Indians claim that it was thanks to the use of Andrographis that the Indian continent was virtually spared during the terrible "Spanish flu" epidemic that decimated many neighboring countries in 1918...
Queen of winter protection
Native to India and Sri Lanka, Andrographis Paniculata, a member of the Acanthaceae family, is a graceful plant with lavender or pink flowers and reddish-brown fruits. These flowers and fruits contain active ingredients that are familiar to us, such as flavonoids, which offer their antioxidant action to the user of this plant from the outset, which might already be enough to make us like it.
Stories abound, from the earliest times to the present day, of the extraordinary effectiveness of Andrographis on a wide range of ailments, from the common cold to cholera epidemics. They eventually attracted the rapidly growing interest of Western botanists, chemists and physicians.
Multiple uses
Andrographis has been known since the dawn of time for its protective and curative action against colds and flu, but it is also used today to combat malaria, cholera, various fevers and viruses of all kinds.
Yet these ancestral uses are increasingly confirmed by clinical studies, which have been multiplying since 2004 (in the USA and more recently in Europe). These studies all focus on Andrographolide, the plant's major active ingredient, which defines it as an adaptogen.
Action on the respiratory system
Andrographis owes its reputation to its rapid, positive action on colds and all their symptoms. It has a drying and anti-mucus (mucolytic) effect that works wonders on a blocked or runny nose, and its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory action also eradicates sore throats.
Action on the immune system
Prise en « cure » pendant une période de dix jours par mois sur trois mois d’hiver, par exemple, l’Andrographis vient soutenir, restaurer et renforcer les défenses naturelles de l’organisme, lui assurant ainsi une protection nettement accrue en période froide, de fatigue ou de surmenage.
Comme pour beaucoup de plantes soutenant l’immunité, il est important de se rappeler que les cures seront d’autant plus efficaces qu’elles seront courtes et bien dosées, dix jours maximum, à renouveler deux ou trois fois pendant la saison froide, puis pour préparer chaque changement de saison, par exemple.
Andrographis has no contraindications.
Caution should be exercised with gall-bladder patients, as its contractile action may cause them pain (only in the case of large stones). This same action clearly prohibits its use during pregnancy.
