– Chanca Piedra - Related Research –

Phyllantus amanes (PA)
PA is a perennial herb common in hot central and southern areas of the Indian Subcontinent.

Chemistry
The extract of the leaves contains various alkaloids, lignans, flavonoids and triterpenes, including phyllanthin and hypophyilanthis as well as ellagic acid. Traditionally, the plant has been used as a stomachic, diuretic, ferbifuge, antiseptic, and as a remedy for diarrhea. In addition, PA has been used to provide support for urogenital conditions.

Pharmacological effects
PA has been reported to exhibit marked antihepatitis B virus surface antigen activity in in-vivo (Thyagarajan etal (1998), 1490 a, b; Shead, et-al, 1992) and in-vitro studies (Blumburg, 1991). Infectitious hepatitis is due to the inability of the bodies immune system to eliminate the virus from the liver cells: hence the “carrier state”. An infection with the virus is documented by detectable levels of various viral antigens in the blood, including HBaAg (the surface antigen of the virus) as well as antibodies to the core of virus (HBc antibodies). In one study, 37 patients with chronic viral hepatitis B were treated with a daily dose of 600mg of PA for 30 days. 59% of the patients lost the HBsAg two weeks after the end of the treatment. Furthermore, none of the cases followed for up to 9 months had any symptoms of HBsAg. The authors postulated that PA may inhibit proliferation of the virus by inhibiting replication of the genetic material of the virus.

In another clinical trial involving 160 children (age 1-12 years) with infective hepatitis, the authors reported “cures” in 101 children with 59 dropouts. Normal appetite was seen in 7 days, while jaundice, hepatic tenderness, and other clinical features all disappeared completely within 5 weeks.

Gallstones / Kidney stones
It is reported that over 600, 000 patients are treated for gallstones in the U.S. alone for each year. In South America, PA is commonly known as “Chanca Piedre” which in the local dialect of Spanish means, “to break stone”. PA has been used to eliminate gall bladder and kidney stones. In addition, PA has been used to treat gall bladder infections In South America, and is often taken in the form of tea. PA has been used in Germany and France to treat gall bladder and kidney stones with over a 95% success rate within 1-2 weeks of treatment. In France, Brazilian researchers have postulated that phyllanthin has powerful spasmolytic activity, which is probably the mechanism by which stones are expelled.

References

1. Freitas AM, Schor N, Boim MA. “The effect of Phyllanthus niruri on urinary inhibitors of calcium oxalate crystallization and other factors associated with renal stone formation.” BJU Int 2002 Jun; 89(9): 829-34.
2. Campos AH, Schor N. “Phyllanthus niruri inhibits calcium oxalate endocytosis by renal tubular cells: its role in urolithiasis.” Nephron 1999; 81(4): 393-7.
3. Ogata T, Higuchi H, Mochida S, Matsumoto H, Kato A, Endo T, Kaji A, Kaji H. “HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor from Phyllanthus niruri.” AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1992 Nov; 8(11): 1937-44.
4. Campos AH, Schor N. “Phyllanthus niruri inhibits calcium oxalate endocytosis by renal tubular cells: its role in urolithiasis.” Nephron 1999; 81(4): 393-7.
5. Mehrotra R, Rawat S, Kulshreshtha DK, Patnaik GK, Dhawan BN. “In vitro studies on the effect of certain natural products against hepatitis B virus.” Indian J Med Res 1990 Apr; 92: 133-8.
6. Syamasundar KV, Singh B, Thakur RS, Husain A, Kiso Y, Hikino H. “Antihepatotoxic principles of Phyllanthus niruri herbs.” J Ethnopharmacol 1985 Sep; 14(1): 41-4.

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