"Natural Healing with Herbs for a Healthier You"
The plants belonging to the genus Phyllanthus are a part of the Euphorbiaceae family, which are widely distributed throughout most tropical and subtropical countries. It is a very large genus of 
approximately 550 to 750 species, which is subdivided into 10 to 11 sub genera, including Isocladus, Kirganelia, Cicca, Emblica, Conani, Gomphidium, Phyllanthodendron, Xylophylla, Botryanthus, Ericocus, and Phyllanthus. It is believed that about 200 species of plants of this genus are distributed widely in the Americas, mainly in the Caribbean and in Brazil.
Chanca Piedra is a small erect annual herb growing up to 60 centimeters in height and blooms with many yellow flowers. It usually grows in the shade and is indigenous to the rainforest in the Amazon, tropical areas including the Bahamas, southern India, China, the Philippines, Cuba, Nigeria, Guam, Brazil and is found in the dried tropical climates of even Florida and Texas.
The generic name Phyllanthus means, “leaf flower” because the flower, as well as the fruit, seem to become one with the leaf. In fact, even though it appears to be so, it is not a compound leaf, but has little thin and symmetric branches that make the leaf look like a plumose leaf. Each little leaf of that branch carries in the angle a flower and the fruit. The specific name nururi may come from a Hindu term, and was adopted by Linneo. Dr. Duke uses the name “Seed On The Leaf” for P. niruri, reflecting its appearance.
This is a plant that grows well in moist and shady places, and it spreads quickly by the invasive capacity of its large root, consuming with greed the nutrients within the ground, in such a way that it could damage the surrounding plants. Chanca Piedra can be found in all the world’s tropical places: through the roads, valleys, on the riverbanks and near lakes. The parts may be characterized as follows:
Stems: Erect, 30-60 cm tall and 1 to 2.5mm wide, a few horizontal branches, from 5 to 10 cm long and almost filiform.
Leaves: Whole, hairless and pale on the underside, elliptic shaped, short petiole, obtuse 7 to 12mm apex, disposed alternately one over the other on each side of the stem, so that they resemble the folioles of a compound leaf.
Flowers: Chanca Piedra has small, single, monoic flowers that grow in the angle of each leaf, with whitish or yellowish sepals and a green longitudinal stripe. Male flowers (left two in photograph) are very small, they have three sessile stamens, they are less abundant and we can find them near the base of the branch. (Three female flowers are shown on the right in the photograph.)
Fruits: They are eschizocarpic, capsules, globular and fattened, with 2 to 3 millimeters diameter, each one carrying two, three corned and verrucose seeds.
Root: It is large and somewhat branched.
