Gen info
Indigofera is a large genus of about 700 species fo flowering plants in the family Fabaceae / Leguminosae, occurring throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Species are mostly shrubs, some are herbaceous, a few are small trees.

Botany
Taiuman is an erect, branched, annual, half-woody herb, growing from 0.4 to 1 meter high. Stems are reddish brown, and covered with spreading brown or purplish hairs. Leaves are 8 to 15 centimeters long. Stipules are linear, hairy, and 1 centimeter long. Leaflets are obovate, 5 to 11, 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, hairy, and pale beneath. Flowers are about 6 millimeters long, reddish purple, crowded in axillary racemes which are 6 to 20 centimeters long. Pods are straight, reflexed, 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long, about 2.5 millimeters wide, covered with browns, spreading hairs, containing 4 to 6 seeds.

Distribution
In waste places in and about towns.
An introduced weed.
Pantropic.

Constituents
- Yields indigo.
- Phytochemical screening yielded nine phenolic and six flavonoid compounds.

Properties
Considered stomachic, antidiarrheal. .

Parts used
Leaves

Uses
Folkloric
- In the Philippines, decoction of fresh leaves given for diarrhea and as stomachic.
- In the Gold Coast, decoction of leaves used as lotion for yaws.
- In India, decoction of fresh leaves given for cerebral disorders.
Others
Agri: Tried as cover crop and green manure.
Dye: Used to produce the dye indigo.

Studies
• Antibacterial / Phytochemicals: Study of ethanolic and methanolic leaf extracts showed inhibition of four bacterial strains viz. Bacillus subtilis, E. coli, Staph aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Phytochemical screening yielded nine phenolic and six flavonoid compounds.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Phytochemicals and antibacterial studies of Indigofera hirsuta Linn. / N. Yasodamma, A. Suvarnalatha et al / TropMedPlants
(2)