Isatis Cooling?

There were some old threads on this that I had seen a while back - it's a chinese herbal remedy that apparently some people have had success with. I had ordered them a few months ago and just had them sitting around for a rainy day, I guess. I had been a little wary of trying anything new right now during this flare, but with the progress I'm having being so slow I figured I didn't have anything to lose. The reviews I have seen have been really positive - some people use them in conjunction with a couple of other things, but I want to know what exactly is working.

I have been seeing an acupuncturist/herbalist for several years, and called her to get her thoughts - she thought it was definitely worth a try and told me to take a higher dose than what I was seeing online. I started taking it last Thursday and today is Sunday - these are my findings so far.

1. My blood was completely gone within 48 hours. I have had a couple incidents of a small spot here and there, but it's so much better. Keep in mind, I'm also on Prednisone (currently at 30mg on a taper) and was still bleeding.

2. Frequency and urgency - My frequency has decreased as well, but when I do go actual poo comes out now - before it was a lot of blood and mucus. Urgency - I still feel a little urgency in the morning, but it's different. Where before it was the sensation that you have to get to the bathroom immediately, now it's more of just sensation that there is something in there and I could probably go. This is encouraging to me because I have had this sensation before when I was coming out of a flare.


I'm really pleased so far and hope it continues - I was especially encouraged that the symptoms improved so much even as I stepped down my Prednisone! I will keep you updated. Have any of you tried it? I'm just curious to hear others' experiences.

Thanks, Gary- I'm really optimistic! I am taking 5 tablets 3 times a day. My acupuncturist advised me to not take it within 2 hours of medications or probiotics, just to be safe.

You sound very optimistic! That's great and I hope you find yourself feeling better and better very soon!! Like my GI always say's "whatever you find that helps, stick with it cuz all that matters is that you feel good."

Glad it is working for you.
When I took it years ago one of the worst days in my life.
Extreme cramping pain for hours.
Old Mike

From what I understand Isatis cooling includes mostly isatis (Indigo Naturalis) with a bunch of other things. Isatis is also the main ingredient in qing dai. Since I own it, it has an overwhelming smell of qing dai (I guess that's the smell of indigo naturalis).

It works well when I take it in moderate doses. I take 1 gram every few days. It is especially good against hemorrhage.

Hi Divonde- see how you do. My acupuncturist had told me that if it was going to work for me it would happen quickly and I would know, so if you have a bad reaction don't push it! I think you saw the same combo I did online- I asked my acupuncturist about Flavonex, but she said it's similar to a formula that she has me take in the winter and not to do it now. She does have me taking Reacue Formula with it for anxiety as periods of stress seem to proceed my flares.

It's been a few weeks for me on Isatis and I couldn't be happier with my results. I am down to 3/3 times a day and have no symptoms. Poos are solid and getting more normal looking, no urgency! I am also down to 5 mg of the pred and haven't had a backlash, so I am lookin forward to getting off of that. My acupuncturist said this formula is not designed to take forever, but once we wean me down I will always keep it handy. The cost is a little pricey, especially at a high dose, but it's cheaper than my prescription meds (which I will continue to take!) as well as the emergency ct scan I just got the bill for. Yikes.

I hope you feel better soon! I love TCM.

dlvonde - that is great news. I am glad you are feeling better. How much are you taking of it, and how much are you paying per bottle? My acupuncturist charges $20, and I've seen it on amazon for $20-25.

I'm still doing really well! I have been totally off of the prednisone for about a week and a half with no rebound in symptoms. I had gotten down to taking 2/2x day, but then had a really rough weekend emotionally and that backtracked me a little. I increased my dosage to get through that to be safe but feel like things are moving in the right direction.

I hope you continue to improve!

CGK1998 - Thanks for sharing your experience, it encouraged me to start a higher dose of Isatis cooling (5 tabs three times a day). On my third day, I saw some improvement as my bowel movements began to go down and my stool became more formed. Today was almost perfect - I almost had a normal movement! This is great!

I am also taking LDN - I started on it about three weeks back. It has no known side effects and I plan to stay on it for now.

Now, I am trying to figure out how long to stay on it - as your acupuncturist said, one is supposed to be not on it forever. Healthy Concerns founder also advises the same in his book. He also advises to follow Isatis course with Six Gentlemen to tone up the digestive system.

I would appreciate if you or someone on this site can provide some thoughts on 1) How long to take Isatis and how to taper it and 2) Should one follow this by Six Gentlemen as a tonic, if yes then for how long.

I live close to Philadelphia and am open to consult with a TCM practitioner or an acupuncturist. Please recommended one or a resource to find one.

I also posted what was meant to be a reply to this thread but accidentally ended up being it's own thread. I'm 5 months into the Isatis Cooling/Flavonex/RF Plus regimin and I have had 0 symptoms since it initially cleared things up for me. For the first time in a very long time I'm having to worry about gaining too much weight (I've gained 30lb since July!!!).

I am taking no other medication and have not been restricting my diet AT ALL (hence the 30lb weight gain :O ). Oh well..no point in lying to myself this time of year..i'll start eating better in January!

I would like to second CGK1998's recommendation though to find someone certified in TCM as UC/Chrohns is just a blanket name for a SYMPTOM, and the underlying cause could be different for different folks. TCM treats you and your own unique system deficiencies/issues and tries to find the root cause of the illness rather than trying to mass market a drug that just suppresses your symptoms.