A bitter Himalayan herb, the tikta (tig ta) of Tibetan medicine. It grows on the Himalayan slopes below the plateau, not on the plateau itself.
- Group: Plant
- Plant type: Medicinal
- Habitats: Moist forest slopes
Habitat and distribution
Moist, shady slopes in the sub-temperate Himalaya at 1,200–2,100 m from Kashmir to Bhutan (Kumar and Van Staden 2016).
Ecological and cultural significance
Used in Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine for its bitter compounds; in Bhutan it is one of the most important herbs of Sowa Rigpa (Kumar and Van Staden 2016).
Threats
Heavy collection, mostly of the roots and whole plants, for trade, together with habitat loss, has drastically reduced wild populations (Kumar and Van Staden 2016).
Conservation
Not assessed by the IUCN Red List (no assessment found). Indian regional assessments rate it critically endangered (Joshi and Dhawan 2005, cited by Kumar and Van Staden 2016); this is not an IUCN Red List category.