MaltaWildplants.com

[Zurrija]

From my father-in-law I've heard a story, that plant named xkattapietra helped him to cure nephrolithiasis (stones in kidneys). Now my friend's mother (from Russia) suffers from the same cause and asks maybe this plant can relieve her pains.
My problem is that I know only Maltese name for it. When I tried to find out assotiative Russian common name for it (камнеломка???), web search told me it's Saxifraceae. Weber's book says it is Micromeria microphylla (saturea microphylla) and English common name for it is Maltese savory. Where is the truth? And how does xkattapietra looks like. My father-in-law says that he has collected it in Wied Babu.

If anyone knows any medical advice/suggestions regarding [kattapietra vs nephrolithiasis and can share them with me my friend and I would greatly appreciate it.

[wolf]

xpakkapietra is quite common - the gardener at argotti once told me the floriana granaries are full of it....it is still used for gallstones and i remember my mother oiling it when she suffered from it - today she doesnt suffer from the condition any more

wolf

[MWP admin]

Latin name: Micromeria microphylla (try some google image search)
Maltese name: Xpakkapjetra (=Stone breaker when translated directly to english)
Italian Name: Spacca Pietra
English Name: Maltese Savory
Habitat: Garigue, common to be found growing from bare rocks, not very high, and sometimes found crawling on the ground

Hope you are not more confused with the names now!

Some of my own images included.

Yes, it is a well known tradition to use this plant against kidney stones. Lanfranco suggested that this property is probably attributed to the fact that the plant has strong diuretic properties (promote urination).

As the MaltaWildPlants administrator, I suggest that you buy refined drugs from the pharmacy to treat kidney stones since they are more effective and made from similar herbs rather then collecting numerous plants.

As a friend, I tell you can try it

[RB]

Very interesting Stephen, it is good to know that this information will not be lost forever.

One small thing is that I suppose Xkattapietra could well be a valid Maltese name also, since (maybe not everywhere) xkatta is used to mean nearly the same thing as xpakka, nearest I as understand it to mean, in English, "breaks by expanding", "rupture" but "xkatta" tends to imply breaking into many pieces whereas "xpakka" a simple rupture.

RB

[MWP admin]

I think xkattapetra is a corruption of the italian/sicilian name "spakka pietra". On my reference book (by Lanfranco), it is listed as Xpakkapetra.

Can/did you check 'xkatta' on a Maltese dictionary (which I dont have?)

[Zurrija]

Thanks a lot for the answers and pics. From my own surway I got to know that my father-in-law collected it somewhere behind commercial hamlet Wied iz-Zurrieq many years ago. He put collected plants in bowl of water, boiled them and drank this broth. After taking it 3 times he cured his condition.

The thing is, Stephen, about the blessed medicines in the pharmacies is that we, Russians, do believe in herbs more. In our pharmacies one can always find a wide range of different dried herbs - by themselves and in mixtures. Not herbal teas, but dried herbs, flowers, barks etc. Actually it is the one thing which I really miss here as Maltese seem to cure even simple seasonal cold with antibiotics

[RB]

Minor follow-up:

An uncle was watching me sort out seeds collected for sowing, and we spoke about Fejgel (Rue) and the fact that in old times, it was used for some herbal properties apparently (dont ask me).

Without any prompting, he then commented (in Maltese) that "..there used to be a lot of xkattapietra, too, in Selmun".

It seems that many people know this as "xkatta-p". Just a detail for reference.

RB

[wolf]

RB - now that you mention fejgel ...I wa told by some hunters that there is still a woman at Mgarr ( malta ) who makes a pain-killing home medicine from this plant

wolf