Pau d'arco, a rainforest cure for a myriad of diseases? A strong antioxidant, it is both anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, even anti-cancer, eliminating pain and disease quickly and safely.
Found deep in the Amazonian rainforest, this tree goes by many names.
Pau d'arco is Portuguese for "bow tree," as it is traditionally used by South American tribes to make both wooden tools and a medicinal tea. The species that gives forth scarlet flowers is also called Lapacho colorado, and the one grown in the cooler Andes and Paraguay that produces purple blossoms is called Lapacho morado.
In Argentina it goes by the name Tabebuia impegtignosa and in Brazil, Tabebuia heptaphylla. Native tribes also call this herb taheebo and ipe roxo. Also, Tabebuia ipe, ipe, tahuari, trumpet tree, and tajy.
There are nearly 100 different but related species of this hardy canopy tree. It is found in both South and Central America, and cultivated in southern Florida. This evergreen gives forth beautiful pink and violet bell-shapped or funnel-shaped flowers that can range from blue to yellow to magenta or purple hues.
The tree grows upward to 150 feet (45 m) with a trunk encircling more than 10 feet (3m). Most of the species come from the Tabebuia avellandae that produces a hard wood resistant to disease and decay.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, Guarani and Tupi-Nambo tribes were known to use large quantities of lapacho tea to treat all manner of health conditions. Central and South American natives routinely used the bark to treat cancer, lupus, infectious diseases and wounds. Caribbean natives used both leaves and bark to treat backaches, toothaches, sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer. They even used Pau d'arco as an aphrodisiac.
The Callawaya Indians—descendants of the Incas, the Quechua, Aymara and other native tribes in the Andes used Pau d'arco to address many complaints. The Incas used the purple-colored inner bark of the red lapacho as their primary medicinal source, as did the Calawaya for more than 1000 years.
Applied both internally and externally, the bark was used to treat fevers, infections, colds, influenza, syphilis, cancer, respiratory problems, skin ulcerations and boils, dysentery, gastrointestinal ailments, arthritis, prostatitis, circulatory problems, as well as other debilitating ailments.
It was also an accepted cure for lupus, diabetes, Hodgkins disease, osteomylelitis, Parkinson's disease, and psoriasis. Indians used it to relieve pain, disinfect, treat leprosy, and as a diuretic and antidote to poisons.
Pau d'arco was strong in vitro activity against viruses, including Herpes I and II, influenza, polio and vesicular stomatitis. It proved anti-parisitic to malaria, schistosoma, and typanosoma. And it was effective as an expectorant, promoting coughing that allowed the lungs to expel deeply embedded mucus and other contaminates.
Use of Pau d'arco also removed many of the side effects of western medications, as found in orthodox treatments for cancer, namely, the elimination of pain, hair loss and immune dysfunction — hence its possible use in conjunction with other medical therapies: patients undergoing chemotherapy observed a parallel decrease in side effects with increased efficacy in chemotherapy treatments.
Research can substantiate the beneficial claims attributed to Pau d'arco. While there were many clinical studies performed on the bark, too numerous to cite here, the following is a summary of some of the effects the bark and its constituents have had:
There are over 20 active chemicals found in Pau d'arco. Lapachol and beta-lapachone form a compound known as napthaquinone or N-factor that is both anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-cancer. It inhibits enzymes that viruses require for growth and reproduction.Another set of compounds known as anthraquinones or A-factors is also found in Pau-d'arco. Seldom found together in the same plant species, it is speculated that both N- and A-factors in the Pau d'arco have a synergistic effect unique to this tree.
Other antioxidants are also found in the bark, including quercetin, xloidone and other flavonoids that contribute to the plants ability against tumors and infections.
Quality Control
Unfortunately, ninety percent of the bark sold commercially are either fraudulent or of extremely mediocre quality. This is due to poor quality control at every stage of production: harvesting, exporting, curing, transporting....
While the plant itself is pure, harvesters, ignorant of which parts of the plant contains the active ingredient, will strip off the entire bark — both the lifegiving inner bark lining and the useless outer bark, and sometimes even the heartwood, thereby destroying the tree itself. Some may even harvest the wrong plant!
South American city manufacturers and exporters use toxic chemicals to fumigate or irradiate the plant before exporting to North American manufacturers or brokers. Other unscrupulous dealers will falsely adulterate the product by adding sawdust from the floors of the manufacturing plant or by mixing with bark from other plants.
