(Griseb.) Kashyapa.Synonym: S. decussata Nimmo ex Grah.
Habitat: Sub-tropical Himalaya from Himachal Pradesh to Bhutan, the Khasi and Lushai Hills, Manipur at 300-1,800 m. Bihar and Peninsular India up to 1,800 m.
Ayurvedic: Kiraatatikta (related species).Action: Febrifuge and bitter tonic.... swertia affinis
Habitat: Sub-tropical Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan.
Ayurvedic: Kiraata (sweet var.).Folk: Pahaari Kiretta, Mithaa (sweet) Kiryaat.Action: Used as a substitute for S. chirayita. (Inferior in bitter tonic properties.)
Aerial parts gave ursolic acid, xan- thones and beta-sitosterol. Several tetra-and pentaoxygenated xanthones have been isolated from the plant.... swertia angustifoliaHabitat: Temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan and in Khasi Hills.
English: Chiretta.Ayurvedic: Kiraata, Kairaata, Kiraataka, Kandatikta, Kiraatatikta, Kiraatatiktaka, Katutikta, Trin- nimba, Bhuunimba, Aranyatikta, Raamasenaka. Bhuunimba (also equated with Andrographis paniculata).Unani: Chiraitaa.Siddha: Nilavembu.Action: Blood purifier and bitter tonic (The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India); used in skin diseases. Other properties: antiinflammatory (experimentally, the benzene extract was comparable with phenylbutazone and betamethasone in induced arthritis); hypoglycaemic (xanthone, swerchirin, lowers blood sugar), astringent, stomachic (in dyspepsia and diarrhoea); antimalarial (before the discovery of Peruvian bark), anthelmintic; antiasthmatic, bechic; and as a liver tonic (several active principles are hepatoprotective).
The herb contains oxygenated xan- thone derivatives, including decus- satin, mangiferin, swerchirin, swer- tianin, isobellidifolin; iridoids including chiratin, alkaloids including gen- tianine, gentiocrucine, enicoflavine and glycosyl flavones.Antitubercular activity has been claimed in xanthones. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)Green chiretta is equated with Andrographis paniculata Nees, Acantha- ceae.Dosage: Whole plant—1-3 g powder; 20-30 g for decoction. (API, Vol. I.)... swertia chirayitaHabitat: From Konkan to Kerala at 1,500-2,000 m.
Ayurvedic: Shailaja, Kiraatatikta (related species).Action: A substitute for S. chirayita. The whole plant contains a number of tetraoxygenated and pentaoxygenated xanthones.... swertia ciliata
Habitat: Western Ghats from Maharashtra to South Kanara at 1,200 m.
Ayurvedic: Kiraatatikta (related species).Action: Used as a substitute for Swertia chirayita.
Whole plant gave a number of xan- thones. Erythrocentaurin has also been reported from the plant.... swertia lawiiHabitat: The Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan and in Lushai Hills in Mizoram at 1,500-2,400 m.
Action: Used as a substitute for Swertia chirayita.
The root gave xanthones (including swerchirin and bellidifolin); flavone- C-glycosides—swertisin and homoori- entin. The plant gave polyoxygenated xanthones and xanthone-O-glucosi- des; also a pentacyclic triterpenehed- eragenin. Aerial parts, in addition to xanthones, contain ursolic acid.... swertia paniculata
Health Encyclopedia