Chanca Piedra
Dr. Justin Ziemba
Video Transcript
Hello everyone.
My name is Justin Ziemba
and I’m an assistant professor of urology and surgery
and my expertise is in kidney stones.
And we had a wonderful question from the
audience today about Chanca Piedra
and the value of this, also known as the stone breaker
in treating and preventing kidney stones.
So Chanca Piedra is a a plant
that is commonly referred to as the stone breaker
that you can see here,
and it has promise in treating kidney stones,
although the evidence is quite mixed
and there is a limited data on this in research studies.
However, from the studies that do exist,
there is some potential benefit in reducing stone size,
although the best evidence suggests that perhaps, again,
with limited information that Chanca Piedra possesses alkalizing
qualities that may help prevent kidney stones form.
So it may be more valuable in the prevention aspect rather
than the treatment aspect. It works
by inhibiting the formation of calcium oxalate crystals,
which are often a main component of the most common types
of kidney stones, which are calcium oxalate.
It may also re relax smooth muscle in the ureter,
potentially helping stones pass,
although again, that data is very limited.
Therefore, this is a potentially
useful adjunct to other therapies in preventing calcium
oxalate, kidney stone formation.
However, this should be taken in consultation
with your physician as often many of these nutrient
and supplement components are not always
known in terms of the doses that should be taken, as well
as the formulations that can be purchased through many, retailers and vendors.
And therefore it should be taken with full knowledge
of your stone team as well as probably in conjunction
with other preventative mechanisms.
And so that is a important summary.
Thank you.