Medicinal Plants in the Management of Urolithiasis: Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Evidence
Abstract
Objective: To systematically review the role of medicinal plants in the management of urolithiasis, with a focus on their phytochemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and underlying mechanisms of action.
Data Sources: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect for relevant studies published on medicinal plants and urolithiasis.
Study Selection: Relevant preclinical, clinical, and review studies published in English were selected based on their relevance to antiurolithiatic activity, phytochemistry, and mechanisms of action. Studies lacking scientific validation or insufficient data were excluded.
Summary of Content: Urolithiasis is a recurrent disorder characterized by the formation of urinary calculi due to supersaturation of lithogenic substances. Medicinal plants such as Phyllanthus niruri, Tribulus terrestris, and Bergenia ligulata have demonstrated significant anti-urolithiatic activity. These plants contain bioactive phytoconstituents including flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds, which contribute to their therapeutic effects. The mechanisms involved include inhibition of crystal nucleation, growth and aggregation, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, diuretic effects, and modulation of urinary biochemical parameters. Experimental and limited clinical studies have reported promising outcomes in reducing stone formation and promoting stone expulsion.
Conclusion: Medicinal plants offer a promising complementary approach for the management of urolithiasis. However, further well-designed clinical trials and standardization of herbal formulations are required to establish their safety, efficacy, and clinical applicability.
Keywords: Urolithiasis, medicinal plants, antiurolithiatic activity, phytochemistry, kidney stones
Keywords:
Urolithiasis, medicinal plants, antiurolithiatic activity, phytochemistry, kidney stonesDOI
https://doi.org/10.22270/jddt.v16i5.7715References
1. Coe FL, Evan A, Worcester E. Kidney stone disease. J Clin Invest. 2005;115:2598-2608. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI26662 PMid:16200192 PMCid:PMC1236703
2. Khan SR, Pearle MS, et al. Kidney stones. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16008. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2016.8 PMid:27188687 PMCid:PMC5685519
3. Alelign T, Petros B. Kidney stone disease: An update. Adv Urol. 2018;2018:3068365. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3068365 PMid:29515627 PMCid:PMC5817324
4. Robertson WG. Kidney models of calcium oxalate stone formation. Urolithiasis. 2018;46:221-231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00240-017-0985-y PMid:28567512
5. Tiselius HG. Epidemiology and medical management of stone disease. World J Urol. 2017;35:1361-1368.
6. Torricelli FC, et al. Urolithiasis: Current perspectives. Urolithiasis. 2017;45:75-85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00240-016-0949-7 PMid:27896391 PMCid:PMC5253107
7. Butterweck V, Khan SR. Herbal medicines in urolithiasis. Planta Med. 2009;75:1095-1103. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1185719 PMid:19444769 PMCid:PMC5693348
8. Siener R, Hesse A. Current aspects of urolithiasis. World J Urol. 2021;39:1809-1823.
9. Worcester EM, Coe FL. Clinical practice: Calcium kidney stones. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008;3:369-381.
10. Khan SR. Reactive oxygen species and stone formation. Transl Androl Urol. 2014;3:256-276.
11. Verkoelen CF. Crystal retention mechanisms. Kidney Int. 2006;70:215-221.
12. Ghosh AK, Mandal SC. Ethnopharmacology of antiurolithiatic plants. Pharm Biol. 2019;57:1-12.
13. Cheraghi N, et al. Molecular mechanisms of kidney stone formation. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19:765.
14. Zhou Y, et al. Medicinal plants in urolithiasis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2019;231:344-355.
15. Patel S, Goyal A. Phytochemicals and urolithiasis. Food Chem Toxicol. 2021;151:112128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2021.112128 PMid:33727177
