| When you hear about all
of the potential medicinal plants in a tropical rain forest, you probably picture an
inconspicuous fern beneath the damp forest canopy or a dainty water lily floating in a
steamy swamp. How about a tree-climbing, 100-foot vine that’s 12 inches around, with
thorns as sharp and tenacious as a jaguar’s claws? |
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Cat’s claw is one of the newly discovered herbs of
the Amazon. It’s actually new, however, only to Western civilization, since the
Peruvian Indians of the region have used the vine medicinally for centuries. If you follow the news on cat’s claw, you
might think it’s the cat’s meow. It’s been called a superb immune
system booster, a vigorous antioxidant, a plant able to flush chemical toxins from
the body, and a kind of scrubber that removes plaque buildup in clogged arteries.
Health food stores in North America
brim with products that contain cat’s claw, but there really isn’t much known about this herb. The
labels make many claims that may be exaggerated, warns Eran Ben-Arye, M.D., a researcher
at the natural medicine research unit at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem.
"Right now, all we have are anecdotal reports and very preliminary findings regarding
the herb’s immunological and antifungal properties," Dr. Ben-Arye says. "Cat’s claw may
have very good potential as a medicine, or it may not. We just don’t know yet."
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- Putting Teeth into Immunity
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- In the burgeoning marketplace of herbal products and nutritional supplements, cat’s claw has
gained a reputation as a cure-all for conditions such as lupus, arthritis,
bursitis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chemical and environmental allergies.
Although there are many theories about how it fights these conditions, the one most often
cited is stimulation of the
immune system, says Tirun Gopal, M.D., an
obstetrician and gynecologist who practices holistic and Ayurvedic medicine in Allentown,
Pennsylvania.
"It’s used mostly for degenerative
diseases where there is a significant loss of immunity," says Dr. Gopal. When people
have diseases like cancer, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis, their immune
systems take a hard knock, leaving them open to secondary infections from colds and flu.
Such infections—manageable for healthy people—can be life-threatening for people
battling a chronic illness, he says. "I’ve found that cat’s claw can make the
body more tolerant and better able to fight an infection, especially at its initial
onset," he says. "You can use cat’s claw by itself or with echinacea and astragalus—two other immune system
stimulators—to boost its effectiveness."
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- The Jaguar’s Claw
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- Historically, the Peruvian Indians made a tea from the root and inner bark of the plant to treat
arthritis, tumors, ulcers, and inflammation. But since the Indians have an oral rather
than a written tradition, the methodologies and uses of the plant remain obscure. The
first references in literature to this woody vine date back to the late 1700s, but it
wasn’t until the 1970s that an Austrian doctor drew attention to the herb in the
West. The name cat’s claw, or uña de
gato in Spanish, comes from the vine’s sharp, curved thorns that resemble the claws
of a jaguar or cat.
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| Supplement Profile |
- Cat’s claw
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- Botanical names:
Uncaria tomentosa, U. guianensis; also known as uña de gato.
- May help: Heart disease, low immunity, bursitis,
rheumatoid arthritis, chemical poisoning, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and
lupus.
- Origin: Found in the Peruvian rain forest.
- Cautions and possible side
effects: Don’t use
if you have hemophilia or are pregnant. May cause headache, stomachache, or difficulty
breathing; also has contraceptive properties.
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Product Recommendations |
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- Cat's Claw bark with a guaranteed
natural potency of 3 % alkaloids. 3 capsules provides 1.45 gms Cat's Claw bark.
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Chemical analysis has revealed that the plant
contains several important medicinal ingredients. Some of its alkaloids are known to be
immune stimulants, and the plant appears to stimulate the activity of T cells, a type of
white blood cells, says Dr. Gopal. These blood cells hunt down and act against
virus-infected cells and tumor cells. One alkaloid in particular seems to reduce blood
pressure and may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.
The herb also contains compounds called glycosides
that exhibit antiviral and
anti-inflammatory activity. Some researchers suggest that cat’s claw is effective at
relieving swelling. "Because of this anti-inflammatory effect, some people have
advocated its use with rheumatoid arthritis," comments Dr. Gopal. Three of the
glycosides in the herb have antioxidant activity, meaning that they have the ability to
scavenge free radicals, the free-roaming, unstable molecules that cause aging and cell
damage. An Italian study in 1992 suggested that cat’s claw can also stop cells from
mutating, which may mean that it could have value as a cancer treatment.
As good as all of this sounds, it’s important to remember that these analyses and
studies have been done using laboratory tests. No published study has looked at how the
herb works in the human body, says Dr. Ben-Arye. "Even though there have been some
important ingredients found, we have no idea if the herb and those ingredients are
actually beneficial to people," says Dr. Ben-Arye. "That has to be studied in a
clinical setting, and those studies have not been published to date."
In other words, looking at the individual active ingredients can only partially explain
why cat’s claw works as well as it does. The healing power may actually come from a
combination of these chemicals working together, says Dr. Ben-Arye.
|
- Soap for Your Innards
|
- Although the science
may still be inconclusive on
cat’s claw many herbalists
and health professionals believe that this Amazonian plant has healing properties. Julie
Clemens, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in Sagle, Idaho, says cat’s claw is one of her
workhorse herbs. She uses it frequently, usually as part of detoxifying therapy. Dr.
Clemens believes that many lifestyle diseases—arthritis, diabetes, headaches, and
chronic constipation—are a result of chemical toxicity. The chemicals come from the
environment, diet, or a person’s lifestyle choices, such as smoking and drinking, she
says.
"What eventually happens is that your body is unable to process and eliminate the
toxins at the same rate they are coming in," she explains. "That can cause all
types of problems." Cat’s claw has a reputation for diminishing a person’s
chemical sensitivity. It’s also been used to cleanse and detoxify the intestinal
tract, says Dr. Clemens. Typically, she prescribes cat’s claw to
an overweight person who has high blood
pressure, problems with digestion and stomach acidity, and an unhealthy lifestyle. Her aim
is to lower the toxic load, start cleaning plaque out of the arteries, and convince the
person to make healthier lifestyle choices, she says.
"
Cat’s claw works on the entire system of the body. I like to call it an
internal scrubber. Think of it as soap for your insides," she says.
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- Get the Real Cat
|
- Cat’s
claw has grown so quickly in popularity that supplies of the herb are not consistent. Only
the inner bark and root have medicinal value, but analysis of some cat’s claw
products have found outer bark, stems, and twigs mixed in. The popularity of the herb has
caused the Peruvian government to declare it a threatened species and to ban the
harvesting of the root. Today, people are leaving the root, taking only the inner bark,
and allowing the plant to recover.
In North America
, cat’s claw is available as a tincture, in capsules,
and in raw bark form for brewing tea. Cat’s claw tea tends to be very bitter, so most people prefer capsules.
"I’d look for a product that contains at least a 0.3 percent alkaloid
content," says Dr. Clemens.
Although you may hear cat’s claw
referred to as uña de gato, that can be a generic name for more than 20 herbs from Peru,
some of which are toxic. Cat’s claw belongs to the
genus Uncaria, of which there are some 60 species in the world. Only 2, however—U.
tomentosa and U. guianensis—from Peru are known to have the medicinal value discussed
here.
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