Chirayita

Botanical Name - Swertia chirayita

Category - Aromatic/Medicinal

Form - Dry

Part Used - Whole Plant

General Information - Swertia chirayita (Gentianaceae), a popular medicinal herb indigenous to the temperate Himalayas is used in traditional medicine to treat numerous ailments such as liver disorders, malaria, and diabetes and are reported to have a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties. This ethnomedicinal herb is known mostly for its bitter taste caused by the presence of different bioactive compounds that are directly associated with human health welfare. The increasing high usage of Swertia chirayita, mostly the underground tissues, as well as the illegal overharvesting combined with habitat destruction resulted in a drastic reduction of its populations and has brought this plant to the verge of extinction.

Phytochemicals - The whole plant of S. chirayita have been reported to be used for the treatment of antibacterial and antifungal activity. Anti-hepatitis B virus activity of S. chirayita extracts was also studied. The whole plant of S. chirayita has been reported for the anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activity. The wide-range biological activities of S. chirayita are attributed to the presence of a diverse group of pharmacologically bioactive compounds belonging to different classes such as xanthones and their derivatives, lignans, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, iridoids, secoiridoids, and other compounds such as chiratin, ophelicacid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid.