Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Rockfoil (Bergenia ciliata), of the Saxifragaceae family. Stout rosette-forming perennial herb with a thick creeping rhizome anchored in rock crevices; native range: temperate Himalaya, from Afghanistan and Kashmir east to Bhutan, on wet rock faces at 900-3000 m. Globally recognized as pashanabheda in Sanskrit, pashanbhed / silphara in Hindi, zakhm-e-hayat in Arabic, and stone-breaker, winter begonia, Himalayan rockfoil in English. The part used is rhizome. A knotty pink-brown rhizome, starchy within, with a strongly astringent, faintly bitter taste that puckers the mouth.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
ROCKFOIL
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Rockfoil
- Scientific name
- Bergenia ciliata (Haw.) Sternb.
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- astringent (kashaya) · bitter (tikta)
- Unani
- astringent
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta)
- Unani
- hot & dry (1st degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- kidneys · bladder
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- ashmarighna (lithotriptic), mutrala (diuretic), grahi (astringent), kaphapittahara
- Unani
- mufattit-e-hasat (lithotriptic), qabiz (astringent), mudammil (wound-healing)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- constipation and marked dryness, given its astringency
- Toxicity
- none of note in customary doses
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