Pau d'arco, a disease fighting
herbal medicine
Pau d'arco is obtained from the bark of the Tabebuia impetigonosa
tree
indigenous to South America. Other names for pau d'arco are
lapacho, taheebo or ipe roxo. This herbal medicine was
popular
amongst the Incas, Aztecs and native tribes of the South American rain
forests to promote general health and well-being. It was also
used to cure diseases and as a pain killer for toothaches and headaches.
The beneficial ingredients in pau d'arco include potent plant chemicals
called naphthoquinones. Of these chemicals, lapachol has been
studied
the most and even has several patents associated with it.
In the 1960's, pau d'arco became popular and many books and articles
were written on its ability to fight disease and relieve pain.
By
the 1980's this herbal medicine was readily available in health stores
and pharmacies.
Lapachol and other compounds contained in pau d'arco combat
bacteria, viruses and fungi. It has also shown to be an
immune-enhancing herb and can also reduce inflammation.
Herbalists often recommend this herbal medicine as a tea
douche
to help restore the balance in the vagina, thereby fighting vaginal
yeast infections. A tincture of pau d'arco applied directly
to
warts will help to eradicate them. People suffering from
chronic
fatigue syndrome, HIV or AIDS and acute bronchitis will benefit greatly
from taking pau d'arco in either capsule, tablet, tincture or tea form.
The most important benefit though is the potential cancer-fighting
properties of this herbal remedy. When this herb starting
getting
a reputation as a cancer fighting medicine, the US National Cancer
Institute (NCI) started an investigation and identified lapachol as the
main ingredient capable of shrinking tumours.
Due to the high rate of success in animal studies in the 1970's, the
NCI began human trials using high doses of lapachol. Although
there was evidence that pau d'arco destroyed cancer cells, participants
started having serious side effects such as nausea and vomiting and
blood-clotting problems. This was thought to be because
lapachol
interferes with the action of vitamin K which is needed for blood to
clot
properly. As a result, research was abandoned.
Researchers opposing this study believe that lapachol should not have
been used in its pure form, but that therapeutic doses of pau d'arco
would be more beneficial and would produce similar benefits without the
undesired side effects. Other studies suggest that taking pau
d'arco with vitamin K supplements will make it possible for people to
use the pure lapachol to further study its cancer fighting properties,
without interfering with blood clotting.
Despite all the controversy surrounding the research of lapachol,
herbalists and health practitioners recommend pau d'arco as a
complementary herbal medicine to conventional cancer treatments.
Pau d'arco tea has had
beneficial effects for cancer victims alleviating the symptoms of
chemotherapy.
What are the side effects of
Pau d'arco?
Please
consult your medical
practitioner prior to using any herbal
medications should you be under their care.
Using whole-bark products are generally safe and do not produce any of
the side effects associated with high doses of pure lapachol.
Should you experience any stomach upsets or nausea when using
pau
d'arco herbal supplements, take it with food.
People using blood-thinning medication such as Warfarin should take
care when using pau d'arco supplements.
Pregnant women should not use pau d'arco.
How do I take Pau d'arco?
If you are using pau d'arco tablets or capsules, the daily recommended
dosage is 250 mg twice a day. This dose is suggested for
people
suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or HIV and AIDS. Use
pau
d'arco herbal supplements in conjunction with other immune-enhancing
herbs such as echinacea or goldenseal.
To make pau d'arco tea, steep two or three teaspoons dried herb in two
cups of boiled water and drink over the course of a day.
To treat vaginal yeast infections, let pau d'arco tea cool down to
lukewarm before using it as a douche. Repeat the treatment
twice
a day for a period of 5 days or until the symptoms are gone.
To treat warts, apply a compress soaked with pau d'arco tinture to the
affected areas before bedtime and leave it on all night.
Repeat
the treatment until the warts disappear.
Herbalists recommend purchasing whole-bark products because they
believe that the benefits of pau d'arco come from the entire range of
chemical compounds found in the bark.
To be truly effective, pau d'arco herbal supplements must contain
lapachol which is found only in the bark of the Tabebuia impetigonosa
tree and not
the other Tabebuia
species.
The most effective pau d'arco products are the ones that contain 2 to 7
percent standardized extract of lapachol.
Be sure to consult an herbalist or a reputable health store when buying
pau d'arco supplements to ensure that you are getting good value.
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