Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda
Blue glory (Clerodendrum serratum), of the Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae) family. Erect woody undershrub with serrate leaves in whorls of three; native range: tropical Asia — India, Sri Lanka and South-east Asia into southern China (Yunnan). Globally recognized as bharangi / bhargi / phanji in Sanskrit, bharangi / babhanheti in Hindi, san dui jie (三对节) in Chinese, and beetle killer, blue-flowered glory tree in English. The part used is root and root-bark (leaf used secondarily). Square-stemmed shrub bearing whorled toothed leaves and showy pale blue-to-violet flowers in tall pyramidal panicles; the root is woody, pale and markedly bitter.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BLUE GLORY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Blue glory
- Scientific name
- Clerodendrum serratum (L.) Moon
- Family
- Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae)
Form
- Part used
- root and root-bark (leaf used secondarily)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter
- Ayurveda
- pungent · bitter (katu, tikta)
Temperature
- TCM
- cold
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna virya)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat and resolves toxicity (qing re jie du), dispels wind-damp (qu feng shi) and reduces swelling, and checks malarial fever (jie nue) — in Yunnan and Dai folk practice
- Ayurveda
- kaphahara, shwasahara and kasahara (relieves dyspnoea and cough), dipana (kindles digestion), shothahara (anti-inflammatory) and jwaraghna (antipyretic)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- high-pitta and heat states owing to its heating potency; caution in pregnancy
- Toxicity
- generally safe in customary doses; the bitter root may irritate the stomach in excess
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