Learn More About Chanca Piedra
Traditional Uses
Chanca Piedra got its name because one of the outstanding qualities of this herb, according to Peruvians, is to break up and expel both kidney stones and gall stones. It is believed to help stimulate the production of bile and to promote healthy liver and gall bladder function. It is also traditionally used to clear obstruction throughout the various internal organs of the body by promoting the elimination of mucous and stones.
In South America, Chanca Piedra is used to treat many conditions. It is used to treat edema and excess uric acid, as well as to treat stones of the gall bladder, kidney, and bladder. In some areas it is used to treat malaria, typhoid fever, flu, colds, constipation, dysentery, or stomach ache. In Peru, the plant is shredded and boiled and then lemon juice is added as a tonic for the liver (taken in small amounts four times daily). It is also used there for inflammation of the bowels (IBS), pimples, diabetes, and ulcers, in addition to its use for stones. In the United States, it has been found to be very effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome. Chanca piedra has also traditionally been used for diabetes, prostate disorders, asthma” fever, tumors, bladder infections, as a diuretic, to remove excess uric acid (as in gout), for painful joints, jaundice, pimples, indigestion, constipation, vaginitis, viruses of the reproductive tract, proctitis, poor circulation, excessive phlegm, bronchitis, and coughs. It is also considered an anti-spasmodic and muscle relaxant, specific to the urinary tract system.
Traditionally it is also used as an anodyne( pain reliever), apertif (appetite stimulator), a digestive, carminative (helps gas to be expelled from stomach and intestines), and vermifuge (expels worms and other parasites from the intestinal tract), diuretic, and emmenagogue (stimulates menstrual flow).
Drug Interactions
None known.
Selected Bibliography
Duke, James and Vasquez, Rudolfo, Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton
Mehrotra, R, In vitro studies on the effect of certain natural products against hepatiis B virus, Indian J Med Res 92, 133-138 (1990).
Ogata, T, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor from Phyllanthus niruri, AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 8 (11), 1937-1944 (1992).
Quian-Cutrone, J., Niruriside, a new HIV REV/RRE binding inhibitor from Phyllanthus niruri, J Nat Prod 59(2), 196-199 (1996).
Shimizu, M., Studies on aldose reductase inhibitors from natural products. II. Active components of a Paraguayan crude drug Para-parai mi, Phyllanthus niruri, Chem Pharm Bull ( Tokyo ) 37 (9), 2531-2532 (1989).
Syamasundar, K. V., 1985. Antihepatotoxic principles of Phyllanthus niruri herbs, J. Ethnopharmacol 14 (I), 41-44 (1985).
Thyagarajan, S. P., In vitro inactivation of HBsAg by Eclipta alba Hassk and Phyllanthus niruri, Indian J Med Res, 76, 124-130 (1982). “Effects of an extract from Phyllanthus niruri on hepatitis B and woodchuck hepatitis viruses: in vitro and in vivo studies”, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 84 (1), 274-278 (1987).
Wang, M, Herbs of the genus Phyllanthus in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B: observations with three preparations from different sites, J Lap Clin Med 126 (4), 350-352 (1995).
Yeh, Sl Fl, et al., Effect of an Extract from Phyllanthus amarus on Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Gene Expression in Human Hepatoma Cells, Antiviral Research 20 (1993): 185-92.
