Sanskrit Name: चित्रक  (Chitraka) 

Botanical name: Plumbago zeylanica Linn.

Family: Plumbaginaceae

English name: Ceylon leadwort

Malayalam name: കൊടുവേലി

Distribution: Throughout India, in arid lands, as well as cultivated.

Parts used: Roots

Toxic by nature, purified and used in Ayurveda medicines.

Chief Chemical constituent: Plumbagin

Purification: Cleaning and soaking the roots in Churnodaka (lime water) for approximately one night (3 yamas), followed by sun-drying to make the herb.

Properties: Appetizer, carminative, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, anticancer, antifertility.

Useful in: Dyspepsia, bronchitis, helminthiasis, haemorrhoids, elephantiasis, chronic and intermittent fever, skin lesions, hard tumours.

Research updates

1. Bhinde, Sonam S et al. “Standard operating procedure of Purification of Chitraka(Plumbago zeylanicaLinn.) along with pharmacognostical and analytical profiles of Plumbagin.” Ayu vol. 41,2 (2020): 117-122. doi: 10.4103/ayu.AYU_299_20
2. Singh, Sadhana & Apurva, Priyadarshi & Sharma, Poonam & Priyadarshi, Apurva. (2018). A Brief Review on Medicinal Property of Chitraka (Plumbago zeylanica Linn.) from Kosha and Nighantus.
3. Rajakrishnan, R et al. “Phytochemical evaluation of roots of Plumbago zeylanicaL. and assessment of its potential as a nephroprotective agent.” Saudi journal of biological sciencesvol. 24,4 (2017): 760-766. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2017.01.001
4. Akhilraj, A R et al. “Comparative hepatoprotective activity of detoxified roots of Plumbago zeylanica L. and Plumbago rosea L. in Wistar rats.” Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicinevol. 12,3 (2021): 452-457. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2021.04.002
5. Mandal, Nandita et al. “Exploring the anti-inflammatory potential of purified Plumbago zeylanicaL. root extracts: an integrated in silico, in vitro, and in vivoapproach.” Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics vol. 44,1 (2026): 331-353. doi:10.1080/07391102.2025.2513015