PICRORHIZA Overview Information
Picrorhiza is a plant that grows in the Himalayan mountains. People, especially practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine, use the root and rhizome (underground stem) for treatment. Picrorhiza has been harvested to near extinction.
Picrorhiza is used for yellowed skin (jaundice), sudden liver infections caused by a virus (acute viral hepatitis), fever, allergy, and asthma. It is also used to treat skin conditions including eczema and vitiligo, a disorder that causes white patches on the skin. Some people use picrorhiza for digestion problems including indigestion, constipation, and ongoing diarrhea. Other uses include treatment of infection, scorpion stings, epilepsy, malaria, and rheumatoid arthritis.
How does it work?
More information is needed to know how picrorhiza might work. Picrorhiza contains chemicals that might stimulate the immune system, kill cancer cells, and relieve inflammation (swelling).
PICRORHIZA Uses & Effectiveness 
Possibly Effective for:
- Vitiligo, a disorder that causes white patches to develop on the skin. Taking picrorhiza by mouth for up to one year, in combination with a conventional medication called methoxsalen, seems to help treat vitiligo in adults and children.
Possibly Ineffective for:
- Asthma. Taking picrorhiza by mouth for up to 12 weeks doesn't seem to help asthma symptoms or improve lung function.
Insufficient Evidence for:
- Sudden liver infections caused by a virus (acute viral hepatitis).
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Other conditions.
PICRORHIZA Side Effects & Safety
Picrorhiza seems safe for most people, when taken for up to one year. It can cause vomiting, rash, anorexia, diarrhea, and itching.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of picrorhiza during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.“Auto-immune diseases” such as multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or other conditions: Picrorhiza might cause the immune system to become more active, and this could increase the symptoms of auto-immune diseases. If you have one of these conditions, it’s best to avoid using picrorhiza.
PICRORHIZA Interactions
Moderate Interaction Be cautious with this combination
- Medications that decrease the immune system (Immunosuppressants) interacts with PICRORHIZA
Picrorhiza might increase the immune system. Taking picrorhiza along with medications that decrease the immune system might decrease the effectiveness of these medications.
Some medications that decrease the immune system include azathioprine (Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), daclizumab (Zenapax), muromonab-CD3 (OKT3, Orthoclone OKT3), mycophenolate (CellCept), tacrolimus (FK506, Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), corticosteroids (glucocorticoids), and others.
PICRORHIZA Dosing
The following doses have been studied in scientific research:
BY MOUTH:
- For a disease called vitiligo that causes white patches on the skin: 200 mg of picrorhiza rhizome powder twice a day, in combination with a medication called methoxsalen that is taken by mouth and applied to the affected skin.
