Chanca piedra (Phyllanthus niruri, gale of the wind)

Also called Phyllanthus niruri, gale of the wind, stonebreaker, stone breaker, quebra-pedra, seed-under-leaf.

Best grade B across 8 graded outcomes Botanical Last checked Oct 21, 2026

The short answer

From 12 sources

Chanca piedra (Phyllanthus niruri) is the most common ingredient in kidney-stone supplements, but controlled evidence is limited: in a 69-person trial it changed urinary calcium only in people with high calcium and did not improve stone passage. Liver trials were mostly null on their main outcomes, and a placebo-controlled hepatitis B trial was stopped for lack of benefit. Short-term safety looks acceptable.

Every graded outcome on this page

8 rows · line = participants

Grade BLiver fat, liver enzymes and fibrosis score in fatty liverLivern 226
Grade CHepatitis B virus markersHepatitis Bn 1,326
Grade CStone clearance after shock-wave lithotripsyKidney stonesn 150
Grade CLiver enzymes and fibrosis score with a P. niruri and milk thistle combinationLivern 128
Grade CLiver function in alcoholic hepatitisLivern 71
Grade CUrine chemistry and stone passage in calcium stone formersKidney stonesn 69
Grade DUrine chemistry and stone eliminationKidney stonesn 56
Grade DHepatitis B viral loadHepatitis Bn 47
5 more graded outcomes, in the evidence chapter

Key facts

Kidney stones: In 69 calcium stone formers, 3 months of P. niruri did not change urine chemistry overall or stone passage versus placebo; urinary calcium fell only in the subgroup with high urinary calcium¹
After lithotripsy: In 150 people who had shock-wave lithotripsy, 2 g/day gave a 93.5% vs 83.3% stone-free rate at 180 days (not significant overall); the authors report a benefit for lower-pole stones¹¹
Stone size: A meta-analysis found only two controlled studies, with modest reductions in stone size and number⁶
Fatty liver: 3,000 mg/day for 12 months did not lower liver fat (CAP score) or liver enzymes versus placebo in 226 adults, though the fibrosis score improved³
Hepatitis B: A Cochrane review found no convincing evidence of benefit versus placebo, and a 12-month placebo-controlled trial was stopped for lack of benefit^5,2
Oxalate content: A laboratory analysis of kidney-stone supplements measured 8.2 mg of oxalate per dose of chanca piedra⁸

What it is

Chanca piedra is the herb Phyllanthus niruri, also called gale of the wind or stonebreaker, sold mainly for kidney stones and liver health.

How it works

Proposed

Reviews of laboratory and animal work describe P. niruri interfering with calcium oxalate crystal formation and growth and promoting glycosaminoglycan aggregation; in small human studies urinary calcium, oxalate and uric acid fell in subgroups with high levels. These are proposed mechanisms, not confirmed clinical effects.^9,1,7

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Chanca piedra (Phyllanthus niruri, gale of the wind) forms compared

2 forms

Chanca piedra (Phyllanthus niruri, gale of the wind) forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 forms	Dried herb or extract capsules	Herbal tea (infusion)
Absorption in people	No human absorption data.¹	Not measured.⁷
GI tolerance	No major adverse events at 3,000 mg/day for 12 months; kidney function unchanged in a 12-month hepatitis B trial.^3,2	Supplements were measured to contain 8.2 mg oxalate per dose; teas were not tested for oxalate. The uncontrolled infusion study reported no significant adverse effects.^8,7
Studied for	Kidney stones, fatty liver, hepatitis B	Traditional kidney-stone use; one uncontrolled 12-week study of an infusion in stone formers

Dried herb or extract capsules
Absorption in people
No human absorption data.¹
GI tolerance
No major adverse events at 3,000 mg/day for 12 months; kidney function unchanged in a 12-month hepatitis B trial.^3,2
Studied for
Kidney stones, fatty liver, hepatitis B
Herbal tea (infusion)
Absorption in people
Not measured.⁷
GI tolerance
Supplements were measured to contain 8.2 mg oxalate per dose; teas were not tested for oxalate. The uncontrolled infusion study reported no significant adverse effects.^8,7
Studied for
Traditional kidney-stone use; one uncontrolled 12-week study of an infusion in stone formers

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

8 graded outcomes, largest study first

8 graded outcomes: 1 improved, 5 mixed, 2 no effect. The largest, a 2011 meta-analysis of 1,326 people on hepatitis B virus markers, found mixed results.

