Identity & origin
BOTANICAL IDENTITY
The right name is the first step.
This profile covers flowering aerial parts. The uses described depend on the preparation.
Also known as: Rupturewort, rupturewort
The dossier covers Herniaria glabra, hirsuta and incana; this profile includes only the glabra taxon.
An illustration is not enough to identify a plant for consumption. Do not forage for a species based solely on this profile.
Uses & evidence
UNDERSTANDING THE USES
Properties & uses.
Urinary elimination
Traditional adjunctive use to increase urine output in minor urinary complaints.
Use considered plausible in a traditional-use monograph. That status alone does not demonstrate clinical efficacy.
Read the sourceThe traditional uses described are not clinical proof of effectiveness. Evidence for one preparation cannot automatically be applied to another.
Precautions before use
BEFORE ANY USE
Precautions & contraindications.
This guidance does not cover every individual situation. Missing information is not a guarantee of safety.
Contraindications & precautions
- Source-listed contraindicationAllergy to the plant or preparation: contraindication.Source
- Source-listed contraindicationDo not use where fluid intake must be restricted, including severe heart or kidney disease.Source
- PrecautionFever, painful urination, spasms or blood in urine require medical assessment; do not delay infection diagnosis.Source
Medicine interactions
- No interaction reported in the sourceNo interactions are reported in the source for the assessed preparations. Evidence is limited; compatibility with medicines is not guaranteed.Source
“Reported” does not prove causality; “possible” may reflect indirect evidence. “None reported” means none in the cited source, not that all combinations have been studied. Do not stop a prescribed treatment based on this profile.
Adverse effects
- Adverse effects insufficiently documented in the sources used here.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding
Medicinal use is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding because evidence is insufficient; missing evidence establishes neither harm nor safety.
SourceChildren & adolescents
Medicinal use is not recommended below age 18 because evidence is insufficient; do not scale down an adult dose.
SourceIf symptoms persist, worsen or are unusual, consult a healthcare professional. In an emergency, contact the emergency services.
Forms & how they are used
DOCUMENTED FORMS
One plant, several preparations.
Only forms documented in this profile’s sources are presented.
InfusionFlowering aerial parts · Route: oral
Dried and fragmented flowering parts.
Please note: Follow the product's package leaflet; preparations are not interchangeable.
Read the sourcePreparations: ingredients & steps
DOCUMENTED PREPARATIONS
Preparations & recipes.
A DOCUMENTED PREPARATION
Rupturewort infusion
Traditional support for minor urinary discomfort. Traditional-use guidance; sufficient clinical evidence for a benefit from this tea is lacking.
Plant part: Flowering aerial parts
Ingredients & quantities
- 1.5–3 g — dried, comminuted flowering aerial parts (Herniaria glabra L.)
- 150 ml water
Preparation steps
- Weigh 1.5–3 g of the specified dried, comminuted part from a supplier who verifies the species.
- Pour 150 ml of boiling water over the herb.
- The monograph does not specify a steeping time in minutes. Follow a quality-controlled product’s leaflet or ask a pharmacist for this detail, then strain.
- Allow to cool before drinking. Do not substitute an extract or essential oil.
Use: One cup 3–5 times daily, respecting a maximum of 10 g herb daily; agree the amount per cup with a pharmacist. Seek advice if discomfort lasts over two weeks or worsens.
Storage: Prepare a cup just before use and drink once cooled. No storage period for the prepared infusion is established here; do not keep it for the following day.
Before you start. Adults aged 18 and over. Do not use if allergic to the plant. Not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding because sufficient safety data are lacking. Do not use when fluid restriction has been prescribed, particularly with severe heart or kidney disease. Maintain an appropriate fluid intake; do not force fluids. This tea does not treat a urinary infection. Fever, flank pain, painful urination, blood in the urine or worsening symptoms require prompt medical assessment. Do not use it to attempt to dissolve or pass a stone without medical care. No known adverse effect in the monograph does not guarantee safety. No reported interaction in the monograph does not mean no risk; ask a pharmacist to check your medicines.
Understanding the plant’s actions
EXPLORE THE EVIDENCE
How does the plant act?
Smooth rupturewort is included in a shared monograph with H. hirsuta and H. incana. The use concerns flowering aerial parts in herbal tea as an aid to urinary elimination. Chemical documentation is more abundant than clinical evidence: identifying saponins or flavonoids does not demonstrate stone dissolution. In particular, results obtained with another rupturewort must not be transferred to H. glabra.
Constituents to know.
Their presence and quantity depend on the plant part and preparation.
- Saponins and flavonoids
- The shared dossier describes triterpene saponins and quercetin and isorhamnetin derivatives. Proportions and analyses vary by species.Read the reference
- Phenolic acids
- Caffeic and chlorogenic acids are reported in H. glabra, among others; their presence does not define a measured therapeutic activity.Read the reference
Support for urinary elimination
The traditional role is to increase urine output in support of minor urinary complaints, not to replace anti-infective treatment.
Use considered plausible in a traditional-use monograph. That status alone does not demonstrate clinical efficacy.
Read the referenceComposition to be interpreted by species
Analysis of a H. hirsuta preparation does not automatically describe that of a H. glabra herbal tea. A shared monograph does not erase this difference.
The references do not establish a benefit. Lack of evidence is not assurance of safety.
Read the referenceWhat this means for preparation.
Prefer material whose identity and part are explicit. The full formula matters when a herbal tea contains several plants.
Studies, findings & limitations
THE RESEARCH
What the research shows.
A laboratory or animal result alone does not demonstrate a benefit in humans. Each result must be read alongside the preparation studied and its limitations.
What is actually grouped together in the dossier
The references do not establish a benefit. Lack of evidence is not assurance of safety.
- Type of research
- 2020 EMA report and review of available products.
- Preparation concerned
- Dried flowering aerial parts of three species, alone or mixed according to the pharmacopoeial definition cited.
- Observed results
- The report distinguishes identification and composition data; many historical products are herbal combinations.
- Limitations to consider
- A result obtained with a combination does not allow the effect to be attributed to rupturewort alone.
What can we take from this?
Traditional use is not evidence of treatment for stones, infections or kidney failure. Restricting fluid intake is incompatible with this rationale for use.
Documentary review dated 09/10/2026. The references remain available to check the context.
Sources & last review
CHECKING REFERENCES
Sources for this profile.
- EMA — Herniariae herba: assessment and documentsAccessed on 09/10/2026
- EMA — assessment report on Herniaria glabra, H. hirsuta and H. incana, aerial partsAccessed on 09/10/2026
- EMA — Herniaria glabra L.: official monograph, preparation and precautionsAccessed on 09/10/2026
Image: Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz — Otto Wilhelm Thomé (1885), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain. View the original image and its licence. Image resized and converted to WebP.
