Monday 24 November, 2008


Botanical: Phyllanthus niruri Linn. (Euphorbiaceae)
Hindi: Jaramla, bhoomyamlaki, bhoomi amla
Sanskrit: Bhumiamlaki, tamalaki
Tamil: Keeranelli
Telugu: Nelausirika
Other names in the world: chanca piedra, stone breaker, hurricane weed, quinine weed, creole senna, cane senna

Area of Observation, and photographed in: Gurgaon, Haryana

Description: A small branching 30-40 cm high herb.
Grows wild in the rainy and warm months on the northern and central plains of India. Should be perennial along the coastline and Southern/Eastern India, since it is indigneous to the rainforests of Amazon. In semi-arid areas grows from March to October, and dies out in winter.

Tiny green fruit, the size of mustard seeds appear under the leaves.

Aurvedic dosha: KP- V+ (I assume it increases vatta since it is considerably bitter)

Uses: Whole plant ingested for speedy results in jaundice, and other forms of hepatitis. My father (a doctor himself) was given a tight ball of the plant to eat as a child, and he said his jaundice was cured within three days of the daily dose. But he mentioned that the plant was remarkably bitter and unpleasant. I tasted a ball myself, and though it was confirmedly bitter, I didn’t find it repugnant. But then, I am used to eating a lot of bitter herbs. Traditionally root taken (10-20 gms) with buttermilk for leucorrhoea or white discharge in women. It is also used for diabetes, sores, ulcers, skin diseases, urinary tract diseases, chronic dysentry, and dyspepsia (
source- FRLHT)

An infusion in water works best for diabetics, since the extract works as a hypoglacaemic for non insulin-dependant diabetes. I was unsure about using alcoholic tincture for liver conditions - but worked for a friend who'd already recovered from jaundice but not its effects; she took this with beneficial symptomatic results even after being diagnosed with hypothyroid (which has, to my knowledge, nothing to gain from phyllanthus niruri. 1ml to 2 ml of tincture twice a day mixed with half a glass of water was her dosage. For children, could be given with honey.

Phyllanthus niruri is called Chanca piedra in Spain, meaning 'stone breaker'. It is considered extremely beneficial in removing kidney and gall bladder stones. In clinical research over the years, the plant has demonstrated liver protective, antilithic (expels stones), pain-relieving, hypotensive, antispasmodic, antiviral, antibacterial, diuretic, antimutagenic, and hypoglycemic activities. (
source - Raintree)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Auto Enginuity is also available in other languages, this
sort of as German, Spanish and Japanese. The most we accomplished
was five PIDs of seventeen accessible.

Here is my website ... professional canobdii diagnostic code scanner ()