P.

urinaria is an erect, slender, branched, glabrous herb, 10-35 cm high, obtuse or apiculate, the base
slightly oblique; stipules lanceolate. Stem more or less crimson red. Leaves with wide asymmetric base,
purplish rimmed, 5-20 mm long and 1-7 mm wide with mucronulate apices. Higher leaf axils bear
solitary or paired male flowers, with female flowers in the lower axils. Flowers, very small, 5-merous,
axillary, ca. 1 mm in diameter. Male flowers with ovate or ovate-oblong greenish sepals, yellowish-white
with a green middle strip, erect anther cells, the slits vertical. Female flowers with sessile or very short
pedicels 0.15-0.30 mm long, ultimately 0.55-0.68 mm, thickened all over with reddish sepals in the
middle, ovary warty. Fruit green, red or greenish-red, densely verrucous, ca. 3 mm in diameter, muricate
or smooth, of 3 dehiscent cocci. Seeds are transversely ribbed on the back, and sides.

P. urinaria is a tropical and subtropical species, tolerant of high temperatures and not present anywhere
where frosts occur. It is found in locations with mean annual rainfall from 275 mm to 2500 mm, it is
generally a sub-humid to humid species. It is tolerant of saline and infertile soils and of a range of pH
from acid peat to alkaline calcareous soils. A range of altitudes can be tolerated from 0 to 1800 m.

P. urinaria is a weed in several countries affecting many crops, such as rice, potato, groundnut, tobacco,
young cocoa, coconut, cotton, maize, various vegetables and fruit orchards. Some form of economic loss
in yield and quality is inflicted on crops where the weed is prevalent. To arrest those losses, weeding
operations need to be carried out, and these will incur extra costs to farmers. In countries where credit
and cash flow are a problem, weeding operations will have a negative economic impact on farmers.
However, it may appear that the economic uses of and benefits from P. urinaria as a popular medicinal
plant in many countries outweigh its adverse effects as a weed in agricultural and non-agricultural areas.
The pharmacological and medicinal properties of the plant as an analgesic, a relaxant, retroviral, and
retrobacterial agent have been exploited to cure hepatitis, kidney, urinary, bladder and other ailments.
P. urinaria is an alternative host of pests and diseases that could have economic impacts.

In the Philippines, Pancho and Obien (1995) noted that 50-100 g of fresh plants of P. urinaria or P. debilis
prepared in aqueous solution is said to cure hepatitis and kidney infection. The leaf concoction is
considered to be a panacea, containing a bitter phyllanthin, although it can be poisonous when
consumed in large quantities. Burkill (1935) claimed that P. urinaria, like P. debilis, contained phyllanthin
and saponin; both chemicals are also used as a fish poison. P. urinaria is also rich in flavonoids, namely
astragalin, isoquercitrin, quercetin, and rutin (Tea et al., 1977). Intriguingly, P. urinaria like P. debilis, is a
plant of magic in the Malay Peninsula, chewed by tricksters before chewing glass (Ridley, 1897). The
plant contains much potassium, producing diuretic effects. In Indonesia, the plant is used against fever,
dysentery, gonorrhoea, and syphilis, and is an abortifacient (Soerjani et al., 1987). Bagchi et al. (1992)
and Ahmed (1998) among others, reported the pharmacological properties of P. urinaria in India with
plants used extensively as a diuretic and to treat dysentery.

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Uses

Top of pageAs in many species of Phyllanthus, P. urinaria is said to possess medicinal properties
(Ridley, 1897, 1906; Burkill and Haniff, 1930). For example, Burkill (1935) claimed that a little
juice of P. urinaria on a bit of cloth may be used to clean a child's tongue, or the juice of a few
leaves in coconut milk may be given to stimulate a child's appetite. Further, extracts taken
internally are good at stimulating the kidneys. Ridley (1897) reported that the Malays used P.
urinaria and P. niruri vicariously, internally for diarrhoea, kidney ailments, gonorrhoea, and
syphilis; as an emmenagogue, and after miscarriage and childbirth, or young leaves for coughs,
especially in children. Recent studies by Nor Azizah (2002) demonstrated an inhibitory effect of
extracts of Phyllanthus spp., including P. urinaria, on the formation and subsequent aggregation
of oxalate crystals in kidneys, perhaps supporting the earlier belief among Malays that P. urinaria
and P. niruri can be used against kidney ailments. Pounded leaves and stems of P. urinaria and P.
niruri were applied to the head for vertigo after a child's birth in British Malaya (Burkill and
Haniff, 1930). Chinese herbalists stock Phyllanthus plants in the Malay Peninsula.

Perhaps the most promising use of P. urinaria is its medicinal values, as shown by several
detailed studies focusing primarily on biochemical extracts and their pharmacological properties.
P. urinaria was found to have anti-viral qualities (Yang et al., 1987; Unander and Blumberg,
1991; Bagchi et al., 1992; Cruz et al., 1994; Mi et al., 1995; Prakash et al., 1995; Suthienkul et
al., 1995; Liu et al., 1999; Kim et al., 1999; Jikai et al., 2000) and to be effective against bacteria
and other pathogens (Cruz et al., 1994; Direkbusarakom et al., 1997; Lin et al., 1999). Extracts
were found that could be used to treat liver and kidney ailments (Prakash et al., 1995; Satyan et
al., 1995; Hartini, 2002; Lo, 2002; Zuraihan, 2002) while antinociceptive or analgesic chemicals
were also isolated (Dias et al., 1995; Santos et al., 1995; Satyan et al., 1995).

Dias et al. (1995) reported that hydroalcoholic extracts caused graded contractions of guinea pig
urinary bladders, while Santos et al. (1995) found them to have analgesic effects. Lo (2002)
carried out detailed studies showing the effectiveness of extracts of P. urinaria and P. niruri to
arrest liver damage in mice. Extracts of Phyllanthus spp., including P. urinaria and P. niruri, were
also shown to have significant anti-cancer activity (Zuraihan, 2002). Hartini (2002) demonstrated
the dose-dependent activities of extracts of P. urinaria on the fertility of mice, with 0.1 g/kg of
body weight, the orally administered extracts of P. urinaria promote embryo production, whereas
at 5 g/kg of body weight the extracts function as an anti-fertility agent.

Anti-bacterial activity of P. urinaria against pathogenic bacteria, such as Aeromonas hydrophila,

Streptococcus sp. and strains of Vibrio spp. in fish and shrimp, were reported by
Direkbusarakom et al. (1997). In Brazil, Cruz et al. (1994) demonstrated similar activity against
a range of common human dietary diseases. The results of this study support the traditional use
of this medicinal plant in the treatment of urinary infections.