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Herb library · Herb · Phyllanthus niruri

Chanca piedra (stone breaker)

A small tropical weed whose seeds hang in a row under its leaves, sold across Latin America as "stone breaker" for kidney stones. A few small studies suggest a modest effect on stones; a trial for hepatitis B found no benefit.

Traditional use

Its Spanish and Portuguese names, chanca piedra and quebra-pedra, mean "stone breaker," for its use for kidney stones, and it is the ingredient most often listed in commercial herbal kidney-stone products. In a 2015 survey in Trinidad the whole plant of its close relative Phyllanthus amarus, called "seed-under-leaf," was drunk for diabetes, and other seed-under-leaf species for high blood pressure and "stoppage of water" (trouble passing urine).

What studies show

  • Limited

    Kidney stones: a 2020 meta-analysis found only two controlled studies in people; pooled, stone size and number fell modestly. A 2025 systematic review reports no significant side effects in long-term use and a possible benefit when taken alongside shock-wave lithotripsy, but the studies are small and mixed. It does not replace a urologist's care.

  • Limited· shows no benefit

    Chronic hepatitis B: in a 2018 double-blind trial in 50 people, a year of Phyllanthus niruri did not lower the amount of virus in the blood more than placebo, and no one cleared the infection; the trial was stopped for lack of benefit.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionKidney stones can block the kidney. Severe side or back pain, fever, or blood in the urine needs urgent care, not an herb.
  • InteractionIt is used for diabetes and high blood pressure in folk practice. If you take medicine for either, tell your clinician before using it.
  • PregnancyNo safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding supports its use; avoid it then.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

Sources

  1. Phyllanthus niruri (stone breaker) herbal therapy for kidney stones; a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical efficacy, and Google Trends analysis of public interest (Can J Urol, 2020) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Phyllanthus niruri in the management of nephrolithiasis: A systematic review of the literature (Actas Urol Esp, 2025) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Phyllanthus niruri versus Placebo for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Complement Med Res, 2018) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  4. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Trinidad (J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2015) — full text on PubMed Central (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.