What Is Chanca Piedra?
Chanca piedra is Phyllanthus niruri, a small herb from tropical South America whose Spanish name translates as stone breaker. Remedy's Chanca Piedra supplies 1000 mg per vegan capsule, with 60 capsules per bottle, which makes the amount used in the main human trial exactly 2 capsules a day.
The name is folklore rather than a demonstrated mechanism, and no published trial shows the herb dissolving an existing stone. What the research examined is different and more specific: stone clearance after a lithotripsy procedure, and urinary calcium in stone formers.
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1000 mg per capsule: The trial used 2 g daily, so 2 capsules match it.
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Single ingredient: No blend, so any effect is traceable to 1 thing.
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60 capsules: 30 days at the 2-capsule trial amount.
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Vegan capsule: No gelatin.
Background on the plant, its 2 human trials and its traditional use is in our chanca piedra overview.
The Trial Everyone Quotes, With the Number They Leave Out
The most-cited study randomised 150 patients with calcium oxalate stones after shock wave lithotripsy. Seventy-eight took the extract at 2 g daily for at least 3 months, and the headline stone-free rate is quoted everywhere without its p value.
| Result at 180 days |
Extract group |
Control |
p |
| Stone-free rate, all patients |
93.5% |
83.3% |
0.48 |
| Stone-free rate, lower calyx |
93.7% |
70.8% |
0.01 |
| Needed re-treatment |
39.7% |
43.3% |
0.2 |
| Side effects recorded |
None |
None |
— |
A p value of 0.48 means the overall difference is consistent with chance.[1]Can Phyllanthus niruri affect the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for renal stones? A randomized, prospective, long-term study — The Journal of Urology (2006) View source Only the lower calyx subgroup, 56 patients, reached significance. The full reading of that table is in chanca piedra for kidney stones.
What the Pooled Evidence Adds Up To
A systematic review pooled the controlled human data on this herb and found only 2 qualifying studies in the entire literature. That is the honest ceiling on what anyone can claim for it.
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2 studies: Everything published that met inclusion criteria.
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Stone size: Standardised mean difference −0.39, p = 0.01.
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Stone number: Standardised mean difference −0.38, p = 0.01.
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Authors' wording: Modest efficacy, pending further study.
The same paper noted that public search interest in the herb overtook interest in lithotripsy after 2015, which is a fair summary of the gap between attention and evidence.[2]Phyllanthus niruri (stone breaker) herbal therapy for kidney stones; a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical efficacy, and Google Trends analysis of public interest — The Canadian Journal of Urology (2020) View source Each claim is graded in what the research shows.
How to Take Chanca Piedra
Two capsules daily reproduces the 2 g used in the trial, and the trial ran for at least 3 months. Take them with water, and treat the bottle as a defined 30-day block rather than an open-ended habit.
| Format |
Typical amount |
What it matches |
| Capsules, this product |
2 daily = 2000 mg |
The studied trial amount |
| Capsules, 1 daily |
1000 mg |
Half the trial amount |
| Tea, dried herb |
Varies by brew |
Nothing measured in a trial |
| Tincture |
Varies by extract strength |
Nothing measured in a trial |
Tea is the traditional format and brings fluid with it, which is not a trivial side benefit given the strength of the hydration evidence. Formats, amounts and timing are compared in the dosage guide.
Safety, Medications and Who Should Avoid It
The 150-patient trial recorded no side effects in either group across 180 days of follow-up, which is a genuinely good safety signal for a 3-month course. The real cautions are about medication and pregnancy rather than about the herb harming a healthy person.
| Situation |
What to do |
| Diuretics or blood pressure medication |
Pharmacist check before starting |
| Diabetes medication |
Monitor readings and mention it at review |
| Anticoagulants |
The standard check for any new daily herb |
| Pregnancy or breastfeeding |
Avoid; traditional uterine use and 0 safety data |
| Existing kidney disease |
Clinician conversation first |
| Under 18 |
The trials enrolled adults only |
Red flags outrank all of it: fever or chills with flank pain, inability to pass urine, vomiting that will not settle, or pain your usual painkillers do not touch all need urgent assessment rather than a capsule. Details are in side effects and who should avoid it.
