Bergenia ligulata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Core eudicots |
Order: | Saxifragales |
Family: | Saxifragaceae |
Genus: | Bergenia |
Species: | B. ligulata |
Binomial name | |
Bergenia ligulata (Wall.) Engl. |
Bergenia ligulata (Paashaanbhed, Prashanbheda, and other spellings in Ayurveda traditional Indian medicine) is a plant belonging to the family Saxifragaceae and the genus Bergenia. The plant is mostly found in temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan and in Khasia hills at 15,00 meter altitude.
B. ligulata contains A phenolic compound bergenin, and afzelechin, a type of flavan-3-ol and bergenin.
Alcoholic extract of the plant has exhibited significant anti-inflammatory, analgesic and diuretic properties. Purified fraction of the drug has shown potent antibacterial activity. Bergenia ligulata is a widely used plant in South Asia, mainly India and Pakistan, as a traditional medicine for treatment of urolithiasis or kidney stones. Data indicate antiurolithic activity in Bergenia ligulata, mediated possibly through CaC2O4 crystal inhibition, diuretic, hypermagneseuric and antioxidant effects, rationalizing its medicinal use for the treatment of kidney stones. Maximum inhibition of the crystal growth of calcium oxalate monohydrate, a mineral in most kidney stones, was observed primarily with aqueous extracts of Bergenia ligulata followed by Tribulus terrestris, in a test tube study.
This plant is sometimes treated as a form of Bergenia ciliata.