Chancapiedra

Botanical description:

It is a small erect annual wild bush growing up to 30 to 60 cm in height. Its leaves are 7 to 12cm long; they are alternate, sessile oblong. It has small off-white-greenish flowers which are solitary, auxiliary, pedicellate, apetalous, and monoecious. Its small fruits measure 2 to 3 mm in diameter and are inside a compressed and globose capsule. It has a long and not very ramified root, as well as triangular and verrucose seeds. It is indigenous to the Amazonas rainforest and other tropical areas, including the Bahamas, India and China.

Action modes:

The antispasmodic activity of alkaloids in chanca piedra was documented by Brazilian researchers in the mid 1980's. The alkaloid extract demonstrated smooth muscle relaxation specific to the urinary and biliary tract, which the researchers surmised would facilitate the expulsion of kidney or bladder calculi. The antihepatotoxic (liver protecting) activity of Chanca Piedra was attributed to two compounds called phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin.
Glycosides found in Chanca Piedra demonstrated Aldose reductase (AR) inhibitory activity in studies conducted by a Japanese research group in 1988 and 1989. The analgesic activity of Chanca Piedra was demonstrated in 1994 and 1995 by another research group in Brazil. The diuretic, hypotensive and hypoglycemic effects of Chanca Piedra were documented in a 1995 human study which showed a significant diuretic effect, a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in non-diabetic hypertensives and blood glucose was also significantly reduced in diabetic patients taking Chanca Piedra for 10 days.

Pharmacological information:

Clinical studies Its beneficent effect for the liver and the results in the treatment of icterus have been proved in a clinical research by Dixit and Achar (1983) and by Syamasundar et al. (1985). This verification led to studies related to its possible action against hepatitis, especially against hepatitis B. In 1982, a group of Indian scientists led by S.P. Thyagarajan proved in vitro that the extracts of this plant deactivate the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus. This finding was verified by Venkateswaran et al. at the Chase Cancer Center of Philadelphia, who made experiments with the marmot's hepatitis virus, because its biological behavior is very similar to human hepatitis B. Since last century, scholars of different countries have emphasized its beneficent action as diuretic; in 1941 Van Der Woerd conducted controlled tests and had a positive results on such regard.

BACK TO AMAZON<<<