Archives
International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Review Article
Advances in the medicinal applications of Phyllanthus niruri L.: bridging traditional knowledge with modern pharmacology
C. Narasimha Rao and Shahabuddin. Shaik
Year : 2025 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 198-205
Received on: 03/09/2025
Revised on: 23/10/2025
Accepted on: 27/10/2025
Published on: 01/11/2025
-
C. Narasimha Rao and Shahabuddin. Shaik ( 2025).
Advances in the medicinal applications of Phyllanthus niruri L.: bridging traditional knowledge with modern pharmacology
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 10( 6), 198-205.
-
click to view the cite format
Abstract
Phyllanthus niruri L., known as "stonebreaker," is a small shrub from the Phyllanthaceae family that has considerable pharmacological significance and has been used in Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Malay traditional medicine for a long time. For centuries, it has been known in ethnopharmacology for its use against kidney stones, liver diseases, and infectious diseases. Many traditional claims have been validated through preclinical and limited clinical investigations, driven by growing scientific interest in recent years. This review synthesizes progress in the medicinal uses of P. niruri by examining studies published from 1980 to 2024, obtained from PubMed, Scopus, and other academic databases. Evidence underscores its extensive range of bioactivities, which encompasses hepatoprotective, antiviral, antimicrobial, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, antihyperuricaemic, and hypolipidaemic effects. These activities are largely ascribed to its abundant bioactive phytoconstituents like lignans, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Preliminary findings also indicate possible functions in reducing oxidative stress, modulating immune responses, and addressing metabolic disorders. Nonetheless, the clinical translation is still limited because of differences in extraction methods, lack of standardization in dosing regimens, and insufficient toxicological data. Future initiatives should focus on mechanistic exploration, safety profiling, cheminformatics-driven lead identification, and well-designed clinical trials to connect traditional knowledge with modern pharmacology. In the end, P. niruri appears to be a promising therapeutic agent that is both cost-effective and relevant to global health.
Keywords
Phyllanthus niruri, Ethnomedicine, Pharmacological properties, Hepatoprotective, Antiviral therapy.
-
Full Article PDF (
18)
- View HTML Article
Copy Rights
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
