Phyllanthus niruri – also known as chanca piedra, stone breaker or “gale of the wind” – is one of the most-studied medicinal plants. Decades of research and clinical studies show that the plant contains various phytochemicals and is effective at treating and preventing liver disease, cancer, diabetes, UTIs and gallstones.
As a result, there are a lot of chanca piedra supplements available. Not surprisingly, the quality and effectiveness of these supplements can vary drastically and there are lots of fake positive reviews. To find the best chanca piedra, I did an in-depth review of available supplements based on potency, extraction method and other important quality markers. Here’s the list and also what you need to know to choose the best supplement for you.
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Choosing a Phyllanthus Niruri Supplement
When deciding which Phyllanthus niruri supplement to get, you’ll mainly want to look at the formulation, what part of the plant is used, how it was produced and whether testing was done.
Formulation
Most Phyllanthus niruri supplements are available in these forms:
- Tea: These contain dried Phyllanthus niruri leaves and stems. To make, you bring water to a boil, add the tea, let simmer for 5-15 minutes and then strain.
- Powders: Phyllanthus niruri powder contain dried plant matter which has been blended into a powder. It is often put into a capsule for convenience.
- Extracts: These supplements are made by soaking Phyllanthus niruri in a solvent (such as alcohol or glycerin) and then straining out the plant matter.
Of the three forms, Phyllanthus niruri extracts are the most potent. Research shows that alcohol extracts of Phyllanthus niruri are twice as strong as tea preparations. Capsules of dried Phyllanthus niruri are even less potent than tea because boiling helps break down parts of the plant so they are better absorbed by the body.
Part of Plant Used
All parts of Phyllanthus niruri contain compounds with health benefits. However, research repeatedly shows that the leaves of the plant contain more phytochemicals than the stems or roots. Because of this, high-quality Phyllanthus niruri supplements are made from the leaves only. Cheaper supplements use mostly the stems or roots.
Note that the roots and stems contain some different phytochemicals than found in the leaves. Because of this, some people prefer to take chanca piedra supplements made from the entire plant as it will provide a wider variety of phytochemicals – even if they are in lower concentrations.
Third Party Testing
When heavy metals accumulate in soil, such as from mining or other pollution, they can be absorbed by plants. This can then affect the potency of medicinal plants and also cause negative health effects. Because of this, it is very important that you get your Phyllanthus niruri supplement from a trusted source which performs third-party testing for heavy metals.
Ideally, the company sources their Phyllanthus niruri from local farms so they have control over the growing conditions. By contrast, a lot of generic companies use multiple sources so the quality varies and you never know what you are going to get.
List of the Best Phyllanthus Niruri Supplements
Below are the best brands of phyllanthus niruri supplements, based on the extraction process used, potency, whether third-party testing was done and manufacturer transparency. You’ll notice that a lot of the most popular chanca piedra supplements on Amazon don’t make the list — especially since many have obviously fake reviews.
1. B’Leaf Nature Chanca Piedra Exract
This is a very good brand of chanca piedra. The capsules contain Phyllanthus niruri extract. The extract is made with the water extraction process which does not use any solvents such as hexane. The brand is also very open about sharing their testing results. Depending on the batch, the Phyllanthus Niruri is sourced from South America or Asia.
- Contains Phyllanthus Niruri extract in 10:1 strength
- Water extraction method
- Made from leaves
- Third party tested by ISO certified lab
- 500mg extract per capsule
- 100 capsules per bottle
- Buy Here
2. Blue Organix Chanca Piedra
Blue Organix is a smaller company which makes just a few supplements, most sourced from the Amazon rainforest. Their chanca piedra is made with alcohol extraction, a process which is very good at extracting the plant’s phytochemicals and also has a long shelf life. Unfortunately, the company is so small that they don’t readily provide third party testing results.
- Contains Phyllanthus Niruri extract in 5:1 strength
- Alcohol extraction
- Made from whole plant
- Wild sourced Amazon rainforest in Peru
- 2oz bottle
- Buy Here
3. Herb Pharm Urinary Support
Herb Pharm is a really reputable brand of supplements. They make this herbal extract blend which contains chanca piedra as well as several other ingredients for urinary and kidney support. The chanca piedra is wild-sourced and some of the other ingredients are certified organic. As an alcohol extract made with just the aerial parts of chanca piedra (not the root), it should be very potent, bioavailable and have a long shelf life.
- Contains chanca piedra, hydrangea root, celery seed and burdock seed
- Alcohol extraction
- Made with aerial parts of chanca piedra
- 172mg herb per 0.7ml liquid
- Certified organic and sustainably wildcrafted
- 1oz and 4oz bottles
- Buy Here
4. EU Natural Stone Breaker Extract
Unlike most capsules which just contain dried chanca piedra, this supplement actually contains the extract. It also contains several other extracts for supporting urinary and gallbladder health, plus BioPerine (black pepper) to increase absorption. The company does do third-party testing. They would get ranked higher if they’d just be more open about where they source their chanca piedra and the extraction methods used.
- Contains extracts of chanca piedra, hydrangea, celery seed, boron and BioPerine
- 6g per capsule
- 60 capsules per bottle
- Third party tested
- Buy Here
5. HerbEra Chanca Piedra Extract
If you prefer glycerin extracts over alcohol extracts, than this is a good chanca piedra supplement for you. It is made from just the leaves of the plant in a high concentration. The company does third party testing and will provide test results upon request.
- Contains chanca piedra extract
- Glycerin extraction
- Made with leaves
- 333mg herb per 1ml liquid
- Third party tested
- 2oz and 4oz bottles
- Buy Here
6. VitaLiver Advanced Liver Support
If your main reason for taking chanca piedra is liver or gallbladder health, then this is a good formula. It contains several extracts which are well-researched. All of the extracts in the formula are made with a cold glycerin-extraction process. Unfortunately, they don’t list the extraction ratio or amounts of their priority formula.
- Contains milk thistle, chanca piedra, angelica, artichoke, & dandelion
- Glycerin extraction
- Third-party testing
- Buy Here
7. Logic Nutra Chanca Piedra Tablets
These tablets contain extracts of chanca piedra, cranberry and celery. The combination is good for urinary tract health as well as kidney stones. Note that the tablets contain a lot of extract, so they are fairly big and a bit hard to swallow. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t provide much info about lab testing or where their herbs are sourced from. That’s why it is lower on the list of best chanca piedra supplements, despite being so popular.
- Contains chanca piedra extract in 4:1 strength, cranberry extract, celery extract
- 800mg chanca piedra per tablet; 25mg cranberry extract and 25mg celery extract
- 120 tablets per bottle
- Buy Here