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Peruvian
Cat's Claw Information Page
Copyright 1994 by The
Herb Quarterly. All rights reserved.
Cat's Claw (Uña de
Gato)
A Wondrous Herb From
The Amazon Rain Forest
By Phillip N. Steinberg
In July 1993, while
working for a contract vitamin manufacturer in central Wisconsin,
I received a very interesting phone call. A gentleman by
the name of Timothy Eaton called to inquire if I had any
knowledge of a medicinal herb from Peru known as Uncaria
tomentosa, commonly called Uña de Gato in
Spanish and "Cat's Claw" in English. When I replied
that I had never heard of the herb in question, he proceeded
to tell me about a laboratory in Austria that had created
a pharmaceutical from an extract of this mystery plant.
This drug, he said, was being used successfully in Austria
and Germany to treat AIDS and cancer. He told me that as
a missionary pilot he had many an occasion to fly in and
out of the Peruvian Amazon. Because of these travels he
became aware of Uncaria tomentosa's long history
of use as a traditional medicine by the native Ashanica
Indians.
Because of my 20-plus
years experience working within the natural products and
alternative health industry, I became immediately interested
and intrigued by what Mr. Eaton had to say. I told him I
would do some investigating and find out if the herb was
being imported into the United States. To my surprise, not
one of the bulk herb suppliers I contacted in the United
States had ever heard of Uncaria tomentosa. Even
more surprising was the fact that none of them could find
any mention of the herb in any of their reference books.
Finally, one company
that sold packaged herbs referred me to Dr. Brent Davis,
whom they thought might be familiar with Cat's Claw. Bingo!
He not only knew about Uncaria tomentosa, but had
been working with it since 1988, and had written an excellent
article describing his experiences. In his article titled
"A New World Class Herb for A.K. [Applied Kinesiology]
Practice," Dr. Davis refers to Uncaria tomentosa
as "the opener of the way" because of its remarkable
ability to cleanse the entire intestinal tract. The herb
helps patients suffering from many different stomach and
bowel disorders including Crohn's disease, diverticulitis,
leaky bowel syndrome, colitis, hemorrhoids, fistulas, gastritis,
ulcers, parasites, and intestinal flora imbalance.
After reading Dr. Davis's
article, I became even more determined to learn everything
I could about this remarkable plant. I Spent several days
at the University of Wisconsin on their Med-line data base
searching for any information I could find. With Mr. Eaton's
help I was able to come up with more than 20 different references
and articles about Uncaria tomentosa and another
Uncaria species known as Uncaria guianensis.
My research revealed
that Uncaria tomentosa is a woody vine that grows
to more than 100 feet in length as it attaches itself to
and winds its way up through the trees in the highlands
of the Peruvian rain forests. For hundreds of years the
native Indian tribes have used the bark and root to prepare
a medicinal tea in the form of a decoction. According to
the Indian folklore, the tea has been successfully used
to cure tumors and other serious diseases.
In 1972, a 78-year-old
Peruvian plantation owner named Don Luis was sent home by
his doctor to die after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
In desperation, one of his sons went to an old Indian medicine
woman for help. She told him to give his father tea made
from Uncaria tomentosa. After drinking the tea
several times daily for a six month period, Don Luis went
back to visit his doctor. To his doctor's amazement, Don
Luis was not only very much alive, but as new tests revealed,
the cancer in his lungs had completely disappeared.
Don Luis continued
to live a relatively healthy life until the age of 90, when
he died of old age. Upon his death, an autopsy was performed
and there was still no trace cancer anywhere in his body.
Since that time, Uncaria
tomentosa has been sold throughout South America both
in tea and capsule form. Labels written in Spanish suggest
how to use both forms for the treatment of cancer, arthritis,
gastritis, and female hormone imbalances.
Beginning in the 1970s
and continuing through today, studies conducted at research
facilities in Peru, Austria, Germany, England, Hungary,
and Italy suggest that Uncaria tomentosa may be
beneficial in the treatment of cancer, arthritis, bursitis,
rheumatism, genital herpes and herpes zoster, allergies,
ulcers, systematic candidiasis, diabetes, lupus, chronic
fatigue syndrome, PMS, and irregularities of the female
cycle, environmental toxic poisoning, numerous bowel and
intestinal disorders, organic depression, and those infected
with the HIV virus.
In its healing ability
and benefit to the immune system, Uncaria tomentosa
appears to have so many therapeutic applications that it
far surpasses such well- known herbs as pau d'arco, echinacea,
golden seal, astragalus, and Siberian Ginseng, as well as
maitake, shitake and reishi mushrooms and other natural
products such as citrus seed extract, caprylic acid and
shark cartilage.
In his 1992 article,
Dr. Davis states that Uncaria tomentosa has the
ability to break through severe intestinal derangements
that no other available products can touch.
In July 1989, U.S.
Patent No. 4,844,901 was issued to an Austrian scientist
named Dr. Klause Keplinger, and a second patent, No. 4,940,725,
was issued to him in July 1990. These patents explain how
Dr. Keplinger isolated six oxindole alkaloids from the root
of Uncaria tomentosa and that four of these alkaloids
have been proven to be "suitable for the unspecific
stimulation of the immunologic system." According to
Keplinger's research, these four alkaloids have been shown
to have a pronounced enhancement effect on phagocytosis
(the ability of the white blood cells and macrophage to
attack, engulf and digest harmful micro-organisms, foreign
matter, and debris).
