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.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0065774320300294
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123971548000348
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272726146_Evaluation_of_chemical_constituents_of_Phyllanthus_Niruri
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.01109/full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6222918/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0023643807000278
https://academic.oup.com/jpp/article/68/8/953/6128179
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383586606001961
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1995764514600055
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6222918/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1211/jpp.58.12.0001
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0731708502003357
https://academic.oup.com/jpp/article/68/8/953/6128179
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4419-1352-4_5
Image credit: “Bhumya-amalaki (Sanskrit: भूम्�” by Dinesh Valke