Picrorhiza kurroa
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image =Picrorhiza kurroa kz01.jpg
|status = CITES_A2
|status_system = CITES
|status_ref = {{cite web|url=http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|publisher=Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)|year=2014|title=Appendices|access-date=2014-08-07}}
|genus = Picrorhiza
|species = kurroa
|authority = Royle ex Benth.
}}
Picrorhiza kurroa is one of the major income generating non-timber forest products found in the Nepalese Himalayas. It is one of the oldest medicinal plants traded from the Karnali zone. Known as kutki or कुटकी in Nepali, it is a perennial herb and is used as a substitute for Indian gentian (Gentiana kurroo).{{cite web|url=http://www.ansab.org/UserFiles/kutki.pdf|title=Kutki|publisher=Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources|location=Kathmandu|access-date=1 January 2014|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225221904/http://www.ansab.org/UserFiles/kutki.pdf|archive-date=25 February 2007}}
Habitat
Description
Leaves: 5–15 cm long leaves, almost all at the base, often withered. Leaves are coarsely toothed, narrowed to a winged stalk.
Rhizomes of the plant are 15–25 cm long and woody.
Flowers: small, pale or purplish blue, borne in cylindric spikes, spikes borne on almost leafless erect stems. Flowers about 8 mm, 5-lobed to the middle, and with much longer stamens.
Fruits: 1.3 cm long.
Chemistry: Chemical composition of Picrorhiza kurroa include Kutkin, a bitter glycoside which contains two C-9 iridoid glycosides, Picroside I and Kutakoside.Singh, B. and Rastogi, R.P. 1972. Chemical examination of Picrorhiza kurrooa Benth.: Part VI. Reinvestigation of Kutkin. Indian J. Chem. 10: 29-31.
Conservation
In 1997, kutki was listed in appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This listing resulted ultimately from a request by the Indian government. Overharvesting of the wild species for use as medicine was cited as the main reason for the listing. The species not widely cultivated, though this has been discussed as a potential way to preserve wild stands,{{cite journal |vauthors=Chandra B, Palni LM, Nandi SK |title=Propagation and conservation of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth: An endangered Himalayan medicinal herb of high commercial value|journal=Biodiversity and Conservation|year=2006|volume=15|issue=7 |pages=2325–2338|doi=10.1007/s10531-005-0770-z|s2cid=20600843 }} especially since the Dunagiri Foundation Trust has created, implemented, and successfully employed protocols to generate export-quality organic ethical 'Dunagiri Certified' Kutki since 2014.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dunagiri.org|title=Dunagiri Foundation Trust}} The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List did not have a listing for this species as of 2014. Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora appears to be used heavily as a substitute for P. kurroa and is considered non-threatened by CITES.
Usage
The rhizome has a long history of use in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of digestive problems. Other uses have been proposed (e.g. for asthma, liver damage, wound healing, vitiligo), but the medical evidence is not yet conclusive. It appears to be relatively safe based on its long history of traditional use.{{cite web|url=http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1082-PICRORHIZA.aspx?activeIngredientId=1082&activeIngredientName=PICRORHIZA|title=PICRORHIZA: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings|work=WebMD|access-date=1 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=211604|title=Picrorhiza|date=August 2013 |publisher=EBSCO CAM Review Board|work=NYU Langone Medical Center|access-date=1 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102200215/http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=211604 |archive-date=2014-01-02}} Kutki has hepato-protective properties and thus supports the liver and spleen. It is used in all forms of liver damage, cirrhosis, and inflammation of the liver. It protects the liver against damage from the hepatitis C virus.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2562125}}