Herb latin name: Bergenia ciliata


Synonyms: Bergenia ligulata, Megasea ciliata, Saxifraga ciliata, Saxifraga ligulata, Saxifraga thysanodes


Family: Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage Family)



Medicinal use of Bergenia ciliata:

A juice or powder of the whole plant is used to treat urinary troubles in Nepal. The juice of the leaves is used as drops to relieve earaches. The root is used as a tonic in the treatment of fevers, diarrhoea and pulmonary affections. The root juice is used to treat coughs and colds, haemorrhoids, asthma and urinary problems. Externally, the root is bruised and applied as a poultice to boils and ophthalmia, it is also considered helpful in relieving backache. The root of this plant has a high reputation in indigenous systems of medicine for dissolving stones in the kidneys.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
March
to May

Habitat of the herb:

On moist rocks and under forest shade, 1900 - 2600 metres in Kashmir.

Edible parts of Bergenia ciliata:

The flowers are boiled and then pickled.

Other uses of the herb:

The root contains 14 - 16% tannin. A good ground cover plant, forming a slowly spreading clump.

Propagation of Bergenia ciliata:

Seed - surface sow in a greenhouse. Make sure that the compost does not dry out. Two weeks cold stratification can speed up germination which usually takes 1 - 6 months at 15°C. Fresh seed, sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring is liable to germinate better than stored seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in late spring after flowering or in autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.

Cultivation of the herb:

On moist rocks and under forest shade, 1900 - 2600 metres in Kashmir.

Known hazards of Bergenia ciliata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.