Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Western
Stonebreaker (Phyllanthus niruri), of the Phyllanthaceae (Euphorbiaceae) family. Small erect annual herb with feathery, two-ranked branchlets; native range: pantropical weed of India, tropical Asia and the Amazon basin. Globally recognized as bhumyamalaki, tamalaki in Sanskrit, bhui amla, jangli amli in Hindi, and chanca piedra, gale of the wind, seed-under-leaf in English. The part used is whole plant. Delicate green herb, bitter and grassy, the tiny round fruits ranged along the underside of the sprays.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
STONEBREAKER
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Stonebreaker
- Scientific name
- Phyllanthus niruri L. (P. fraternus G.L.Webster)
- Family
- Phyllanthaceae (Euphorbiaceae)
Form
- Part used
- whole plant
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter (tikta) · astringent (kashaya)
- Western
- bitter · astringent
Temperature
Ayurveda: cooling (sheeta)
Western: cool
convergence: both {witness_count} witnesses read it cool — a bitter liver-cooler in each
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- liver · kidneys · bladder
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- yakriduttejaka (hepatic), pittasaraka (cholagogue), deepana, mutrala (diuretic), kamalaghna (relieves jaundice), kaphapittahara
- Western
- hepatoprotective, litholytic, diuretic, antiviral, bitter, hypoglycaemic
Cautions
Contraindications: hypoglycaemia and cold conditions; large doses in pregnancy
Toxicity: well tolerated in customary doses
Interactions
- Western
- antidiabetic agents: adds to blood-sugar lowering · antihypertensives: adds to blood-pressure lowering · diuretics: additive diuresis
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