In addition, shippers often fail to take steps in protecting the bark from transportation hazards. By the time the Pau d'arco arrives in North America, it has already changed hands several times, and at each stage of the process, there is no quality control or standardization practice that will ensure the quality of the product.
Of the the 12 commercial products tested in Canada, only one was found to contain the active lapachol ingredient that is found in the bark.
So how can you be sure that the product you
purchase is truly the quality Pau d'arco as advertised?First, be sure that it is indeed Pau d'arco, taheebo, ipe roxo, Tabebuia avellandae or lapacho that you are purchasing. Secondly, it should be grown and cleaned without harmful chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Thirdly, be sure that the bark is harvested from mature trees that contain the active ingredients.
And lastly, be sure that it is only the inner bark of the Pau d'arco tree that is being harvested. When only a fraction of the bark, that is, the inner lining, is harvested, the tree is not cut down or destroyed and the bark is allowed to grow back, enabling the tree to heal itself.
Do not be a part of the problem being perpetuated all over the world by purchasing products leading to the unnecessary destruction of the rapidly diminishing Pau d'arco tree and the rainforest because of unsustainable practices. Shop around and check your sources carefully.
Toxicity
While Pau d'archo proves itself very toxic to many kinds of cancer cells, viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and other kinds of microorganisms, on the other hand, it exhibits no significant toxicity to healthy human cells. Side effects have been mostly experienced with isolated lapacho constituents; in very high doses, they have been limited to nausea, vomiting, loose bowels, anemia.
Isolated use of the lapachol constituent has led to anti-vitamin K activity but other lapacho constituents have pro-vitamin K action. Other studies have also shown that the side effects stemming from lapachol disappear immediately upon cessation of use.
Some patients experience loose bowel movement with consumption of Pau d'arco. However, this is not atypical of the detoxification process that is experienced with many herbs. Once the body is thoroughly cleansed and bodily toxins are purged from the system, these symptoms will disappear. Moreover, studies have indicated that the toxicity level of Pau d'arco is only a tenth of that of caffeine.
Precautions to Take
High doses of isolated lapachol use can cause nausea and vomiting, as well as uncontrolled bleeding. The whole bark is, however, much safer to use. On the other hand, because the anticoagulant effect of the lapachol constituent, it is recommended that the tea is not consumed in conjunction with any blood thinners.
Likewise, it is not recommended for use by pregnant or lactating women.
While some patients may experience nausea and loose bowels, this is usually attributed with the purging process of toxins in the body. Once toxins are flushed out of the system, these side effects will disappear. With stomach upset, it is usually recommended that the tea be consumed with food to help settle the stomach.
As a laxative and diuretic, Pau d'arco is very yin or "cooling". If you are sensitive to yin foods, you may experience coughing, lots of phlegm, loose bowel movement and frequent urination. In that case, restrict yourself to drinking the tea every second or third day and only during the daytime, preferably in the morning.
One way to offset the effect of "cooling" foods is to add ginger or black pepper to the foods. These two ingredients are very yang and stimulating. The two yin and yang foods will offset and balance each other.
Method of Preparation
Use only distilled or reverse osmosis for drinking water, especially when preparing this tea. Depending on how strong you want to make it, add about three to six tablespoons of Pau d'arco bark to one quart of purified water.
Use only stainless steel, ceramic or glass pots for boiling. The best is ceramic.
Cover, bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes to release the beneficial compounds. The bark is not water soluble; while many stores may suggest simmering for at least eight minutes, I find at least 20 minutes is required to gain the full benefits of the tea.
After 20 minutes, set aside and let it steep, then strain and and consume. It has a slightly acrid taste which is not unpleasant, but you may sweeten with raw unpasteurized honey if you so desire.
To save time, I often will make a big batch of concentrated Pau d'arco and set it aside. Then I just dilute what I need to make a cup.
It is highly recommended that Pau d'arco be routinely combined with Yerba mate which intensifies the actions of Pau d'arco.
How often should you consume the tea? It can be taken once a week every second day or every three days to prevent colds and flus; otherwise, when infection sets in, you can consume it as often as a few cups a day. Only you can decide how much is optimum for you.
When you are done with the dregs, throw them over the soil of your houseplants to prevent mold and parasites. Your plants can benefit too!
Pau d'arco can also be used as a douche for yeast infections, as a poultice for eye infections, and to help heal open wounds and sores more quickly. I usually find raw coarse cut bark to be more potent than the finely ground powder or capsule form.
