• Detoxifies the liver
• Controls blood sugar and repairs pancreatic cells
• Improves nutrient absorption
• Helps keep the digestive tract clean
• Helps eliminate kidney stones and gall stones
• Has antimicrobial properties
• Boosts the immune system
• Has powerful antioxidants that scavenge for free radicals
• Protects the kidneys against diabetes-caused damage
• Supports healthy blood pressure

Detoxifies the liver

Your liver is the center of two very important bodily functions:

1. Seventy percent of the immune system is in the liver
2. The liver is “command central” for detoxification

As we age, the continual flooding of the liver by toxins and oxidizers takes its toll. Also, the liver has to break down fructose before our bodies can use it. Fructose (mostly from high fructose corn syrup) is the number one cause of fatty liver disease. This is why natural health practitioners warn you against eating foods that contain fructose.

These harmful chemicals build up in the liver and gradually cause it to become less effective, leaving more and more of the dangerous substances where they can cause the most damage.

Big Pharma has drugs that treat liver disorders, but they don’t just hide the symptoms, they generate more damage. Herbs have become the treatment of choice for liver disorders all over the world.
Research has shown that Chanca piedra helps to increase the bile the gallbladder sends to the liver. The extra bile helps detoxify the liver and aids the digestion process, improving nutrient absorption and waste elimination.

Also, researchers at The Department of Chemistry at Bose Institute in India showed that Chanca piedra has strong antioxidants that protect liver tissues against the oxidative stress of constantly dealing with toxins.

There are many more studies describing the liver-protective and healing properties of Chanca piedra. For example, a collaborative study by researchers in Malaysia and Iraq also identified the herb’s strong antioxidant properties as being a source of its liver protection capabilities. The same study also found that Chanca piedra modulates and controls key communication enzymes and proteinforming genes in its effort to protect the liver.

Controls Blood Sugar and Repairs Pancreatic Cells

If you have type II diabetes and have been praying for a cure, this may be it. Scientists at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Nigeria published a study comparing the ability of Chanca piedra against the diabetes drug, Glibenclamide.

First they tested the blood sugar levels of rats with normal blood sugar levels after a high glucose meal. Pretreatment with a methanol alcohol extract of Chanca piedra prevented a blood-sugar spike.

They then induced diabetes in a group of rats. They performed several tests on the rats, but the test that was most impressive was a 28 day test of the ability of the methanol extract to control blood sugar. They divided the rats into four groups, two of the groups received different doses of the glibendamide, and two groups received the methanol alcohol concentrate of Chanca piedra.

The rats that received the concentrate showed consistently lower blood sugar levels than the rats that received the drug. In addition, the concentrate rats showed lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than the drug rats.

Further tests showed that hemoglobin (Hb) levels of all the animals was reduced at the start of the test. At the 28 day point the Hb levels in concentrate treated rats had begun to increase, but the Hb levels in drug treated rats continued to decline.

The concentrate treated rats and drug treated rats both had an initial decrease in red blood cells (RBC). The RBC count started to increase in the drug treated rats on day 14, but didn’t increase in the concentrate treated rats until day 28.

White blood cell counts were increased in the concentrate treated rats.

The best part, however, was that the insulin-making cells in the pancreas of the concentrate treated rats were restored to health, while those treated with the drug were not. According to the scientists:
“Histological studies showed that ME-treated diabetic rats had the tissue architecture of their pancreas restored as against the control groups where there was evidence of necrosis.”

Helps Eliminate Kidney and Gall Stones

Researchers at Renal Division, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Unifesp, Sao Paulo, Brazil confirmed this herb’s ability to help prevent kidney stones and gall stones:

“Phyllanthus niruri has been shown to interfere with many stages of stone formation, reducing crystals aggregation, modifying their structure and composition as well as altering the interaction of the crystals with tubular cells leading to reduced subsequent endocytosis.”

Antimicrobial Properties

In a study at Sección Virología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay, scientists tested 24 plant species for toxicity against the herpes simplex 1 virus. Chanca piedra was one of the three most powerful agents tested.

Another study at the Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, scientists verified chanca piedra’s antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae.

While not all of the microbes Chanca piedra is effective against have been documented, it is one of the strongest natural antimicrobials with a very broad spectrum, similar to garlic or oregano oil. It has been used to fight everything from kidney infections, flu and colds to syphilis, gonorrhea and tuberculosis.

Don’t take chances with infections. Try Chanca piedra tea and oregano oil (up to 600 mg of a 1 to 10 concentrate) every four hours, or Garlic tea every four hours. You can mix the garlic tea with either oregano oil or Chanca piedra. Continue the treatment for about four days to make sure you have completely iliminated the bug. If you don’t get some improvement within a couple of days seek competent (natural) professional help.

Boosts the Immune System

The three most important types of immune system cells are lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages. These cell types have round nucleus and are called “mononuclear cells.”

• Lymphocytes are a subtype of white blood cells, including natural killer cells, T-cells, and B-cells.
• Monocytes are the largest white blood cells. They can differentiate into macrophages and dendritic cells.
• Macrophages are large white blood cells that ingest invaders and cellular debris, such as that caused by infection.

Research has shown that Chanca piedra activates all three of these cell types, strengthening the immune system and protecting against invaders.

Strong Antioxidant

The University of Malaya study also documented that Chanca piedra’s high phenol content results in free radical scavenging activities with elevated levels of ferric reducing antioxidant power.
This provides protection against DNA damage and helps us deal with physical stress, in addition to playing a role in the other benefits offered by this adaptogenic herb.

Protects the Kidneys from Diabetes-Caused Damage

High blood sugar is known to cause oxidative stress that often leads to morphological damage and eventual failure to the kidneys.

Researchers have documented Chanca piedra’s antioxidant constituents that target the oxidants responsible for this damage. They have also shown that Chanca piedra reduces oxidative stress in the kidney by supporting our natural antioxidant processes and preventing the decrease in activity levels of our existing antioxidant enzymes.

Dosage

Dosage depends on what you are treating and what form the herb is in:

As a supplement, about 500 mg dried powder in capsules or 1-3 cups of tea daily is pretty standard.
For most infections, this can be increased to four times daily.

Patients with liver disease took three grams of dried powder for 30-45 days.

Viral hepatitis researchers found 900 mg powdered herb capsules three times a day for seven days was safe.

For diabetes researchers used 1.6 grams dried chanca piedra twice daily for ten days.

For kidney stones, patients took 450 mg three times daily for three months.

For high blood pressure, test subjects took 1.6 grams three times daily for ten days.

Hepatitis B patients took between 200 and 1,100 mg three times daily for three months.

Warnings and Side Effects

No dangerous side effects or complications were reported in any of the studies.

Pregnant and breast-feeding women, or women who are trying to get pregnant, should not take Chanca Piedra. It may block pregnancy or increase the risk of low birth weight and birth defects.

Chanca piedra may prevent blood clotting in people with bleeding disorders.

Chanca piedra may affect blood sugar levels dangerously in people with diabetes. Be aware of the symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemiadisorientation, confusion, loss of memory) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use chanca piedra.

Stop using chanca piedra at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery. It may cause uncontrollable bleeding. Also, it may interfere with blood sugar levels in surgery patients with diabetes.