(Bei) Ban Lan Gen - 板蓝根 - Radix Isatidis

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Radix Isatidis
Common English:	Indigo Wood Root Isatidis Root Woad Root / Isatis root

Category

Herbs That Clear Heat and Purge Fire: Herbs That Clear Heat and Detoxify; Target Warm and Heat Diseases

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter	Cold	Heart Lung Stomach (Liver)	9-30g Tincture: 2-5ml 9-15g (Secondary source)

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Benefits the throat, Cools the Blood, Drains Heat, Relieves Fire toxicity	Warm febrile disease Encephalitis B, Epidemic disorders, Measles, Mumps Seasonal toxic pathogens such as mumps, and painful, swollen throat conditions, upper respiratory infections Damp-Heat jaundice, infectious hepatitis Gallbladder Heat Blood Heat

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao Hb. Schizonepetae Jing Jie	Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen Rz. Anemarrhenae Zhi Mu	Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen Rz. Anemarrhenae Zhi Mu Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao Gypsum Shi Gao
Early-Stage Wind-Heat.	Pain and swelling of the throat, acute tonsillitis and diphtheria.	Fever, irritability, dry throat, and thirst due to Heat.
Rx. Sophorae Tonkinensis Shan Dou Gen	Fr. Arctii Niu Bang Zi Hb. Patriniae Bai Jiang Cao	Rz. seu Rx. Notopterygii Qiang Huo
Severe pain, swelling and redness of the throat, teeth, and gums due to Internal accumulation of intense Heat. Mouth and tongue ulcers.	Mumps with pain and swelling in the throat.	Heat toxin affecting the head and neck.
Lasiosphere/Calvatia Ma Bo Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen	Hb. Artemisiae Scopariae Yin Chen Hao	Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen Fr. Arctii Niu Bang Zi
Throat pain as part of a massive febrile disorder of the head with a strong fever and chills, with redness, swelling and burning pain of the face.	Damp Heat jaundice or Damp-Heat in the Liver/Gallbladder.	Febrile disorders.
Fr. Arctii Niu Bang Zi Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen Rx. Sophorae Tonkinensis Shan Dou Gen Lasiosphere/Calvatia Ma Bo
Sore throat.

Notes

1. In China it is used for many different viral infections.
2. It is prepared as an instant tea for hepatitis and sore throats.
3. Topically, it can be applied for herpes simplex.
4. It is beneficial for carbuncles, oral ulcerations, and both bacterial and viral infections.
5. This is northern Bei Ban Lan Gen, the standard plant according to the Chinese pharmacopoeia.
6. Southern Nan Ban Lan Gen is Rx. et Rz. Baphicacanthis and is regarded as being of lower quality. When the exact plant is uncertain, only the name Ban Lan Gen is used.
7. Bei Ban Lan Gen may be used in place of Fol. Isatidis Da Qing Ye.
8. Bei Ban Lan Gen, Fol. Isatidis Da Qing Ye and Indigo Naturalis Qing Dai all come from the same plants; each cools Heat in the Blood and reduces skin blotches. Qing Dai is the best choice for toxic sores from Fire and Heat, rashes from Warm toxins, hematemesis and hemoptysis, and childhood convulsions. Da Qing Ye and Bei Ban Lan Gen both cool Heat toxin in the Stomach and Heart; however, Da Qing Ye is typically used for rashes from Warm toxin, whereas Bei Ban Lan Gen is used for massive head febrile disorders and throat obstruction from mumps.
9. It is used to help prevent epidemic disease.
10. Dui Yao pair with Xuan Shen: for a painful, red, swollen throat from Yin Deficiency Heat or from Excess Fire that damages the Yin. Used together in Ban Lan Da Qing Tang.