True Indigo

The scientific name  of True Indigo: Indigofera tinctoria

Name of True Indigo in different languages:-

English: Blue dye plant, Black Henna

Sanskrit: nili, nila, nilini, tutya, radni, kalika, shyama, gramya, truni, anjanaki, klitanaka

Malayalam: Neela Amari – നീല‌ അമരി, Mannali – മണ്ണലി

Plant Description:

Indigo plant or True Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) is a desidious, perennial some time biennial according to climate, shrub, grows up to 2 m high.  Leaves are pinnate, green, flowers are violet or pink. Seeds are containing in a pod up to 3 cm long. The natural blue die is obtaned by the process of leaves of the plant.

Leaf Arrangement

Shape-Opposite leaflets	Margin-Entire	Venation-pinnate

Useful plant parts:

Leaves, Roots

Medicinal uses-

Medicated hair oil, abdominal disorders, leucorrhoea, toxicities, fever, arthritis, jaundice, inflammation, Rheumatic arthritis,

Chemical contents of True Indigo:

Glucoside, Antitoxic

How to prepare medicines:

True Indigo is one of the ingredients in the Ayurveda medicines like-

• Neelibringathithailam
• NeelikadiThailam
• NeeliGulika
• Neeli thulsyadi Thialam
• ChemparuthyadiKeram
• Neelidaladi Grutham
• NeeliGrutham
• AsaleladiThailam
• Aravindasavam
• Dadhika Grutha
• Maha Panchagavya Ghrita
• Neelimooladi Gulika