Chanca Piedra / Stone Breaker

Chanca Piedra ('Stone Breaker' in Spanish) is one of the most versatile medicinal plants of the Amazon basin, used across Peru, Brazil, and the Caribbean. Beyond its well-documented ability to dissolve kidney stones and protect liver function (proven in multiple clinical trials for hepatitis B), Phyllanthus niruri contains phyllanthin, niranthin, and corilagin — compounds with documented anti-tumour activity. Corilagin inhibits topoisomerase II, inducing apoptosis in ovarian, breast, and liver cancer cells. Phyllanthin suppresses NF-κB and blocks cancer cell migration and invasion. It also contains geraniin, a powerful antioxidant that inhibits melanoma and gastric cancer metastasis. The plant's hepatoprotective effects are particularly valuable for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy — protecting the liver from drug-induced toxicity.