The Amazing Health Benefits of Sampa-sampalukan

Most of the people did not know the plant called “Sampa-sampalukan,” with a scientific name Phyllanthus Niruri. But did you know that Sampa-sampalukan has several health benefits? Its fruits and leaves used as herbal medicine.

Image from https://drfarrahcancercenter.com/portfolio/sampa-sampalukan/

Sampa-sampalukan is a kind of weed found in roadside and gardens throughout the Philippines. Sampa-sampalukan is well-known as a “stonebreaker” because this herbal will help fight lessen the gallstones and kidney stones. This herbal will also help protect our liver.

Sampa-sampalukan grows between 50 to 60 centimeters. Their leaves are small and oblong and their flowers are solitary green or white. Sampa-Sampalukan has various phytochemicals like flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, lignans, polyphenols, tannins, coumarins, and saponins. This plant produces a large amount of potash.

Sampa-Sampalukan is not just a stonebreaker but here are some ell-known benefits that this herbal can do.

Antioxidant Properties

According to research entitled “Aqueous Extract of Phyllanthus niruri Leaves Displays In Vitro Antioxidant Activity and Prevents the Elevation of Oxidative Stress in the Kidney of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Male Rats[1],”sampa-sampalukan leaves have antioxidants that help fight cell degeneration or cell damage.

Antimicrobial Properties

According to research entitled “Antimicrobial activity of an Amazon medicinal plant (Chancapiedra) (Phyllanthus niruri L.) against Helicobacter pylori and lactic acid bacteria[2],” sampa-sampalukan has its antimicrobial property that helps protect our digestive tract. H. pylori is a kind of bacteria that may cause peptic ulcers, abdominal pain, and nausea.

Antidiabetic Properties

According to research entitled “Studies on the possible mechanisms of antidiabetic activity of extract of aerial parts of Phyllanthus niruri[3],”sampa-sampalukan has a methanol extract that can absorb excess glucose or sugar present in our blood. Excess sugar in our blood may damage our pancreas that makes are diabetic and may lead to other complications.

Hypolipidemic Properties

Sampa-sampalukan has its hypolipidemic properties that help lessen the cholesterol level present in our body. Cholesterol is found in fat in our blood that may cause coronary heart disease or higher blood pressure. Cholesterol came from meat and poultry products.

Here are some of the well-known benefits of sampa-sampalukan. I did not include some because of medical terms that I cannot understand.

Risk Factors

Sampa-sampalukan may show negative effect after taking its extract. This may cause diarrhea or upset stomach. This herb is not recommended to children and pregnant women because this is not yet proven and studied by medical researchers.

Sources:
[1] https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/834815/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22034238
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21323477
http://www.stuartxchange.org/SampaSampalukan
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/phyllanthus-niruri#side-effects-and-riskshttps://kidshealth.org/en/kids/cholesterol.html?WT.ac=ctg