16. Mishra S, Dubey NK. Plant-derived antiurolithiatic agents. Fitoterapia. 2020;146:104700.
17. Singh RK, et al. Pharmacological basis of herbal antiurolithiatic drugs. Indian J Pharmacol. 2010;42:101-105.
18. Lakshmi SB, Reddy PS. Herbal drugs in kidney stone management. J Ethnopharmacol. 2018;213:190-198.
19. Goyal PK, et al. Phytotherapy in urolithiasis. Phytother Res. 2017;31:1234-1242.
20. Atmani F, Khan SR. Effects of plant extracts on CaOx crystals. Urol Res. 2000;28:93-99.
21. Joshi VS, et al. Antiurolithiatic activity of plants. Pharm Biol. 2005;43:146-150.
22. Khan SR. Oxidative stress and kidney stones. World J Urol. 2020;38:2931-2944.
23. Cravotto G, et al. Nutritional aspects of kidney stones. Nutrients. 2017;9:1076.
24. Moriyama T, et al. Renal crystal formation studies. Urol Res. 2017;45:501-511.
25. Torricelli FC. Advances in urolithiasis. Urolithiasis. 2021;49:1-14.
26. Siener R. Prevention of kidney stones. World J Urol. 2022;40:1013-1026.
27. Barros ME, et al. Effect of Phyllanthus niruri on calcium oxalate crystallization. Urol Res. 2006;34:351-357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00240-006-0065-1 PMid:16896689
28. Freitas AM, et al. Inhibition of urinary stone formation by herbal extracts. J Endourol. 2002;16:171-176.
29. Pareta SK, et al. Antiurolithiatic activity of plant extracts in experimental models. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011;137:150-156.
30. Saha S, Verma RJ. Evaluation of antiurolithiatic activity of herbal drugs. Urol Res. 2013;41:275-280.
31. Prasad KVSRG, et al. Medicinal plants in urolithiasis: A review. Pharmacogn Rev. 2007;1:175-179.
32. Shukla S, et al. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in urolithiasis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2018;222:173-181.
33. Al-Oudat B, et al. Herbal medicine in kidney stone management. Phytomedicine. 2020;78:153312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153312 PMid:32866906
34. Soundararajan P, et al. Experimental evaluation of antiurolithiatic activity. Indian J Exp Biol. 2006;44:981-986.
35. Ahmed S, et al. Role of herbal drugs in urolithiasis. Biomed Pharmacother. 2019;117:109071.
36. Rathi S, et al. Pharmacological evaluation of antiurolithiatic agents. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2021;73:1034-1042.
37. Bano H, et al. Clinical evaluation of herbal drugs in urolithiasis. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10:FC01-FC04.
38. Sharma S, et al. Herbal therapy in urolithiasis. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2020;11:320-326.
39. Osman W. Herbal approaches in kidney stone treatment. J Pharm Pharmacol Res. 2024;13:1821-1845.
40. Mutomba WF, et al. Advances in kidney stone research. J Clin Med. 2025;14:2885. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14092885 PMid:40363917 PMCid:PMC12072574
41. Cheraghi N, et al. Role of oxidative stress in kidney stones. Nutrients. 2023;15:1153.
42. Liu Y, et al. Phytochemicals in kidney stone prevention. Phytother Res. 2023;37:1910-1924.
43. Sun Y, et al. Herbal medicine in urolithiasis treatment. Phytomedicine. 2023;101:154092.
44. Mansoor M, et al. Ethnobotanical approaches in kidney stone treatment. Ethnobot Res Appl. 2023;28:1-18.
45. Osman W. Recent advances in herbal medicine. World J Pharm Res. 2024;13:205-230.
46. Zakaria Z, et al. Natural products in urolithiasis. Nat Prod Commun. 2023;18:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-022-00363-y PMid:36437391 PMCid:PMC9702281
47. Allam EA, Sabra MS. Clinical management of urolithiasis. Int Urol Nephrol. 2025;57:659-673.
48. Pacheco-Hernández B, et al. Plants in kidney stone prevention. Plants. 2025;14:2032. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14132032 PMid:40648041 PMCid:PMC12252011
49. Cravotto G, et al. Phytotherapy in urolithiasis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022;281:114517.
50. Khan SR. Pathophysiology of kidney stones. Nat Rev Urol. 2021;18:637-654. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-021-00528-3 PMid:34608298
51. Anand R, Patnaik GK, Kulshreshtha DK. Antiurolithiatic activity of Tribulus terrestris. Indian J Pharmacol. 1994;26:141-146.
52. Al-Ali M, et al. Pharmacological evaluation of Tribulus terrestris. J Ethnopharmacol. 2003;84:257-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00014-X PMid:12639749
53. Atodariya U, et al. Antiurolithiatic activity of Bergenia ligulata. J Pharmacol Toxicol. 2013;8:90-99.
54. Chander R, et al. Pashanbheda: A review. Indian J Tradit Knowl. 2017;16:123-130.
55. Soundararajan P, et al. Effect of Aerva lanata on urolithiasis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006;107:32-37.
