by Carrie Shaffer

Created on: April 07, 2010

Have you ever felt pain so severe as if you are about to give birth to a baby….but you're a man? Chances are you were suffering a kidney stone attack, which has been reported to create as severe of pain as child birth. Kidney stones are responsible for 500,000 Emergency Room visits a year.

Have no fear though, there is a simple remedy that doesn't involve surgery or invasive procedures. First, properly have your condition diagnosed by a medical doctor. If you would rather try something natural and you believe that herbal remedies can be at least as potent as Western medicine, then all you need to do is go to your local health or herbal medicine store and ask for

Chanca Piedra.

Chanca Piedra is a little-known herbal remedy from an Amazon rainforest plant which means in Spanish 'break stone.' Chanca Piedra is the popular name given to several small shrub-like plants in the Phyllanthus genus (botanical family Euphorbiaceae), including Phyllanthus niruri, and Phyllanthus stipulatis. It is effective for breaking up and expelling not only kidney stones but gallstones as well, though it's better known for it's urological benefits. One study done in Germany reported that 94% of patients using Chanca Piedra had complete elimination of kidney and gallstones and a subsequent return to health. The herb is sold dehydrated in capsules and is recommended to be taken three times a day with or without food.

Nicole Maxwell is a modern day author who brought attention to Chanca Piedra. Her book, the groundbreaking Witch Doctor's Apprentice was first published in 1961, and based on research done in the 1950's in the Peruvian rainforest. She considers Chanca Piedra to be one of the most important healing herbs which she encountered in the rainforest through her interactions with shamans and Amazonian Indians.

I know about the benefits of Chanca Piedra personally. I had kidney stones that were making my life miserable. They were confirmed by an Ultrasound test, and I asked my doctor if I could try something natural before more drastic measures were taken. I heard about Chanca Piedra at my local health food store and decided to give it a try, and after ten days all my kidney stones were gone. Another Ultrasound showed this to be true.

Kidney stones are a terrible thing to experience; something you aren’t likely to wish for your worst enemy. But if you are unlucky and fall victim to their painful ways now you know there is a safe alternative, one likely to make the stones passed unnoticed....and you won’t need to think of a name for the baby.

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