By sizeTable

1Hepatitis B virus markers

Mixed · Grade C · Meta-analysis, 1,326 people, 2011

People with chronic hepatitis B in randomized trials (mostly China)

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Hepatitis B virus markers	Mixed	1,326	Grade C · Meta-analysis, 2011	People with chronic hepatitis B in randomized trials (mostly China)
Liver fat, liver enzymes and fibrosis score in fatty liver	Mixed	226	Grade B · RCT, 2023	Malaysian adults with mild-to-moderate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Stone clearance after shock-wave lithotripsy	Mixed	150	Grade C · RCT, 2006	Italian adults with calcium oxalate kidney stones up to 25 mm treated with shock-wave lithotripsy
Liver enzymes and fibrosis score with a P. niruri and milk thistle combination	No effect	128	Grade C · RCT, 2025	Egyptian adults with risk factors for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (146 enrolled)
Liver function in alcoholic hepatitis	Mixed	71	Grade C · RCT, 2021	Indian adults with mild-to-moderate alcoholic hepatitis
Urine chemistry and stone passage in calcium stone formers	Mixed	69	Grade C · RCT, 2004	Brazilian adults who form calcium kidney stones
Urine chemistry and stone elimination	Improved	56	Grade D · Open-label trial, 2018	Brazilian adults with kidney stones under 10 mm
Hepatitis B viral load	No effect	47	Grade D · RCT, 2018	Adults with chronic hepatitis B

Every graded row

8 rows

Form tested

Showing 8 of 8 outcomes. Human trials only.

Grade BLiver fat, liver enzymes and fibrosis score in fatty liverLiverPrimary outcomes not metRCT
n 226 · 2023

Mixed No difference from placebo in liver fat (CAP -15.05 vs -14.74 dB/m) or liver enzymes, the primary outcomes. Fibrosis score fell with the extract (-0.64 vs +0.10 kPa). No major adverse events.

Design: RCT, n = 226, 2023
Population: Malaysian adults with mild-to-moderate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Form: Standardized P. niruri extract
Dose: 3,000 mg/day
Duration: 12 months
Source: Reference 3 · PubMed 37313177 (opens PubMed)

Grade CHepatitis B virus markersHepatitis BNo convincing benefit vs placeboMeta-analysis · 16 studies
n 1,326 · 2011

Mixed Versus placebo (one trial, 42 people) there was no difference in HBeAg seroconversion. Added to antivirals, Phyllanthus improved HBV DNA and HBeAg measures, but with substantial heterogeneity and risk of bias; no serious adverse events were reported.

Design: Meta-analysis, 16 studies, n = 1,326, 2011
Population: People with chronic hepatitis B in randomized trials (mostly China)
Form: Phyllanthus species, alone or added to antiviral drugs
Dose: Varied by trial
Duration: Varied by trial
Source: Reference 5 · PubMed 21491412 (opens PubMed)

Grade CStone clearance after shock-wave lithotripsyKidney stonesNo overall difference; lower-pole benefitRCT
n 150 · 2006

Mixed Stone-free rate at 180 days was 93.5% with P. niruri vs 83.3% in untreated controls (p = 0.48 overall); the authors report a significant benefit for lower-pole (lower caliceal) stones. Re-treatment was needed in 39.7% vs 43.3%. No side effects were recorded.

Design: RCT, n = 150, 2006
Population: Italian adults with calcium oxalate kidney stones up to 25 mm treated with shock-wave lithotripsy
Form: Uriston (P. niruri extract)
Dose: 2 g/day
Duration: At least 3 months (follow-up 180 days)
Source: Reference 11 · PubMed 16890682 (opens PubMed)

Grade CLiver enzymes and fibrosis score with a P. niruri and milk thistle combinationLiverNo difference from placeboRCT
n 128 · 2025

No effect ALT fell within both dose groups, but the percentage change in ALT and AST and the Fib-4 score did not differ from placebo. The capsules were well tolerated.

Design: RCT, n = 128, 2025
Population: Egyptian adults with risk factors for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (146 enrolled)
Form: Heptex capsules: 200 mg P. niruri extract plus 100 mg milk thistle extract
Dose: 1 or 2 capsules a day (200–400 mg P. niruri)
Duration: 36 weeks
Source: Reference 12 · PubMed 39789561 (opens PubMed)

Grade CLiver function in alcoholic hepatitisLiverLiver tests unchangedRCT
n 71 · 2021

Mixed Liver and kidney function tests did not improve versus placebo. Total antioxidant levels rose (P = 0.034) and appetite improved (P = 0.03).

