Single dose oral toxicity study of Picrorhiza kurroa rhizome extract in Wistar rats

Abstract

Picrorhiza kurroa is a well-known ayurvedic or herbal medicine which is used very commonly in the treatment of various diseases. Therefore, we studied the oral toxicity of Picrorhiza kurroa rhi-zome extract in rats. A single high dose of the extract at 2000 mg/kg body weight was tested on Wistar rats. Mortality/viability and clinical signs were recorded on test day 0 (prior to administration), 7, 14 and at death. All animals appeared normal from day one to throughout the experimental procedure. Picrorhiza kurroa rhizome extract is non-toxic to rats and helped in weight gain with LD 50 > 2000 mg/kg body weight. Oral administration of Picrorhiza kurroa is not connected with any toxicologically significant effects and the data could provide satisfactory preclinical evidence of safety to launch a clinical trial on a standardized formulation of the plant extracts.