still not known. Extracts from the Chinese woad plant root have anti-microbial, antiviral and antiparasitic actions. The indole compounds found in the Brassica plants have anti-cancer effects, and tryptanthrin in the European woad root has anti-inflammatory properties.

  Woad is therefore a useful plant for our health and has properties the older Western herbalists could not have dreamed about!

Woad seeds

  The first year’s leaves look like those of spinach and it is these that are harvested for their dye. The plant flowers between June and August and the black tongue-shaped seeds ripen between August and the end of September. Oil can be extracted from these and used to make soap. The seeds produce an olive-coloured dye too.

  It would appear to be a good thing that woad is making a comeback.

  

BUTTERNUT SQUASH - HEALTHY WINTER FOOD: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CUCURBITA MOSCHATA

September marks the beginning of the butternut squash season, as well as the start of the pumpkin and other winter squashes hitting the shelves of your local market or supermarket. The butternut squash is one of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants and as such it is related to the pumpkin, cucumber, courgette, melon and watermelon, to name but a few of its many relatives.

  The butternut squash is one of my favourites with its orangey flesh promising lots of beta-carotene and lycopene, so I know it’s healthy and tastes good. It is rich in vitamins C and A; it also has vitamins E and K as well as a good number of the B-complex vitamins. It is also a source of Omega-3 fatty acid and Omega-6. As for minerals it is rich in magnesium, manganese and potassium and also contains calcium, iron, phosphorous and zinc with traces of selenium and copper. Tryptophan is one of the 18 amino acids in a butternut squash’s seeds and this helps produce GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) needed for neurotransmitters in the brain to function well.  The polysaccharides in this squash have anti-inflammatory properties and are insulin-regulating, making this a good food for diabetics. The squash is also high in dietary fibre, adding bulk to our diets, so preventing constipation and thus helping to prevent piles and colon cancer. This also helps in a weight-reducing diet.

  It is heart-healthy as it has no cholesterol and vitamin A including that converted by the body from the polyphenolic flavonoids lutein and carotene, which have potent antioxidant actions. There is more vitamin A in the butternut squash than in the pumpkin, and this helps to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers and helps our vision.

  The seeds are edible, like the pumpkin seeds and can be eaten raw and roasted, so don’t throw them away when you prepare a butternut squash for cooking.

  In fact the first butternut squashes were cultivated for their seeds, and it is believed that the early squash was much less fleshy than the varieties we have today. It is thought that the butternut squash originated in Central America, in Mexico and Guatemala, and was consumed by ancient peoples there 10,000 years ago.

  You can cook this versatile squash in many ways, baked, boiled, steamed, casseroled, made into thin game chips (crisps); puree it for use in soups or as a spicy dip, with celery and carrot sticks to scoop it up with – there are lots of things you can do with one.

  Below is a recipe for baked butternut squash, to use with other vegetables and meats as a side dish. Check out the other recipes we have such as butternut squash with pecans, or topped with macadamia nuts, or substitute it for the pumpkin in the pumpkin and stevia recipe. Bon appetite!

BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small butternut squash

olive oil

2 tbsps butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

few sprigs of thyme stripped of leaves

few whole sprigs of thyme

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 inch piece of cinnamon

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.

Cut the squash in half lengthways and remove the seeds then cut each piece into quarters.

Grease a baking tray and put the quarters onto it cut side up.

Grind the cinnamon stick and sprinkle over the pieces along with the thyme, nutmeg, cumin seeds salt and freshly ground pepper.

Drizzle well with olive oil and dot with butter.

Bake in the oven for 40 – 50 mins or until the squash is tender and some parts are golden brown.

Scoop the flesh out of the rind if you wish (it’s edible too) and puree the flesh, or leaves as they are and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

WILD SUGAR CANE, KANS GRASS: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF WILD SUGAR CANE

WILD SUGAR CANE, SACCHARUM SPONTANEUM

Wild sugar cane is a weed in the Indian subcontinent and covers vast tracts of waste land. I thought it was a type of papyrus such as is found in the middle of carefully manicured lawns in Britain. I was clearly wrong. Wild sugar cane can be useful because it can be crossed with sugar cane, Saccharum officinarum to create a more disease resistant sugar cane. Because of its deep root system and rhizomes it is also useful in preventing soil erosion. It is a member of the Poaceae family of plants so is related to maize or sweet corn, black rice (other rice too), sorghum, millet, rye, oats, barley and wheat.

   Apart from being common in the Indian subcontinent it is also prolific in South Africa, Central America, the USA, the Middle East, tropical Africa, and South-East Asia as well as to the Pacific Basin.  It’s a tall perennial grass growing to heights of up to 4 metres. In India large tracts of arable lad have been abandoned to it because it is so difficult to get rid of. The roots and rhizomes go deep into the soil, and only if land is very well ploughed can they be got rid of. Unfortunately many villagers with land can’t afford a tractor.

  It has been used in traditional medicine in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, with its roots said to have astringent and emollient properties so it can soothe irritated skin and heal wounds. It is used to treat indigestion, and to relieve biliousness, as well as to cool the body. The leaves can be heated and used in a poultice to relieve the inflammation of painful joints, perhaps as a result of arthritis or rheumatism. It can also be used as a purgative and the aerial parts are supposed to have aphrodisiac qualities. In India it is used for erectile dysfunctions, gynaecological problems and respiratory disorders among other ailments.

  A decoction made from the roots and rhizomes of the wild sugar cane, or Kans grass as it is also known, is used to promote milk in breast feeding mothers and as a diuretic. A decoction of the top parts of the plant is used for blood disorders, haemorrhages and biliousness among other things. Modern clinical trials have been few and far between, but on study conducted in 2009 seemed to show that the plant can kill cancer cells in vitro and has antioxidant properties as well as having antibacterial ones.

 The leaves and stems of the plant can be utilized to make paper, as well as being used for thatch. They also provide a live hedge around small-holders’ vegetable patches. It is thought that this wild plant just may be the ancestor of sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum).