Herb of the Week: Chanca Piedra

 What is Chanca Piedra


Chanca Piedra known in English as stone breaker is an herb from the amazons with 4 different varieties: Pyllanthum Niruri, Phyllanthus Amarus, Phyllanthus Sellowianus and Phyllanthus Urinaria.
P. Niruri is the one known in tropical places such as the amazon while P. Amarus and P. Sellowianus is the one that grows in dry tropical regions. The 4 plants are alike and exhibit similar medicinal activities but some of them have stronger effects on certain conditions.

Some Active Constituents


Some active constituents are lignans, flavonoids, alkaloids, ellagitannins and phenylpropanoids and others.. One of my favorite flavonoids is rutin and quercetin which are also present on this interesting plant.

Traditional Medicinal Uses and Preparation

Traditionally the plant has been used to treat kidney stones, gallstones, malaria, colic, jaundice, parasites, fever and pain.
The whole plant is used and is prepared as a decoction. Tincture is not recommended because the alcohol content destroy all the water soluble constituents rendering the plant ineffective.

Research and Chanca Piedra

Research has found that chanca piedra indeed is good for its traditional uses yet it has also found that it lowers blood cholesterol, triglycerides, lowers blood sugar and blood pressure. It has been found to act as an inhibitor of Aldose Reductase the culprit of macular degeneration and diabetic neuropathy. Its inhibition is not limited to Aldose Reductase but it acts as a reverse transcriptase inhibitor which makes it idoneous for HBV, leukemia, sarcoma and HIV.
Has been proven to slow and prevent cancer cell proliferation by inhibiting mutations and breaks on DNA; it also has shown to protect the cells and the liver against carcinogenic substances.
Has been found to be 7 times more effective than aspirin and acetaminophen as pain reliever.

Chanca Piedra and Modern Use
 Chanca Piedra has been widely used in Brazil and you can find it on pharmacies as pills or capsules...it has been used in China, and India also.

The Future and Chanca Piedra  
Because chanca piedra is effective by only using water it can not be developed as a drug and giving the circumstances that chanca piedra's medicinal properties relies on synergetic properties rather than on isolated compounds this makes the herb less "marketable, researchable, and profitable" for companies so expect this herb to be in a dark corner of the closet ...