Phyllanthus niruri Seeds | Stonebreaker

Minute, pale brown Stonebreaker seeds, three-sided and smooth, on a plain background — Stonebreaker (*Phyllanthus niruri*): Phyllanthaceae, native to the tropics of the Americas and now widespread on warm coastal ground.

LATIN NAME: Phyllanthus niruri

COMMON NAME: Stonebreaker

Plant Profile

Stonebreaker is a slender, upright herb of the leaf-flower family, thirty to sixty centimetres tall, with a wiry stem and short branches carrying two rows of small, oblong leaflets that give it the look of a fern rather than a flowering plant. Its flowers are minute and greenish, and its small, smooth capsules hang beneath the branchlets.

It grows on warm coastal ground, in waste places and in cultivated fields across the tropics of the Americas, and it has spread through Africa and Asia. In Amazonia it is chanca piedra, stone breaker, and in India it is a standard ingredient of Ayurvedic liver preparations.

Science & Biotechnology

The plant contains lignans, particularly phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin, together with tannins and flavonoids, and these compounds are the basis of its reputation as a liver herb. Laboratory work has shown antiviral and hepatoprotective activity, and small clinical trials have looked at its effect in chronic hepatitis B, with some promising but not definitive results.

Its reputation as a stone dissolver is older than the evidence: the name chanca piedra is a traditional claim, and while the plant has a diuretic effect that may help small stones pass, there is no good evidence that it dissolves established stones. That distinction between a tradition and a proven action is worth keeping in mind when the herb is sold.

Uses & Benefits

The whole plant is used in decoctions and tinctures for liver complaints, for jaundice and for urinary discomfort, and it is one of the most widely sold herbs in South America. In India it appears in proprietary liver tonics, often combined with other bitter plants.

In the garden it is a plant of warm, sandy ground, interesting for its fern-like branchlets and its almost invisible flowers. It is not a ornamental subject, but it is a useful one to recognise, since it turns up in pots and paths wherever the climate is warm enough. In Brazil it is sold in capsule form, often blended with milk thistle and artichoke for liver support.

Growing from Seed

Sow in spring at 22 to 28 °C on the surface of a light, free-draining compost, and press the seed in without covering it deeply. Germination is fast and even, and the seedlings grow quickly enough to flower within two months.

Keep the plants in full sun and let the compost dry slightly between waterings; too much water produces soft growth and root rot. Allow a few plants to set seed if a continuing patch is wanted, since the plant is short-lived and relies on its seed bank. A spell in a warm frame over winter will produce a second generation before the season is out. In warm climates it will seed itself in a pot of damp compost, and the seedlings are easy to lift and move.

Our Take

The chanca piedra of Amazonian and Ayurvedic practice, and a modest weed in the garden. Grow it for interest and for the pharmacy shelf, not as a substitute for medical care.

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