56. Shirwaikar A, et al. Aerva lanata: A review. Pharmacogn Rev. 2011;5:53-59.
57. Varalakshmi P, et al. Anti-lithic effect of Crataeva nurvala. J Ethnopharmacol. 1990;28:313-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(90)90082-5 PMid:2335959
58. Panda SK, et al. Crataeva nurvala in urinary disorders. Pharmacogn Rev. 2019;13:1-7.
59. Barros ME, et al. Effect of Phyllanthus niruri on calcium oxalate stones. Urol Res. 2003;31:44-50.
60. Nishiura JL, et al. Clinical evidence of Phyllanthus niruri. Urol Res. 2004;32:351-357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00240-004-0432-8 PMid:15221244
61. Patel RK, et al. Antiurolithiatic activity of Hygrophila spinosa. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2009;71:303-307. https://doi.org/10.4103/0250-474X.57304 PMid:20502561 PMCid:PMC2865827
62. Giri S, et al. Litholytic activity of Rotula aquatica. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010;128:477-482.
63. Baskar R, et al. Experimental evidence of Rotula aquatica. Pharmacologyonline. 2015;2:1-8.
64. Nadkarni KM. Indian Materia Medica. Mumbai: Popular Prakashan; 2007.
65. Kalyani GA, et al. Antiurolithiatic activity of Asparagus racemosus. Int J Green Pharm. 2012;6:21-25.
66. Singh A, et al. Cynodon dactylon in renal calculi. J Ethnopharmacol. 2014;152:381-386.
67. Rawat AKS, et al. Nephroprotective role of Boerhaavia diffusa. Indian J Exp Biol. 1997;35:115-121.
68. Mishra SS, et al. Boerhaavia diffusa: A review. Pharmacogn Rev. 2018;12:59-64.
69. Sabu MC, et al. Antioxidant effect of Terminalia chebula. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002;81:155-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(02)00034-X PMid:12065146
70. Karadi RV, et al. Moringa oleifera in nephrolithiasis. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2006;68:509-512.
71. Potu BK, et al. Antiurolithiatic effect of Cissus quadrangularis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011;134:272-276.
72. Jain A, et al. Solanum nigrum in kidney stone inhibition. Ayurveda Pharm Int J. 2019;3:45-52.
73. Sharma RK, Dash B. Charaka Samhita of Agnivesha. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office; 2014.
74. Bhishagratna KK. Sushruta Samhita. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office; 2016.
75. Nadkarni KM. Indian Materia Medica. 3rd ed. Mumbai: Popular Prakashan; 2007.
76. Panda SK, et al. Traditional uses of Crataeva nurvala. Pharmacogn Rev. 2019;13:1-7.
77. Butterweck V, Khan SR. Herbal medicines in urolithiasis. Planta Med. 2009;75:1095-1103. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1185719 PMid:19444769 PMCid:PMC5693348
78. Said HM. Hamdard Pharmacopoeia of Eastern Medicine. New Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications; 1997.
79. Shukla S, et al. Ethnobotanical survey in urolithiasis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2018;222:173-181.
80. Ghosh AK, Mandal SC. Medicinal plants in kidney stones. Pharm Biol. 2019;57:1-12.
81. Mukherjee PK. Quality control of herbal drugs. New Delhi: Business Horizons; 2019.
82. Izzo AA, Ernst E. Herb-drug interactions. Drugs. 2009;69:1777-1798. https://doi.org/10.2165/11317010-000000000-00000 PMid:19719333 PMCid:PMC9819597
83. Ekor M. Safety of herbal medicines. Front Pharmacol. 2014;4:177. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2013.00177 PMid:24454289 PMCid:PMC3887317
84. Khan SR, Pearle MS, et al. Kidney stones. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16008. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2016.8 PMid:27188687 PMCid:PMC5685519
85. Mukherjee PK, et al. Ayurveda-inspired drug discovery. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017;197:3-18.
86. Torricelli FCM, et al. Urolithiasis: Current concepts. Urolithiasis. 2021;49:1-14.
87. Siener R, Hesse A. Kidney stone prevention. World J Urol. 2022;40:1013-1026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-022-04060-w PMid:35666268 PMCid:PMC9236976
Published
Abstract Display: 0 
PDF Downloads: 0 PDF Downloads: 0 How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Pooja Bagdi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
How to Cite
.