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Family:
Acanthaceae
Organ Meridian Systems :
Large Intestine, Lung, Small Intestine, Stomach
Properties :
Bitter, Cold
Traditional Medicinal Uses:
Andrographis has long been used in traditional Indian and Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the most common reported uses were for digestive problems (as is the case with most non-toxic bitter herbs such as andrographis), snakebite, and infections ranging from malaria to dysentery. Interestingly, some of these uses have been validated by modern scientific research.
Although the roots were sometimes used in TCM, the leaves and flowers are now more commonly used. Several double-blind clinical trials have found that andrographis can help reduce symptom severity in people with common colds.1-4
1. Melchior J, Palm S, Wikman G. Controlled clinical study of standardized Andrographis paniculata extract in common cold-a pilot trial. Phytomedicine 1996;3:314-8.
2. Hancke J, Burgos R, Caceres D, Wikman G. A double-blind study with a new monodrug Kan Jang: decrease of symptoms and improvement in recovery from common colds. Phytother Res 1995;9:559-62.
3. Cáceres DD, Hancke JL, Burgos RA, et al. Use of visual analogue scale measurements (VAS) to assess the effectiveness of standardized Andrographis paniculata extract SHA-10 in reducing the symptoms of common cold. A randomized double blind-placebo study. Phytomedicine 1999;6:217-23.
4. Caceres DD, Hancke JL, Burgos RA, et al. Use of visual analogue scale measurements (VAS) to asses the effectiveness of standardized Andrographis paniculata extract SHA-10 in reducing the symptoms of common cold. A randomized double blind-placebo study. Phytomedicine 1999;6:217-23.
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