NAT. ORDER SCROPHULARIACEÆ.
PICRORRHIZA KURROA, Royle.
Sans. Kaṭuká, Kaṭurohini. Vern. Kaṭki, H. B.
The root of Piororrhiza Kurroa is described as bitter, acrid and stomachic and in larger doses a moderate cathartic. It is used in fever and dyspepsia and as an ingredient of various purgative medicines. About two drachms of the powdered root given with sugar and warm water, is said to act as a mild purgative. In bilious fever the following decoction is highly recommended. Take of kaṭuki root, liquorice, raisins, and nim bark, half a tolá each, water thirty-two tolás; boil till reduced to one-fourth. The following is an example of a powder containing kaṭuki root, used in dyspepsia. Take of kaṭuki, Acorus Calamus (vachá), chebulic myrobalans and plumbago root, equal parts; powder and mix. Dose, about a drachm with cow’s urine in dyspepsia with severe pain.
The Sanskrit names in Devanagari beside the heading and the Sanskrit verses in footnotes 1 and 2 are not transcribed, nor the superscript note numbers. Words hyphenated across a line break are joined.