Phyllanthus amarus, Bhuiamla

Bhuiamla, Bhumyumalaki, Bahupatri, Bahuphala, Tamalaki (Ayurveda)
Bhui Amala (Unani)
Kellkay Nelli, Kizkaynelli Camulam (Siddha)
Ye Xia Zhu (TCM)
Picture
Picture Phyllanthus amarus
Photo by Sailesh

Botanical name:


Phyllanthus amarus, P. fraternus, P. debilis, P. niruri (Thailand)
Other local species are also used.

Parts used:


Leaf; root; or the whole plant in powder

Temperature & Taste:


Cold, dry. very Bitter

Uses:


1. Clears Liver Heat:
-Hepatitis including Viral and Chronic Hepatitis
-Jaundice
-Cholecystitis, Gall Stones
-improves Liver function; Hepato-protective; chronic Liver disease; Fatty Liver disease
-red, inflamed and itchy skin associated with Liver heat; also Hypertension
-Stress, Anxiety, Insomnia from Liver heat
-Fever; chronic Viral diseases (such as M.E., HIV, Herpes etc.); Malaria (Thailand)

2. Clears Stomach Heat:
-Stomach Pain, Hyperacidity, Gastritis
-vomiting in infants
-Dysentery

3. Clears Damp-Heat, Resolves Stones:
-considered specific for both Urinary and Gall Stones
-painful urination; Gonorrhea, Venereal diseases
-Prostatitis

4. Clears Heat, Stops Bleeding:
-excessive Menstruation associated with Heat

5. Clears Heat, Benefits Diabetes:
-Diabetes and Hyperglycemia with Heat symptoms or Stomach Heat

6. Externally:
-redness, swelling, heat and itching of the skin; Skin inflammations and Infections (apply a paste)
-Wounds, Sores,


Dose

:
2–6 grams of the Powder daily
The juice in doses of 50–100mls has been given for Jaundice

Main Combinations:


1. Liver Heat:
i. Phyllanthus amarus with Picrorhiza
ii. Phyllanthus amarus with Madder, Eclipta, Picrorhiza, Swertia
iii. Phyllanthus amarus with Emblic Myrobalan, Coptis
iv. chronic Liver heat conditions, Phyllanthus amarus with Agrimony, Eclipta
v. Phyllanthus amarus with Gentian, Licorice
vi. Phyllanthus amarus with Picrorhiza, Emblic Myrobalan, Tinospora, Madder
2. Hepatitis:
i. Phyllanthus amarus with Tinospora, Madder, Long Pepper
ii. Phyllanthus amarus with Long Pepper, Picrorhiza, Neem
3. Jaundice:
i. Phyllanthus niuri with Cardamon and Long Pepper (Siddha)
ii. Phyllanthus niuri with Eclipta, Cumin, Cardamon, China root, Raisins (Siddha)
4. Redness and Inflammation of the Skin from Liver heat, Phyllanthus amarus with Neem, Madder, Turmeric, Psoralea
5. Urinary stones:
i. Phyllanthus amarus with Tribulus seed, Madder
ii. Phyllanthus amarus with Madder, Shilajit
iii. Phyllanthus amarus with Belleric Myrobalan, Tribulus seed, Coriander seed, Madder
6. Diabetes:
i. Phyllanthus amarus with Emblic Myrobalan, Gymnema, Cardamon
ii. Phyllanthus amarus with Gymnema, Shilajit
7. Pelvic Inflammation, Phyllanthus amarus with Madder, Tribulus
8. Immunodeficiency, and for Chronic Viral Infection, Phyllanthus amarus with Swertia, Tinospora

Cautions:


Not used during Pregnancy

Main Preparations used:




1. ANTI-BACTERIAL:
Preclinical screening of phyllanthus amarus ethanolic extract for its analgesic and antimicrobial activity.
Antimicrobial, antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of Thai medicinal plants used to treat HIV patients.

2. ANTI-FUNGAL:
Antifungal Activity of Securinine against Some Plant Pathogenic Fungi.

3. ANTI-MALARIAL:
Antimalarial activities of medicinal plants traditionally used in the villages of Dharmapuri regions of South India.
Antimalarial plant remedies from Burkina Faso: their potential for prophylactic use.

4. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
Anti-inflammatory effects of Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonn. through inhibition of NF-κB, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways in LPS-induced human macrophages.
Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the aqueous leaf extract of Phyllanthus amarus Schum (Euphorbiaceae) in some laboratory animals.
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the methanol leaf extract of Phyllanthus amarus in some laboratory animals.

5. ANALGESIC:
Preclinical screening of phyllanthus amarus ethanolic extract for its analgesic and antimicrobial activity.
Antioxidant and anti-nociceptive effects of Phyllanthus amarus on improving exercise recovery in sedentary men: a randomized crossover (double-blind) design.
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the methanol leaf extract of Phyllanthus amarus in some laboratory animals.
Analgesic activity of aqueous leaf extract of Phyllanthus amarus.

