Herba Andrographitis
Source
Herb of Andrographis panicukita (Burm. f.) Nees, family Acanthaceae.
Characteristics
A herb, 50-80 cm tall, multi-branched. Stem square, node enlarged. leaves
opposite, ovate-lanceolate, 4-8 cm long. Raceme terminal, axillary, grouped
into a large panicle; bract smaller; calyx 5-lobed; 
corolla
bilabiate, corolla tube somewhat enlarged, blue-purple. Capsule somewhat
flat-linear, dehiscing into two, containing numerous seed~ Bitter in taste,
cold in nature, and attributive to lung, stomach, large intestine and
small intestine channels.
Indication
1. Purge the sthenic fire and eliminate toxic material: For seasonal febrile
diseases and common cold of wind-heat type with high fever and thirst,
or for sorethroat, cough and asthma due to lung-heat, lung abscess, pyogenic
infection and ulcerous diseases of skin, snake bite, etc. Recently, also
used for leptospirosis.
2. Clear away heat and deprive dampness: For diarrhea of dampness-heat
type, dysentery, stranguria of heat type.
3. Antineoplastic: For malignant mole, chorionic epithelioma.
Pharmacological
Action
1. Bacteriostatic effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas 
aeruginosa
and Proteus with 5%, 40%, and 20% decoction respectively.
2. Its decoction promotes white cell phagocytosis in vitro.
3. Antipyretic: Andrographolide lowers vaccine-induced fever in rabbits.
4. Four active components, neoandrographolide, andrographolide, deoxyandrographolide
and 14-deoxy-11, 12-didehydro-andrographolide, possess anti-inflammatory
effect, the last is the most effective.
5. Andrographolide may interrupt pregnancy and inhibit the growth of placental
trophpcyte.
Administration Decoction: 9-15g. Tablet: 4-6 tablets tid or qid.