Bergenia ciliata as a future candidate for liver diseases: a concise review

Abstract Liver cirrhosis, alcoholic liver diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver and steatohepatitis are the major risk factors for liver damage leading to hepatocellular carcinoma. Oxidative stress and insulin resistance are the main pathogenetic mechanisms leading the hepatic cell injury and damage in these patients. The present review is the first attempt which focuses on the biological activities of Bergenia ciliata to explore its benefits and possible applications in the treatment of liver ailments. Bergenia ciliata is an evergreen herb belonging to the family saxifragaceae and is regarded as a miracle herb due to its wide medicinal applications. The data published in India and other nations are methodically reviewed and summarized in this article. It covers the facts collected from scientific journals, theses and online bibliographical databases: PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science from year 1995–2020. The phytochemical studies on B. ciliata have shown the presence of many phytochemicals belonging to phenols, flavonoids, fatty acid, glycosides, terpenoids, etc. Due to the presence of a multitude of these bioactives, the whole plant of B. ciliata has numerous medicinal applications such as diuretic, antipyretic, α-glucosidase, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and insecticidal activity. Therefore in the present study, we invite the attention of scientists and researchers to carry out further clinical and toxicological studies on this valuable plant in order to discover and develop novel hepatoprotective medicine with fewer side effects on human beings.