Pellitory of the Wall extract

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Pellitory of the Wall (Parietaria officinalis) extract

Kidney Tonic, Urinary Tonic and Diuretic

Pellitory of the Wall (Parietaria judaica), previously known as P. diffusa, was native to Europe. It was commonly found growing from crannies in dry walls and in stony rubbish. The aerial parts of the herb were historically used in Europe as a tonic to the renourinary system (1).

Modern use of Pellitory of the Wall continues to be based on its traditional use as a urinary and kidney tonic, however very little research has been conducted on this plant. It has been shown to have diuretic principles, demonstrating diuretic effects in animals and, as an interesting side note, it is a member of the same family as Nettle (Urtica dioica), perhaps signifying similar diuretic properties (1, 2, 3).

DiPasquale, from reputed Bastyr University, refers to Pellitory of the Wall as a stand out urinary tonic and a trophorestorative to the kidneys and the entire urinary tract (4). He notes that the flavonoids in the herb act as inflammation modulators as well as connective tissue strengtheners. According to DiPasquale in his editorial, Pellitory of the Wall is used in acute treatment, but may be better suited for long-term use in chronic/recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), irritation from gravel or stones, and for interstitial cystitis (4).

Antiviral

A preliminary screening of the antiviral activity of Pellitory of the Wall showed that it displayed some in vitro antiviral activity against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection (5). FIV is a widespread lentivirus of domestic cats sharing numerous biological and pathogenic features with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this preclinical trial, the inhibiting activity of the FIV-induced syncytia formation reached effective levels in a short time, however then it remained stable at insufficient values and only obtained maximum inhibitory values at subtoxic doses. Therefore, the results showed that although Pellitory of the Wall displayed good antiviral activity, cytotoxicity stopped the attainment of total viral inhibition (5).