Indigo, Alum, and Zelan—September 18, 1995

Indigo, Alum, and Zelan—September 18, 1995

Indigo 30g, alum 15g, zelan 15g. Grind all three into powder, take three times daily, 1.2g each time, to treat indirect bilirubin elevation. This condition is hemolytic jaundice, where the jaundice particles are relatively large and cannot pass through glomerular filtration, resulting in negative urinary bilirubin. Indigo is extracted from the dried leaves of plants such as Strobilanthes or Polygonum tinctorium, traditionally used as a dye. It enters the liver, with functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and resolving rashes. Clearing heat and detoxifying can be considered anti-inflammatory in modern medicine; what does cooling blood and resolving rashes mean? One can speculate that this substance has hemostatic effects, improves capillary permeability, and regulates coagulation mechanisms. I believe indigo contains indirubin, which can treat acute leukemia and has obvious effects on bone marrow hematopoiesis, so its role in treating aplastic anemia seems understandable. Alum (especially calcined alum) has been proven by my Liver Cirrhosis Capsules to reduce jaundice and benefit the liver. This jaundice-reducing effect is not simply diuretic; it also promotes regeneration of liver cells. Therefore, whether alum can be used in the treatment of blood diseases should be further observed in practice, or effective agents should be screened out. Zelan is the stem and leaf of Lamiaceae plant Glechoma hederacea, entering the liver and gallbladder meridians, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, facilitating urination and reducing swelling. It is particularly effective for gynecological issues such as amenorrhea, blocked menstruation, and masses. Additionally, folk remedies in Fujian use this herb to treat carbuncles and boils, indicating its strong anti-inflammatory effects. I believe this herb is herbal, relatively bulky, so adding it reduces the dosage of the first two medicines. Moreover, this herb has no direct effect on jaundice; at most, it only has anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects, so it is placed accordingly.