Picrorhiza Kurroa

Picrorhiza Kurroa Latest News

A sustainable cultivation model adopted by farmers in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district is showing promising signs of conserving the Picrorhiza kurroa species. 

About Picrorhiza Kurroa

• It is a perennial herb with the presence of rhizomes.
• Picorrhiza word has been taken from the Greek language. In Greek, the word “Picros” means bitter and “Rhiza” means root, so bitter root. 
• It is locally known as Kutki.
• Habitat: It is native to the alpine and sub-alpine regions (2,700-4,500 metres) of the Himalayas.
• Distribution: It is found in Himalayan region, from Garwal to Bhutan and Kashmir to Sikkim, Pakistan, Tibet, west of China and Myanmar.
• Required Climatic Conditions
  • It prefers moist, relatively less exposed, north-west facing slopes.
  • Soil: Sandy clay textured soil is the best for its growth.
  • It needs porous soil layers, which facilitate horizontal spreading of the rhizomes underneath, that produce aerial sprouts from the nodes.
  • It suffers heavy mortality during prolonged and intense rains.
• Propagation: The planting stock can initially be raised through seedlings, but can also be propagated through rhizomes/stolons/offsets.
  • Stolons are a side branch which creeps on the soil and possesses nodes and is a type of stem.

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Applications of Picrorhiza Kurroa

• Kutki is an anti-pyretic, anthelmintic, carminative, stomachic, hepatoprotector, anti-malarial, and laxative in small doses but cathartic in large doses.
• It improves appetite and stimulates gas- tric secretions.
• It is useful for asthma, cold, and cough.

Conservation Status of Picrorhiza Kurroa

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• CITES: Appendix II

Source: TH