What This Product Is Not For
Two claims travel with this herb online that we will not make. Gallstones and liver detox are both marketed heavily and neither has human trial support for this plant.
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Gallstones: 0 human trials; they form differently and sit in a different organ.
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Liver detox: The research is on Phyllanthus species in hepatitis B, not on healthy livers.
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Dissolving a stone: Not shown in any trial, at any amount.
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Replacing urology care: The trial studied it after a procedure, never instead of one.
Where those claims came from, and what the Cochrane reviews actually concluded, is set out in chanca piedra for gallstones and liver health.
Keeping It in Proportion
Pooled across 9 studies, high fluid intake gave a relative risk of 0.40 for stone events, drawn from 2 randomised trials with 269 patients and 7 observational studies with 273,685 individuals. No supplement in this category comes near that.
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Fluid first: Roughly a 60% lower risk, and the intervention is tap water.
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Stone analysis: 1 laboratory result changes what prevention should look like.
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24-hour urine test: Clinician-led, and it beats guessing.
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The herb: 2 controlled studies, sitting behind all of the above.
We sell this herb and still put hydration ahead of it, because the evidence does.[3]Treatment effect, adherence, and safety of high fluid intake for the prevention of incident and recurrent kidney stones: a systematic review and meta-analysis — Journal of Nephrology (2016) View source The full prevention picture is in how to prevent kidney stones.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chanca piedra good for? +
The published human work is narrow: stone clearance after shock wave lithotripsy, and urinary calcium in calcium stone formers. Only 2 controlled studies met inclusion criteria for the pooled analysis, and their effects were modest.
Does chanca piedra really break kidney stones? +
Not 1 trial has shown that. The name translates as stone breaker, which is folklore rather than a mechanism. What the research suggests is an effect on clearance of fragments after a procedure and on urinary calcium.
How many capsules should I take? +
Two capsules daily gives 2000 mg, which is the amount used in the 150-patient trial. That trial ran for at least 3 months, so 1 bottle of 60 capsules covers 30 days of it.
How long does it take to work? +
The trial measured its outcome at 180 days, after at least 3 months of daily use. Nothing published supports a result in days, and any page promising 1 week is inventing a timeframe.
Can chanca piedra damage your kidneys? +
There is no signal of kidney harm in the published trial, where 150 patients were followed for 180 days with 0 recorded side effects. Anyone with existing kidney disease should still ask a clinician before a 3-month course.
What medications interact with it? +
Four classes justify a pharmacist conversation: diuretics, blood pressure medication, diabetes medication and anticoagulants. None has a documented disaster attached, and all 4 take a minute to check.
Can I take it during pregnancy? +
No. Traditional use includes uterine stimulation and there are 0 human safety data in pregnancy, so this is 1 of the clearest avoid entries on the list. The same applies while breastfeeding.
Is it better as tea or as capsules? +
Capsules are the only format with a measured amount behind them, since the trial used 2 g of extract daily. Tea is traditional and unmeasured, though it does add fluid, which has its own strong evidence.
Does chanca piedra work for gallstones? +
There are 0 human trials for gallstones. They form differently, in a different organ, and repeated gallbladder pain is usually managed surgically rather than with any supplement.
Can it replace lithotripsy or surgery? +
No. All 150 patients in the trial had already had shock wave lithotripsy, and the herb was studied as an adjunct afterwards. Delaying a needed procedure risks obstruction and infection.
What is the strongest thing I can do about stones? +
Drink more fluid. Pooled across 9 studies, high fluid intake gave a relative risk of 0.40 for stone events, which is roughly a 60% reduction, and no supplement in this category is close to it.
Does it help every type of stone? +
All 150 patients in the main trial had calcium oxalate stones, so other types were not represented. Uric acid stones are managed differently, often with urinary alkalinisation under clinician supervision.
How long does 1 bottle last? +
Sixty capsules is 30 days at the 2-capsule trial amount, or 60 days at 1 capsule. The published trial ran at least 3 months, so plan the block before starting rather than mid-way.
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