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Chirayita, Kiraytatikta ( Swertia chirayita ) Part 1 Introduction Chirayita, a popular medicinal plant displays pleiotropic pharmacological activity. It is indigenous to India. The ethnomedicinal herb is known mostly for its bitter taste caused by the presence of different bioactive compounds that are associated with human health-welfare. The medicinal usage of Chirayita is well-documented in Indian pharmaceutical codex, the British and the American pharmacopoeias and in different traditional medicines such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and other conventional medical systems. As this bitter plant is found mostly in jungles, especially jungles of mountainous areas; the plant is known as Kirata-tikta. Because the herb bears some semblance of Neem and is found in Nepal it is also known as Neem Nepali. The plant was introduced in Europe in 1839 and has been widely used since then. The high usage mostly of its underground tissues, illegal over destruction from its habitat, n