Safety and efficacy of a polyherbal formulation from traditional Persian medicine in patients with calcium kidney stones: A randomized, double-blinded clinical trial.

The short version

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 51 adults explored whether Mofatet powder — a six-herb formulation from Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) — could shrink existing calcium kidney stones, not just prevent new ones. TPM is a centuries-old medical system, described in texts by Rhazes and Avicenna, that combines specific plant combinations for named conditions; Mofatet powder is one such combination, traditionally taken as a boiled decoction of six seeds and fruits in equal parts. Kidney stones affect up to 15% of people worldwide, and most current drugs only stop new stones from forming rather than dissolving the ones already there. Researchers recruited 51 adults (mean age about 50) with confirmed calcium stones at least 5mm across, in Shiraz, Iran. Twenty-six received capsules of a freeze-dried extract of the six-herb blend (cucumber seed, pumpkin seed, celery seed, fennel seed, anise seed, and tribulus fruit) twice daily for 5 weeks; 25 received a matching placebo. Stone size was tracked by ultrasound imaging, alongside urine and blood chemistry. The herbal group's stones shrank by 60.73% on average, compared to just 2.52% in the placebo group (a highly significant difference, p<0.001), and two people's stones disappeared entirely versus none on placebo. Urinary magnesium — a mineral that normally helps stop stone-forming crystals from growing — rose by nearly 58% in the herbal group, while urinary calcium (a stone-forming risk factor) dropped. Urine also became less concentrated (lower specific gravity), which reduces the conditions that let crystals form in the first place. Importantly, kidney and liver function tests (BUN, creatinine, AST, ALT) showed no meaningful changes in either group, and no significant side effects were reported over the five weeks — though the herbal group did show a rise in blood calcium that the researchers did not fully explain. These findings suggest this traditional formulation could be a safe, complementary option for people managing calcium kidney stones, likely by making urine less prone to crystal formation rather than by dissolving stones directly. The trial was conducted at a single center with a modest number of participants over a short 5-week window, so the results need confirming in larger, longer studies before this becomes a routine recommendation.

Key findings

• In a 51-person randomized trial, a six-herb Traditional Persian Medicine formulation called Mofatet powder shrank calcium kidney stones by an average of 60.73%, compared to only 2.52% with a placebo.
• The formulation combines cucumber seed, pumpkin seed, celery seed, fennel seed, anise seed, and tribulus fruit into a freeze-dried capsule taken twice daily for five weeks.
• Kidney and liver function tests showed no signs of toxicity, and no significant side effects were reported during the trial.
• The herbs appeared to work by making urine less concentrated and by raising urinary magnesium, a mineral that helps stop stone-forming crystals from growing, rather than by directly dissolving the stones.
• Because this was a single small trial lasting only five weeks, larger and longer studies are needed before this formulation could be recommended as a standard treatment.

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