According to both patents,
the most immunologically active alkaloid is isopteropodine
or isomer A. Besides isomer A. and the other three immuno-stimulating
alkaloids, there exists another alkaloid known as rynchophylline.
This alkaloid has been studied at the Shanghai College of
Traditional Chinese Medicine. According to these findings,
rynchophylline has demonstrated an ability to inhibit platelet
aggregation and Thrombosis, which suggests that rynchophylline
may be useful in preventing strokes and reducing the risk
of heart attack by lowering blood pressure, increasing circulation,
and inhibiting both the formation of plaque on the arterial
walls and the formation of blood clots in the brain, heart,
and arteries.
On November 28, 1988,
and June 17, 1993, articles about Immodel, the laboratory
in Austria Mr. Eaton first mentioned to me, appeared in
El Comercio, the major metropolitan newspaper in
Lima, Peru. According to these articles, Dr. Keplinger,
the director of Immodel, has developed a pharmaceutical
called "Krallendorn" from an extract of the root
of Uncaria tomentosa. The articles then speak of
Dr. Keplinger's success in treating allergies, neurobronchitis,
genital herpes, and herpes zoster with the extract. More
exiting however, is his reported success in treating AIDS
and cancer. It seems that Dr. Keplinger has been able to
reverse the progression of both AIDS and cancer in the majority
of his patients by using Krallendorn alone or in combination
with AZT. He has also determined that Krallendorn has been
effective in reducing the unpleasant side effects of both
AZT and radiation therapy when used in the treatment of
cancer.
Besides the oxindole
alkaloids isolated by Dr. Keplinger and his colleagues,
Italian and Peruvian researchers have isolated other beneficial
constituents including several polyphenols and tritepines,
and the plant sterols betasitosterol, stigmasterol, and
campesterol. The presence of these additional compounds
might further explain the antioxidant, antiviral, antitumor
and anti-inflammatory properties attributed to this herb.
According to Cat's
Claw Quarterly, published in the summer of 1989, Dr.
Richard Gerber, MD, author of the best selling book
Vibrational Medicine, has stated that Cat's Claw is
a unique herbal remedy that has been used for many years
by native healers of Peru." He further states that
"the herb shows great promise for the treatment of
arthritis when taken internally, either by making a tea
or taking capsules of the herb." Dr. Gerber also explains
that European studies have determines that cat's claw has
very low toxicity even if taken in large amounts and that
it may be beneficial for those individuals who suffer from
painful joints and cannot take conventional medicines because
of unpleasant side effects. Finally, he suggests that cat's
claw might be helpful in reducing the side effects of radiation
and chemotherapy associated with cancer treatments.
In the words of Dr.
Brent Davis, "Uncaria tomentosa is a world
class herb which has the power to arrest and reverse deep-seated
pathology, allowing a more rapid return to health in the
context on concomitant A.K. therapies."
In addition to the
scientific data I've been able to uncover, I've also had
personal experience with Uncaria tomentosa potency.
For approximately the last 20 years I have been plagued
by a chronic urinary tract problem involving an unspecified
inflammatory condition of the urethra and other symptoms
commonly associated with an enlarged prostrate gland. Throughout
these years I visited a number of different doctors, both
allopathic and holistic. I tried conventional medicines,
numerous vitamin and mineral regimens, herbal remedy combinations,
and an array of other natural products with minimal results.
In September 1993,
Peruvian Imports Unlimited, a major supplier in North Palm
Beach, Florida, gave me several ounces of cat's claw. I
began experimenting with the herb by brewing it as a tea
and drinking three cups per day. About halfway into my third
day of this regimen, I began to notice the chronic urinary
symptoms starting to diminish. About halfway into the second
week, the symptoms were virtually eliminated.
Since that time, I,
along with some of my friends and associates, have been
using the tea and herb in capsule form. We have found them
both to be equally effective in knocking out the flu, clearing
up sinus and ear infections, canker sores, one infection
associated with TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome),
and eliminating the tired sore muscles associated with heavy
physical work and exercise. I was even able to clear up
a case of athlete's foot by putting the powdered herb between
the infected toes, and my daughter's conjunctivitis by putting
drops of the tea in her eyes several times over the course
of two days. Even more amazing is the fact that all of the
above were accomplished within 48 hours after beginning
use of Uncaria tomentosa.
According to my experience
and the available research, three to six grams daily is
considered therapeutic if using capsules or three to four
strong cups per day if using tea. However, as much as 20
grams per day might be used in very advanced stages of pathology.
In children under 12,
one capsule three times daily seems to be effective on minor
ailments, and the same dose is good for adults as a preventative
measure.
Given the research
conducted on this remarkable plant, coupled with my personal
observations, I have come to the conclusion that cat's claw,
Uncaria tomentosa, has tremendous potential as
a preventative and as a treatment for many of today's serious
problems.
Phillip N. Steinberg
is a graduate of The Nutritionist Institute of America and
has been an owner/operator of several health and natural
product stores. At present, Mr. Steinberg is working as
a writer dealing with topics pertaining to nutrition and
holistic health.
This Article originally
appeared in The Herb Quarterly as well as articles
on Essiac , the Hoxsey Clinic, Milk Thistle seed and others.
To subscribe call or write: The Herb Quarterly, PO Box 689
San Anselmo, CA 94979-0689 or call 1-800-371-HERB (4372)
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