Brazilian folk tea dissolves kidney stone crystals and eases urinary inflammation
de Oliveira Silva D, Salem PPO, Costa LPM, da Silva PRS, Murgu M, Sartorelli P, Dias DF, Chagas de Paula DA, Edrada-Ebel R, Soares MG.
Medicinal Plants
Kidney stones affect roughly 1 in 10 people, and a backyard shrub used by Brazilian herbalists for generations just passed its first rigorous lab tests with results competitive against pharmaceutical controls.
A plant called panacéia, used in Brazilian folk medicine for kidney problems, was brewed into a tea and tested in the lab. The tea dissolved kidney stone crystals by almost 87% and also calmed two different types of inflammation linked to urinary tract pain. Scientists also identified 18 specific compounds in the tea, mostly plant pigments called flavonoids, that likely explain why it works.
Key Findings
The infusion reduced calcium oxalate kidney crystal counts by 86.6% at the highest dose, comparable to pharmaceutical positive controls.
Anti-inflammatory activity showed 74.8% inhibition of PGE2 (COX pathway) and 39.8% inhibition of LTB4 (LOX pathway) in human blood assays.
Chemical profiling identified 18 annotated metabolites, primarily O-glycosylated flavonoids, via high-resolution mass spectrometry.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A Brazilian folk remedy plant called 'panacéia' dissolves kidney-stone crystals in lab tests and suppresses two key inflammation pathways, providing the first scientific evidence behind its traditional use for kidney and urinary tract problems.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
High-resolution chemical characterization and bioactivity assessment of Solanum cernuum infusion.
<h4>Ethnopharmacological relevance</h4>Solanum cernuum Vell. (Solanaceae), popularly known in Brazil as "panacéia", is widely employed in folk medicine to treat renal and urinary tract disorders. H...
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