Eastern kutki

Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora is eastern kutki, the bitter alpine rhizome of the central and eastern Himalaya, from Nepal and Sikkim to Yunnan. In Chinese medicine it is hu huang lian. Like western kutki it has been heavily dug from the wild, and wild harvest is the main threat to it.

Botanical name

Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) D.Y.Hong

Family

Plantaginaceae

Tamil

Katuki kizhakku

Hindi

Kutki purvi

Parts used

Rhizome (historical; wild-dug trade is a conservation problem)

Habit

Eastern alpine rhizome; kutki is a shop word

Last updated

2026-10-25

How to recognise Eastern kutki

It is a small alpine perennial with a ground-hugging rosette of toothed, spoon-shaped leaves.

The flowers are dark purple to blackish-purple, in short spikes. The species name compares them to the flowers of figworts (Scrophularia).

The rhizome is knotted, dark and very bitter.

Western kutki, Picrorhiza kurrooa, grows further west and has pale blue or whitish flowers with long stamens.

It flowers in mid-summer, soon after the snow melts, and dies back to its rhizome for the winter.

Traditional use of Eastern kutki

Chinese medicine

Hu huang lian is used as a bitter in traditional Chinese formulas.

Chinese materia medica

Himalayan practice

In Nepal and Sikkim it is used and traded much like western kutki, and the two are mixed in markets.

Eastern Himalayan practice

Modern notes on Eastern kutki

Chemical studies report iridoid glycosides similar to those of western kutki. Clinical evidence is limited.

Nepal and other range countries regulate its trade because of over-collection.

Market surveys in Nepal show that much of the rhizome traded as kutki is this species, sold alongside or in place of the western plant.

Eastern kutki safety

Do not use it in place of medical care for liver or digestive problems.

Ecology and sourcing

It grows on rocky alpine slopes and in meadows at high elevation in Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Tibet and Yunnan.

Slow growth and harvest of the whole rhizome make wild populations vulnerable to over-collection.

Grazing, trampling and the collection of whole plants have thinned it around villages and herders’ summer camps.

Related plants

Also in Plantaginaceae

Questions about Eastern kutki

Is Eastern kutki western kutki?

No. Western kutki is Picrorhiza kurrooa.

What older names does Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora go by?

Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora.

What is hu huang lian?

Its name in Chinese medicine.

Can Eastern kutki be cultivated?

Trials in Nepal and Sikkim have shown it can be propagated from rhizome pieces, which takes pressure off wild plants.

Sources

• Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) D.Y.Hong — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
• Wikidata item Q15346400 (Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora)

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.