A plant (genus Saxifraga) with the common name suggesting its supposed ability to break rocks; also used historically to refer to calculus or gallstones in medicine.
From 'break' + 'stone'; descriptive naming from the plant's association with rocky habitats and medieval folk medicine beliefs that it could dissolve kidney stones.
Medieval herbalists believed certain plants had 'power' over rocks because they grew in rocky places and had spiky leaves—'breakstone' was supposed to cure kidney stones. This reveals how people once thought similarity and appearance meant medical power.
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