Medicinal value of plant Picrorhiza scrophulariflora including its nomenclature, habit and habitat, cultivation and collection, Macro and Microscopic characteristics, phytochemical constituents and its pharmacological action.

1. SHAILENDRA SHAH
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL
SCIENCE,
NOBEL COLLEGE
POKHARA UNIVERSITY
Picrorhiza Scrophulariflora
(Kutki)

2. Overview
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 Nomenclature
 Biological source
 Medicinal parts
 Habitat
 Cultivation and collection
 Macroscopic and microscopic characters

3. Nomenclature
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 Kingdom: plantae
 Division: Angiosperms
 Subdivision: Eudicots
 Class: Asterids
 Order: Lamiales
 Family: Schrophulariaceae
 Genus: Picrorhiza
 Species: P.Scrophulariflora
 Binomial name: Pcrorhiza Scrophulariflora

4. Biological source
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Kutki is a small nearly hairy perennial herb with a
elongate creeping stolons from root stock; leaves
spathulate, serrate; flowers white or bluish in dense
terminal spicate raceme; dried rhizome cylindrical,
deep greyish brown in colour and longitudinally
wrinkled with annulations at the tip. It consist of
dried leaves rhizomes and seeds.

5. Habitat
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 Found on cool and moist north slope between 4000
and 4400m.
 Found in a trans-Himalayan dry valley of central
Nepal.
 Grown on open and grassy slopes and on the turf of
glacial flats.

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7. Collection and cultivation
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 Collecting season is from October to December.
 The whole plant is pulled out manually.
 However, the local people collect from May to
December.
 The propagation takes place by seed and rhizome.
 Collected Kutki is sun-dried and stored in dry place
or packed in jute sacs.

8. Macroscopic Characters
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 Kutki is perennial herb about 10 cm high.
 Rhizome: 2.5-6cm long ;0.5-1cm thick, sub
cylindrical ,straight, externally greyish brown,
surface rough due to longitudinal wrinkles, circular
scars of roots.
 Roots: 5-10cm long; 0.05-0.1 in diameter, straight
or slightly curved, mostly attached with rhizome,
dusky grey; inner surface black with whitish xylem.
 Leaves: Leaves are subsessile, aggregated at the
base, 1.5-5 cm long, and 0.5-1.2 cm wide, acuminate,
serrate, stalked winged.

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 Flowers: Flower of this taxon is white or pale blue-
purple in dense terminal spicate raceme.
 Fruits: Fruits are borne in ovoid capsule.

10. Microscopic Characters
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 Rhizome: 20–25 layers of cork cells; cortex single
layered or absent; 1 or 2 small vascular bundles
present in the cortex; vascular bundles surrounded
by single layers endodermis of thick walled cell,
secondary phloem composed of phloem parenchyma
and a few scattered fibres; cambium 2 to 4 layered;
secondary xylem consists of vessels, tracheids, xylem
fibres and xylem parenchyma.

11. T.S of rhizome
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 Root: single layered epidermis. Cortex 8–14 layered
with parenchymatous cells, thick-walled cells of
endodermis; mature root shows 4 to 15 layers of
cork, 1 or 2 layers of cork cambium; secondary
phloem poorly developed; secondary xylem
consisting of vessels, tracheids, parenchyma and
fibres.

13. Chemical Constituents
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 Terpenoids
 Iridoid glycosides(catalpol, picroside I , picroside II,
kutakosides, speciosides, Verminoside)
 phenolic glycosides
 phenylethanoid glycosides(scrosides A, scrosides B,
scroside C),
 cucurbitacins
 secoiridoid glycosides
 caffeoyl glycosides

14. Kutkoside
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15. Scroside A
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16. Specioside
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17. Verminoside
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18. Pharmacological Action
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 Digestive activity
 Picrorhiza is used in India for the people with
constipation due to insufficient digestive secretion.
 Hepatoprotective activity
 Alcoholic extract of the plant and kutkin possess
hepatoprotective activity. It is reported to prevent
paracetamol induced hepatotoxic damage in rats.
 Anti-asthmatic activity
 The crude extract of roots reduced the frequency and
severity of asthmatic attacks and need for regular
bronchodilators.

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Immunomodulatory activity
 The effect of ethanolic extract of each drug was studied on
delayed hypersensitivity, humoral responses to sheep, red
blood cells, skin allograft rejection and phagocytic activity of
reticuloendothelial system in mice.
 It was found to be potent immunostimulant of both cell-
mediated and humoral activity.
Anti-arthritic activity
 Open label studies conducted in India show a preliminary
benefit for persons with primarily rheumatoid arthritis.

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Anti-diabetic activity
 In the streptozocin induced daibetic rats were treated with a
gavage of ethanol extraction of p. scrophulariflora.
 It reduced NADPH-oxidase dependent superoxidase
generation and decreased expression of malondialdehyde and
advanced oxidation protein production in diabetic kidney.

21. Pharmacopoeial standard
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 Ash value
 Total ash value 5.92%
 Acid insoluble ash valve 0.8%
 Extractive value
 Water soluble extractive 33.1%
 Alcohol soluble extractive 15.4%

22. Ethnomedicinal Importance
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 Dried rhizome is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory,
laxative.
 Used as ethnoveterinary medicine.
 Rhizome paste is taken to subside cough and colds at
Jumla.
 Decoction of root is drunk in cold and fever.
 Root paste is used as antiseptic and root decoction as
antipyretic.
 Used as a home remedy for GI disorders.

23. Formulation
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 The herb is used in the form of pills, powders and
tinctures.
 Allopathic drug: Tamarix glacia (500 mg in hepatitis
C)
 Ayurvedic preparation: Agrogyavardini
 Others: katukadya lauha, Amriterishta, picroliv

24. Commercial value
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 Kutki is a high demand in and out for its sale of
valuable rootstocks. It is banned for collection, use,
sale, distribution and expert. However, local traders
or middleman buy the product and airlift to
Nepalgung wholesalers.

25. Reference
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1. https://hmc.usp.org/monographs/picrorhiza-
kurrooa-root-and-rhizome-0-1 (assessed on 16th
June 2018)
2. http://www.nmpb.nic.in/sites/default/files/public
ations/kutki.pdf (assessed on 16th June 2018)

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