Cat's Claw ( Uncaria tomentosa ) is conventionally grown in Peru
AKA vilacora , una de gato, Uncaria tomentosa vilacora, una de gato
Cautions please be aware that herbs, although natural can interact with certain medications, and that they may be ill advised to use under certain health conditions. Please consult a qualified health practitioner for cautions pertinent to you. Pregnant women should avoid taking it until. Those who are allergic to coffee or gardenias may also experience negative effects from uncaria tomentosa.
No therapeutic claim is made or intended for this product. Information is for educational purposes only.
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Further interesting reading...
Cat's Claw Bark was reputed to be a super drug in the Andean region of South America. Modern chemistry has revealed the presence of oxyindole alkaloids which may, in fact, aid the immune system. Cats claw's glycosides may be responsible for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions of this herb. That is, Cats Claw Bark does appear to assist immune function, reduce inflammations and help in the healing of minor injuries. Cat's Claw ranked among the top 10 herbs sold in American natural food stores in the late 1990s. The bark is boiled for 15 minutes to make a thick decoction, drunk 2 or 3 cups a day.
The Asháninka use Cat's Claw bark to treat asthma, inflammations of the urinary tract, to recover from childbirth, as a kidney cleanser, to cure deep wounds, for arthritis, rheumatism and bone pain, to control inflammation and gastric ulcers, and to support the bodies immune system in it's fight against cancer. Indigenous tribes in Piura use Cat's Claw to treat tumors, inflammations, rheumatism and gastric ulcers. Indian tribes in Columbia use the vine to treat gonorrhea and dysentery. Other Peruvian indigenous tribes use Cat's Claw to treat diabetes, urinary tract cancer in women, cirrhosis, gastritis, rheumatism, inflammations and tumors. The Cashibo tribe of eastern Peru believes that Cat's Claw 'normalizes the body' and have used it since ancient times to treat fevers, abscesses and to cleanse the system. Keplinger's work in the 1970's and 1980's led to several extracts of cat's claw bark being sold in Austria and Germany as prescription medicines, four U.S. patents describing the alkaloid extraction methods and the immunostimulating actions of these alkaloids found in Cat's Claw, and fueled worldwide interest in the medicinal properties of this valuable vine of the rainforest.
Anthropologists and archaeologists have learned that this Native American herb, dried uncaria tomentosa, was once used by the Asháninka tribe of Peru as a treatment for various gastro-intestinal disorders as well as a contraceptive. Some recent clinical research on Cat's Claw Bark suggest that it may be effective for a wide range of conditions; uncaria tomentosa has anti-oxidant as well as anti-bacterial properties; ground Cat's Claw Bark may also be useful as an anti-inflammatory as well.
