Witnessed by: Unani
White behen (Centaurea behen), of the Asteraceae family. Thistle-like perennial herb with a stout tap-root; native range: dry uplands of Persia, the Caucasus and western Asia. Globally recognized as bahman abyad in Arabic, behman safed in Urdu, bahman sefid in Persian, and white behen, white ben in English. The part used is root. Pale, woody, faintly sweetish-astringent root.
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.
WHITE BEHEN
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- white behen
- Scientific name
- Centaurea behen L.
- Family
- Asteraceae
Form
- Part used
- root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Unani
- astringent · bitter
Temperature
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- heart · brain · stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-qalb (cardiac tonic), mufarreh (exhilarant), muqawwi-e-dimagh (nervine), muqawwi-e-bah (aphrodisiac), muqawwi-e-badan (general tonic)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- hot dry temperaments in excess
- Toxicity
- no serious toxicity at customary dose
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