Known in other parts of the world as Shatterstone, Chanca Piedra and Bhumyamalaki, Quebra Pedra (Phyllanthus niruri) is a small plant that is found in the Amazon Rainforest and other tropical areas of the world including India, where it is mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts, and the Caribbean. In Peru it is known by its Spanish name of Chanca Piedra – which means ‘stone breaker’.

Commonly found in Brazilian gardens growing as a weed, Quebra Pedra has been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Many of the ‘active’ constituents are attributed to lignans, glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, ellagitannins, and phenylpropanoids found in the leaf, stem, and root of the plant.