Also known as green chiretta, from the perspective of TCM it refers to the whole plant or leaf of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees. In China, this herb mainly grows in Guangdong, Fujian, and other provinces.

Andrographis herb is an annual plant, 50 to 100cm high. The whole herb is intensely bitter. Stems is erect, branched, rectangular, and with slightly enlarged knobs. Leaves are opposite, from ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 2 to 11cm in length, 0.5 to 2.5cm in width, with apex acuminate, cuneate base, entire or shallowly undulate leaf margins, dark green above, gray-green below, and with 3 to 4 pairs of lateral veins. Petiole is short or subsessile. Panicles are terminal or axillary. Capsule is oblong, about 1.5cm long, flattened on both sides, with a central longitudinal groove. The flowering stage is from August to September, and mature fruiting phase is in October. It mainly grows in hot and humid plains and hilly areas.

ANDROGRAPHIS RELATED CHINESE HERBAL FORMULAS 
TCM believes that andrographis is bitter and cold in properties. And it covers four different meridians, such as heart, lung, large intestine, and urinary bladder. Its main functions are heat-clearing and detoxifying, cooling blood, and reducing swelling. Its main indications and uses are wind-heat type cold and flu, fever in febrile disease, cough caused by lung heat, pertussis, Pulmonary Abscess, swollen sore throat, yeast infection, jaundice with damp-heat pathogen, stranguria, Erysipelas, sore and ulcer, Eczema, lyme disease, candida, strep, sinus infection, shingles, Acne, snakebite, and so on. Usual dosage is from 9 to 15 grams, in decoction normally. Sometimes the dose can be up to 30 to 60 grams according the diagnosis. And 0.6 to 3 grams should be used in the form of powder, loaded into capsules preferably.

Andrographis

It is for a good reason to name this herb as Chuan Xin Lian in China. As you can see, bitter is always considered as one of the most sensitive tastes, which by many, if not all, regard as uncomfortable, intense, or annoying. Similarly, in the theory of Five Elements in Chinese medicine, bitter is perceived as a negative taste and associated with the heart. And as long as you chew a small piece of Andrographis leaves, you can immediately feel that kind of unforgettable bitterness, just like penetrating straight into your heart. For this reason, it is named "Chuan Xin Lian", namely "through the heart lotus" if translated word for word.

1. Treat bacillary dysentery, amoebic dysentery, and enteritis with 10 to 15 fresh Andrographis leaves, decocted and mixed with honey just before serving. By Fu Jian Zhong Cao Yao ("Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine");

2. Treat acute dysentery and gastroenteritis with 7 to 13 grams of Andrographis, in decoction, twice a day, taken as a single dose in the morning and evening. By Jiang Xi Cao Yao Shou Ce ("Jiangxi Handbook of Commonly Used Traditional Chinese Herbs");

3. Treat cold, fever, headache, and heat diarrhea with 1.5 grams of Andrographis powder, three times a day, taken with clear soup. By Quan Zhou Ben Cao ("Quanzhou Materai Medica");

4. Treat influenza and pneumonia with 3 grams of Andrographis powder, three or four times a day. By Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine;