Besides Garcinia mangostana and Hypericum ascyron, Swertia chirayita (Buch.-Ham.) which grows in the temperate regions also contains a number of xanthones. Swertia chirayita is used in Tibetan folk medicine as a traditional remedy for chronic fever, anaemia, asthma, liver disorder and hepatitis. These extracted xanthones possess hypoglycaemic activity (Rakesh et al., 1991).