Design: RCT, n = 71, 2021
Population: Indian adults with mild-to-moderate alcoholic hepatitis
Form: P. niruri
Dose: Not stated in the abstract
Duration: 4 weeks
Source: Reference 4 · PubMed 34975132 (opens PubMed)

Grade CUrine chemistry and stone passage in calcium stone formersKidney stonesSubgroup effect onlyRCT
n 69 · 2004

Mixed No overall change in urinary calcium, uric acid, citrate, oxalate or other measures and no difference in stone passage or pain versus placebo; in the subgroup with high urinary calcium, urinary calcium fell.

Design: RCT, n = 69, 2004
Population: Brazilian adults who form calcium kidney stones
Form: P. niruri capsules
Dose: 450 mg capsules (frequency abbreviated 'td' in the abstract)
Duration: 3 months
Source: Reference 1 · PubMed 15221244 (opens PubMed)

Grade DUrine chemistry and stone eliminationKidney stonesLower oxalate in high-oxalate subgroupOpen-label trial
n 56 · 2018

Improved Urinary potassium rose; in people with high urinary oxalate, oxalate fell from 59.0 to 28.8 mg/24 h, and in those with high uric acid, uric acid fell. Serum measures were unchanged, and the authors report stone elimination.

Design: Open-label trial, n = 56, 2018
Population: Brazilian adults with kidney stones under 10 mm
Form: P. niruri infusion (tea)
Dose: Not stated in the abstract
Duration: 12 weeks
Source: Reference 7 · PubMed 29617079 (opens PubMed)

Grade DHepatitis B viral loadHepatitis BNo effect on viral loadRCT
n 47 · 2018

No effect No difference in viral load versus placebo and no HBsAg clearance; kidney function was unchanged and no serious adverse events occurred. The trial was stopped early for lack of benefit.

Design: RCT, n = 47, 2018
Population: Adults with chronic hepatitis B
Form: P. niruri
Dose: Not stated in the abstract
Duration: 12 months
Source: Reference 2 · PubMed 30372693 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

Popularity outpaces evidence

Online interest in common kidney-stone supplement ingredients, chanca piedra among them, ran 2- to 10-fold higher than in potassium citrate, a prescribed stone medicine, while controlled evidence for chanca piedra and stones amounts to a few small trials.^8,6,1

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from 200–400 mg/day of P. niruri extract in a combination capsule with milk thistle for 36 weeks, through 450 mg capsules (daily frequency abbreviated 'td' in the abstract) for 3 months in stone formers and 2 g/day for at least 3 months after lithotripsy, to 3,000 mg/day of a standardized extract for 12 months in fatty liver. These are research doses, not recommendations.^12,1,11,3

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Chanca piedra and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Chanca piedra.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

4 groups

People who form oxalate kidney stones: Chanca piedra supplements contained about 8.2 mg oxalate per dose in a laboratory analysis, and evidence that they reduce stones is limited; stone care is best guided by a urologist.^8,6
People with hepatitis B or liver disease: Placebo-controlled trials in hepatitis B, fatty liver and alcoholic hepatitis did not improve their main outcomes, so it is no substitute for medical care.^2,3,4,5
People on diabetes or blood-pressure medicines: In a 10-day uncontrolled study of nine people with mild high blood pressure (four with diabetes), P. amarus, which the paper lists as a synonym of P. niruri, lowered blood glucose and blood pressure and increased urine output. No study has tested chanca piedra alongside diabetes, blood-pressure or diuretic medicines, so the combination could in theory push glucose or blood pressure too low; check with your prescriber and monitor more closely.¹⁰
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: The trials enrolled non-pregnant adults; there are no human safety data for pregnancy or breastfeeding.^1,3

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

1 checks

Species

Products may contain P. niruri or related Phyllanthus species, and the Cochrane review asked future trials to report the species used. Results for one species may not apply to another.⁵

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, chanca piedra (phyllanthus niruri, gale of the wind) included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

7 answers

Does chanca piedra dissolve kidney stones?

Not shown. In a 3-month placebo-controlled trial it did not improve stone passage or pain, and a meta-analysis found only two controlled studies with modest effects on stone size.^1,6

Does chanca piedra help the liver?

