Bergenin alias Cuscutin is trihydroxybenzoic acid

Trihydroxybenzoic acid

Trihydroxybenzoic acid may refer to the following phenolic acids :* Gallic acid * Phloroglucinol carboxylic acid O-methylated trihydroxybenzoic acids are :* Eudesmic acid* Syringic acid...

 glycoside. It is the C-glycoside

Glycoside

In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...

 of 4-O-methyl gallic acid

Gallic acid

Gallic acid is a trihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid, a type of organic acid, also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. The chemical formula is C6H23COOH. Gallic acid is found both free and as part of...

. It possesses an O-demethylated derivative called norbergenin

Norbergenin

Norbergenin is a chemical compound. It is the O-demethylated derivative of bergenin. It can be isolated from rhizomes of Bergenia stracheyi....

. These are chemical compounds and drugs of Ayurveda

Ayurveda

Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...

, commonly known as Paashaanbhed. Bergenin can be isolated from Bergenia

Bergenia

Bergenia is a genus of ten species of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae, native to central Asia, from Afghanistan to China and the Himalayan region...

species like Bergenia ciliata

Bergenia ciliata

Bergenia ciliata is a plant species in the genus Bergenia.Bergenin, catechin and gallic acid can be found in B. ciliata....

and Bergenia ligulata

Bergenia ligulata

Bergenia ligulata is a plant belonging to family Saxifragaceae and the genus Bergenia....

and from rhizomes of Bergenia stracheyi

Bergenia stracheyi

Bergenia stracheyi is a plant species in the genus Bergenia found in the Western Himalayas, from 2700-4700 m, Afghanistan and Tadzhikistan.Bergenin and norbergenin are chemical compounds that can be isolated from rhizomes of B. stracheyi....

. It shows a potent immunomodulatory effect. It is also found in Ardisia elliptica

Ardisia elliptica

Ardisia elliptica is an evergreen tree, also known as the shoebutton, native to the west coast of India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Guinea. It a prolific reproducer which has made it a successful invasive species in other locations.A. elliptica is a tropical understory shrub...

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