Why uproot Picrorhiza kurrooa, an endangered medicinal herb?

Picrorhiza (Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth.) is a small, perennial herb widely used in traditional as well as modern system of medicine. This plant grows in Himalayan region at elevations ranging from 3000 to 5000 m above the sea level and listed as endangered species due to extensive extraction of plant from the nature and lack of organized cultivation. Underground parts (roots and rhizomes) are used for extraction of picrosides, the medicinally important constituents of Picrorhiza. We studied the presence of picrosides in leaf tissue. Reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography was employed for the detection of picrosides in different tissues, viz. root, rhizome and leaf, as well as during different stages of plant development. Picrosides were present in leaf tissues at all the stages of development. Importantly, the leaf biomass was higher compared to that of roots and rhizomes. Results suggested that the leaf, rather than rhizomes and roots may be used as source of picrosides so that the underground parts left after leaf harvest can give rise to new plants in the subsequent year, thus helping in multiplication of plants year after year and conserving Picrorhiza.