In a 12-month trial in fatty liver it did not lower liver fat or enzymes versus placebo, and a hepatitis B trial was stopped for lack of benefit.^3,2

Does chanca piedra help after lithotripsy?

In a 150-person Italian trial, 2 g a day for at least 3 months after shock-wave lithotripsy gave 93.5% vs 83.3% stone-free at 180 days, which was not significant overall; the authors report a benefit only for lower-pole stones. There was no placebo.¹¹

Is chanca piedra safe?

Trials of up to 12 months reported no major adverse events, and kidney function was unchanged in one. Supplements can contain some oxalate, which matters for stone formers.^3,2,8

How long was chanca piedra taken in studies?

From 4 weeks in alcoholic hepatitis to 12 months in fatty liver and hepatitis B; the kidney-stone trials ran about 3 months.^4,3,2,1,11

Does chanca piedra interact with medications?

No interaction study has been published. In a 10-day uncontrolled study of nine people, Phyllanthus lowered blood glucose, lowered systolic blood pressure in some subgroups and increased urine output, so effects could add to diabetes, blood-pressure or diuretic medicines.¹⁰

Is gale of the wind the same as chanca piedra?

Yes. Both are common names for Phyllanthus niruri, also called stonebreaker. Some products contain related Phyllanthus species.^6,5

Sources

12 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

12 sources

1Phyllanthus niruri normalizes elevated urinary calcium levels in calcium stone forming (CSF) patients.RCT Urol Res, 2004 · PMID 15221244
2Phyllanthus niruri versus Placebo for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Randomized Controlled Trial.RCT Complement Med Res, 2018 · PMID 30372693
3Effects of one-year supplementation with Phyllanthus niruri on fibrosis score and metabolic markers in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.RCT Heliyon, 2023 · PMID 37313177
4Efficacy of Phyllanthus niruri on improving liver functions in patients with alcoholic hepatitis: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.RCT Indian J Pharmacol, 2021 · PMID 34975132
5Phyllanthus species for chronic hepatitis B virus infection.Meta-analysis Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2011 · PMID 21491412
6Phyllanthus niruri (stone breaker) herbal therapy for kidney stones; a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical efficacy, and Google Trends analysis of public interest.Meta-analysis Can J Urol, 2020 · PMID 32333735
7Effect of phyllanthus niruri on metabolic parameters of patients with kidney stone: a perspective for disease prevention.Open-label trial Int Braz J Urol, 2018 · PMID 29617079
8Evaluation of the Online Information Landscape and Oxalate Content of Purportedly Antilithogenic Ingredients.Review J Endourol, 2026 · PMID 41460700
9Phyllanthus niruri in the management of nephrolithiasis: A systematic review of the literature.Systematic review Actas Urol Esp (Engl Ed), 2025 · PMID 40480426
10Diuretic, hypotensive and hypoglycaemic effect of Phyllanthus amarus.Open-label trial Indian J Exp Biol, 1995 · PMID 8786163
11Can Phyllanthus niruri affect the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for renal stones? A randomized, prospective, long-term study.RCT J Urol, 2006 · PMID 16890682
12The activity of a herbal medicinal product of Phyllanthus niruri and Silybum marianum powdered extracts (Heptex®) in patients with apparent risk factors for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: a phase II, multicentered, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.RCT BMC Complement Med Ther, 2025 · PMID 39789561

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

2 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026evidence; studied doses; FAQ; questions; related	Added the 2006 randomised lithotripsy trial (stone clearance, 150 people) and the 2025 phase II trial of a P. niruri and milk thistle combination in people at risk of NASH (no difference from placebo); widened studied doses accordingly. Three FAQ items, three page questions and a goal-hub link. Interaction check: LactMed and LiverTox have no Phyllanthus entry, NCCIH and MedlinePlus have no page, and a PubMed search found no human interaction study (only laboratory work), so the interactions list stays empty and the glucose and blood-pressure caution stays under Who should be careful. Pregnancy note unchanged (no human data). PubMed search for meta-analyses and RCTs to October 2026 found nothing newer for stones or hepatitis B.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z audit against docs/supplements/AUDIT-STANDARD.md
Oct 14, 2026all	Initial editorial evidence review (first draft). Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (titles and years taken from the record, none retracted) and the abstract read for each cited row. Studied doses are reported as research doses, not dosing advice.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

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