Description

Picrorhiza kurroa, the Himalayan kurroa, is a small, creeping perennial herb of the family Plantaginaceae, native exclusively to the alpine meadows, rocky slopes, and screes of the Himalayas — from the Kashmir Valley through Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim — at elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 metres. The short, bitterly flavoured rhizome — among the most bitter medicinal plant materials known — is a primary Ayurvedic hepatoprotective drug cited in the Charaka Samhita as Katuka or Tiktarohini. Incorporated in classical formulations including Arogyavardhini Vati, the rhizome contains iridoid glycosides picroside-I and kutkoside which have attracted significant phytochemical research. Listed as Endangered on IUCN assessment criteria and subject to collection restrictions across all range states. Commercial sources include cultivated plots in Uttarakhand.