Common Name:

General Information

Gentiana kurroo is a perennial plant growing from a thick rhizome; it produces a basal rosette of leaves and decumbent to ascending stems that are branched from the base and can grow around 10 - 25cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is harvested on a commercial basis in the Himalayas, where the roots are dried and traded under the name 'Trahimaan'[]. The plant is grown as an ornamental.
The wild population of Gentiana kurroo in India is inferred to have declined by 80% in a 10 year time period. Although the species is distributed from the Himalayan regions of Pakistan to west Nepal, the majority of the geographical range (80%) is in India. The situation in India is therefore considered to be representative of the global population of the species Therefore, the plant is classified as 'Critically Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2015)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - N.W. Himalayas - Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal.

Habitat

Grassy slopes in subalpine to alpine medows, rocky slopes; at elevations from 1,500 - 5,000 metres[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Critically Endangered
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.20 m
Pollinators	Bumblebees, butterFlies
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Gentiana kurroo grows luxuriantly in the Himalayas on southern open exposed slopes of mid and higher mountain ridges. Such sites are characterized by low temperatures, high isolation, and heavy wind speed. The plants are surrounded by tall grasses and scrubs and prefers to be overshadowed by them[]. A moderately cold-tolerant plant, when fully dormant it can withstand temperatures down to about -15°c[].
Gentiana species generally grow best when there is ample moisture to the roots in the growing season, but they also require very good drainage[]. Often being native to mountainous regions, they require a certain minimum of atmospheric humidity; a high light intensity; but also a site where temperatures are not too high in the growing season[]. They are therefore more difficult to grow in areas with hot summers and in such a region they appreciate some protection from the strongest sunlight[, ]. Most species will grow well in the rock garden[].
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance[]. This species requires a stony soil with perfect drainage[]. It is best given some protection from winter wet[].
This plant has a reputation for not being hardy in Britain[], though this is more likely to be connected to excess moisture than to low temperatures.
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The root is a blood tonic, febrifuge and stomachic. It is used to treat urinary affections, coughs, stomach aches and fevers[, ].
The root and rhizomes of this species are the source of bitter glycosides (gentiopicrin and gentianin) and alkaloids (gentiomarin), and they possess immense medicinal and pharmaceutical importance. This plant is valued as an antiperiodic, expectorant, antibilious, astringent, stomachic, antithelmintic, blood purifier and carminative[].

The whole plant is used as a tonic and blood purifier to treat conditions such as coughs, fevers, liver ailments and headaches[, ].

This species is one of several that are the source of the medicinal gentian root[, ]. The following notes are based on the general uses of Gentiana lutea, which is the most commonly used species in the West[].

Gentian root has a long history of use as a herbal bitter in the treatment of digestive disorders and is an ingredient of many proprietary medicines. It contains some of the most bitter compounds known and is used as a scientific basis for measuring bitterness[]. It is especially useful in states of exhaustion from chronic disease and in all cases of debility, weakness of the digestive system and lack of appetite[]. It is one of the best strengtheners of the human system, stimulating the liver, gall bladder and digestive system[], and is an excellent tonic to combine with a purgative in order to prevent its debilitating effects[]. The root is anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bitter tonic, cholagogue, emmenagogue, febrifuge, refrigerant, stomachic[, , , , , , ]. It is taken internally in the treatment of liver complaints, indigestion, gastric infections and anorexia[]. It should not be prescribed for patients with gastric or duodenal ulcers[]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[]. It is quite likely that the roots of plants that have not flowered are the richest in medicinal properties[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame[]. It can also be sown in late winter or early spring but the seed germinates best if given a period of cold stratification and quickly loses viability when stored, with older seed germinating slowly and erratically[, ]. It is advantageous to keep the seed at about 10°c for a few days after sowing, to enable the seed to imbibe moisture[]. Following this with a period of at least 5 - 6 weeks with temperatures falling to between 0 and -5°c will usually produce reasonable germination[]. It is best to use clay pots, since plastic ones do not drain so freely and the moister conditions encourage the growth of moss, which will prevent germination of the seed[]. The seed should be surface-sown, or only covered with a very light dressing of compost. The seed requires dark for germination, so the pots should be covered with something like newspaper or be kept in the dark until germination begins[]. Pot up the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. The seedlings grow on very slowly, taking 2 - 7 years to reach flowering size[]. When the plants are of sufficient size, place them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division in early spring[]. Most members of this genus have either a single tap-root, or a compact root system united in a single root head, and are thus unsuitable for division[].
Cuttings of basal shoots in late spring[].