Thioacetamide (100 mg/kg), when administered to normal rats, caused a significant increase in the activities of 5'-nucleotidase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and a decrease in the activities of glucose 6-phosphatase and succinate dehydrogenase enzymes in the liver. DNA, RNA, and proteins were increased while the cytochrome P450 in the microsomal fraction and the glycogen content in the liver were decreased significantly. Elevations in the activities of GOT, GPT, and alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin content in serum were also observed. Picroliv, a standardised glycoside fraction of Picrorhiza kurroa, in doses of 12.5 and 25 mg/kg prevented most of the biochemical changes induced by thioacetamide in liver and serum. The hepatoprotective activity of Picroliv was comparable with that of silymarin, a known hepatoprotective agent obtained from seeds of Silybum marianum.