6. ANTIOXIDANT:
Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Crude Extracts and Fractions from Phyllanthus amarus.
Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of mixed micellar lipid formulation of phyllanthin and piperine in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rodents
Antioxidant effect of Phyllanthus amarus after moderate-intensity exercise in sedentary males: a randomized crossover (double-blind) study.
Evaluation of antioxidant activity and characterization of phenolic constituents of Phyllanthus amarus root.
Comparison of the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Phyllanthus virgatus and Phyllanthus amarus extracts.
Antioxidant potential of aqueous extract of Phyllanthus amarus in rats.
Antioxidant activity of some polyphenol constituents of the medicinal plant Phyllanthus amarus Linn.

7. ANTI-HEPATITIS:
Inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication by herbal extract: Phyllanthus amarus as potent natural source.

8. HEPATO-PROTECTIVE:
Preclinical Hepatoprotective Effect of Herbalism against Ethanol Induced Hepatotoxicity: A Review.
Mechanism of protective effect of phyllanthin against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity and experimental liver fibrosis in mice.
Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of mixed micellar lipid formulation of phyllanthin and piperine in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rodents
Geraniin and amariin, ellagitannins from Phyllanthus amarus, protect liver cells against ethanol induced cytotoxicity.
Enhancing hepatoprotective bioactives of phyllanthus amarus through immobilization by growth promoters and media changes.
Hepatoprotective activity of the Phyllanthus species on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BH)-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells.
Ameliorative potential of Phyllanthus amarus against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity.
Hepatoprotective potentials of Phyllanthusamarus against ethanol-induced oxidative stress in rats.

9. DETOXICANT:
Aqueous extract of Phyllanthus amarus inhibits chromium(VI)-induced toxicity in MDA-MB-435S cells.
Mitigation of carbon tetrachloride-induced damage by Phyllanthus amarus in liver of mice.
Protective effect of the aqueous leaf and seed extract of Phyllanthus amarus on gentamicin and acetaminophen-induced nephrotoxic rats.

10. CARDIO-PROTECTIVE:
Cardioprotective effect of Phyllanthus amarus against high fructose diet induced myocardial and aortic stress in rat model.

11. PANCREO-PROTECTIVE:
Effect of Phyllanthus amarus on serum biochemical changes in azaserine induced pancreatic cancer in Wistar rats.

12. DIURETIC
The acute diuretic effect of an ethanolic fraction of Phyllanthus amarus (Euphorbiaceae) in rats involves prostaglandins.

13. HYPOGLYCEMIC / ANTI-DIABETIC:
The evaluation of the hypoglycemic effect of soft drink leaf extract of Phyllanthus amarus (Euphorbiaceae) in rats.
The leaf and seed aqueous extract of Phyllanthus amarus improves insulin resistance diabetes in experimental animal studies.
A pharmacological appraisal of medicinal plants with antidiabetic potential.
Antidiabetic screening of commercial botanical products in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and db/db mice.

14. HYPOTENSIVE:
Hypotensive effect of aqueous extract of the leaves of Phyllanthus amarus Schum and Thonn (Euphorbiaceae).

15. IMMUNO-SUPPRESSIVE:
Inhibitory Effects of the Standardized Extract of Phyllanthus amarus on Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses in Balb/C Mice.
Immunosuppressive effects of the standardized extract of Phyllanthus amarus on cellular immune responses in Wistar-Kyoto rats.

16. RADIO-PROTECTIVE:
Radioprotective properties of polyphenols from Phyllanthus amarus Linn.

17. ANTI-CANCER:
Inhibition of viral carcinogenesis by Phyllanthus amarus.

18. CYTOTOXIC:
Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Crude Extracts and Fractions from Phyllanthus amarus.
Cytotoxic Lignan from the Non-Transformed Root Culture of Phyllanthus amarus.
Comparison of the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Phyllanthus virgatus and Phyllanthus amarus extracts.

19. INHIBIT METASTASIS:
Suppression of ERK1/2 and hypoxia pathways by four Phyllanthus species inhibits metastasis of human breast cancer cells.
Dioscin suppresses TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and suppresses A549 lung cancer migration and invasion.

Clinical Trials:


1. HEPATITIS:
A comparative study of Phyllanthus amarus compound and interferon in the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis B.
A trial of Phyllanthus amarus in acute viral hepatitis.
Herbs of the genus Phyllanthus in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B: observations with three preparations from different geographic sites.
[Efficacy of Phyllanthus spp. in treating patients with chronic hepatitis B].
Failure of New Zealand hepatitis B carriers to respond to Phyllanthus amarus.
A two-stage clinical trial of Phyllanthus amarus in hepatitis B carriers: failure to eradicate the surface antigen.
Efficacy of Phyllanthus amarus for eradication of hepatitis B virus in chronic carriers.
Hepatitis B virus and primary hepatocellular carcinoma: treatment of HBV carriers with Phyllanthus amarus.
Effect of Phyllanthus amarus on chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus.
2. Antioxidant and anti-nociceptive effects of Phyllanthus amarus on improving exercise recovery in sedentary men: a randomized crossover (double-blind) design.