Indican is a glycoside and precursor in the synthesis of indigo that has been found in I. tinctoria.1,2,3
1.Maugard, T., Enaud, E., de La Sayette, A., et al.β-glucosidase-catalyzed hydrolysis of indican from leaves of Polygonum tinctoriumBiotechnol. Prog.18(5)1104-1108(2002) 2.Kokubun, T., Edmonds, J.W., and John, P.Indoxyl derivatives in woad in relation to medieval indigo productionPhytochemistry49(1)79-87(1998) 3.Minami, Y., Kanafuji, T., and Miura, K.Purification and characterization of a β-glucosidase from Polygonum tinctorium, which catalyzes preferentially the hydrolysis of indicanBiosci. Biotech. Biochem.60(1)147-149(1996)