Herbal Therapy for Urolithiasis: A Brief Review

Range of plants and plant-derived products are used in folk medicine for the treatment of urolithiasis as a prophylactic agent or as curative agent. Most of them found to be effective, but still the complete mechanism of action of these herbal drugs remains to be unclear. In present review we are discussing the, Diagnosis and various mechanism of action through which phytotheraeupatic agents exert their antiurolithiatic effect. Unlike allopathic medicines which targets only one aspect of urolithiatic pathophysiology, most of plant based therapy have been shown to be effective at different stages of stone pathophysiology.

Only a few studies have suggested some evidence for the efficacy of herbal medicines, however, most are not evidence-based. Some preclinical research has proved the efficacy of some of these herbs in urolithiasis. Precise understandings of the pathophysiology of disease and mechanism of action of these herbal medicines have great importance in development of effective and safe antiurolithiatic agent. Herbal medicines is efficacious and has lesser side effects compared to modern medicines and also reduce the recurrence rate of renal stone (4). Although the complete mechanism of action of these remedies are lacking but, plant based phytotherapeutic agents represent the majority used in medicine for urolithiatic.