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Pashanabheda

Bergenia ciliata

Pashanabheda (Bergenia ciliata) is a plant drug, also called Asmabhedaka, Silabheda and Pakhanabhed. Gallic acid absorption is reported at ~35-45%. Arbutin (if Saxifraga species source) is hydrolyzed by gut bacteria to hydroquinone which is the active metabolite; this conversion is variable between individuals (30-60% efficiency).

Key facts
Botanical nameBergenia ciliata
Identity sourceAyurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. I: PAS ANABHEDA (Rhizome)
Also calledBergenia ligulata (Wall.) Engl. (nomenclatural synonym)
Saxifraga spp. (regional usage)
FamilySaxifragaceae
OrderSaxifragales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 8330218 · Wikidata Q162348 · NCBI Taxonomy 278077
Names in other languages
SanskritAsmabhedaka, Silabheda
HindiPakhanabhed, Patharcua, Silpbheda, Silphara
TamilSirupilai
MalayalamKallurvanchi, Kallurvanni
TeluguKondapindi
KannadaAlepgaya, Hittaga, Hittulaka, Pahanbhedi, Pasanaberu
MarathiPashanbheda
BengaliHimasagara, Patharkuchi, Patrankur
GujaratiPakhanbheda, Pashanbheda
PunjabiKachalu, Pashanbhed
OriyaPasanbhedi
AssamesePatharkuchi
KashmiriPashanbhed

Source: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (column alignment reconstructed). How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2017 to 2025, 11 with a DOI.

  • 1Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 11Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishPashanabheda

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)Tikta, KashayaPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)Laghu, RukshaPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)SheetaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)KatuPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Kwatha (decoction), Capsule, Tablet, Asava/Arishtam, Syrup

Standard Dosage: 3-6 g powder twice daily; 20-40 mL decoction twice daily; 500 mg - 1 g standardized extract twice daily

Optimal Timing: Between meals with plenty of water (minimum 250 mL) to support urinary function. Morning dose preferred for diuretic action.

Storage: Dried rhizome and powder: airtight containers, below 25 deg C, RH <55%, protected from light and pest infestation. Extracts: amber containers, cool and dry. Asava: amber glass, room temperature, improves with age.

Marker Compounds: Bergenin, Gallic acid, Catechin, Arbutin (species-dependent), Beta-sitosterol, Stigmasterol, Tannic acid, Paashanolactone

Synergistic Combinations

  • Gokshura (urinary tract health and lithotriptic synergy)
  • Varuna (traditional pairing in Varunadi Kwatha)
  • Punarnava (diuretic and renal protective combination)
  • Shilajit (mineral supplementation and renal health)
  • Kulatha/Horse gram (traditional lithotriptic combination)

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Other clinical studies and reviews1

  1. Ahmad M, Butt MA, Zhang G and others. 2018. Bergenia ciliata: A comprehensive review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and safetyBiomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. PMID 29102914 · doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2017.10.141

Laboratory and animal studies11

  1. Faiza, Ali S, Summer M and others. 2025. Assessing the anticancer potential of Bergenia ciliata conjugated silk fibroin nanoparticles through histopathological and biomarkers studyJournal of molecular histology. PMID 40542863 · doi:10.1007/s10735-025-10484-6
  2. Moktan N, Gajbhiye RL, Sahithi TVVS and others. 2025. Antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of extract and bioactive compounds from Bergenia ciliata (Haw.) Sternb. flowers against Streptococcus mutans through cell membrane damageJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 39577678 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2024.119144
  3. Gurung S, Sarmin M, Hoda M. 2024. Implications of White Light-Emitting Diode-Based Photoirradiation on Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Methanol- and Aqueous-Based Extracts of Bergenia ciliata LeavesNanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 39195365 · doi:10.3390/nano14161327
  4. Latief U, Kaur M, Dar SH and others. 2023. Preparation and Characterisation of Liposomes of Bergenia Ciliata Extract and Evaluation of their Hepatoprotective ActivityJournal of pharmaceutical sciences. PMID 35872024 · doi:10.1016/j.xphs.2022.07.013
  5. Faiz S, Waseem D, Haq IU and others. 2023. Comparative appraisal of in vitro biological profile and in vivo wound healing attributes of bergenin and Bergenia ciliata (Haw.) SternbJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 36509257 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2022.115993
  6. Sapkota BK, Khadayat K, Sharma K and others. 2022. Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities of Extracts from Bergenia ciliata, Mimosa pudica, and Phyllanthus emblicaAdvances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences. PMID 35845257 · doi:10.1155/2022/4929824
  7. Bashir K, Khan MFA, Alhodaib A and others. 2022. Design and Evaluation of pH-Sensitive Nanoformulation of Bergenin Isolated from Bergenia ciliataPolymers. PMID 35566808 · doi:10.3390/polym14091639
  8. Bharate SB, Kumar V, Bharate SS and others. 2019. Discovery and preclinical development of IIIM-160, a Bergenia ciliata-based anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic botanical drug candidateJournal of integrative medicine. PMID 30898582 · doi:10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.001
  9. Yousaf S, Kaukab G, Gul H and others. 2018. Pharmacological and phytochemical analysis of Bergenia ciliata leaf and rhizome extractsPakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences. PMID 30150188
  10. Barai P, Raval N, Acharya S and others. 2018. Bergenia ciliata ameliorates streptozotocin-induced spatial memory deficits through dual cholinesterase inhibition and attenuation of oxidative stress in ratsBiomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. PMID 29710552 · doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2018.03.115
  11. Singh M, Pandey N, Agnihotri V and others. 2017. Antioxidant, antimicrobial activity and bioactive compounds of Bergenia ciliata Sternb.: A valuable medicinal herb of Sikkim HimalayaJournal of traditional and complementary medicine. PMID 28417084 · doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.04.002

Reference lists that include it

Catechin, Gallic acid, Stigmasterol

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.