Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa Willd) - Botanical Medicines

Cat's Claw ( Uncaria tomentosa Willd)

Cat's claw is a woody vine, typically two or three inches or more in diameter, that grows in the Amazonian region of Peru. The extract is made from the bark of the woody stem that contains quinovic acid glycodes, catechins, D-catechol, and several alkaloids. According to Philip Steinberg's articles in the August /September issue of Townsend Letter for Doctors , cats claw activates T-lymphocytes and macrophages and normalizes immunoglobulins. It is an antioxidant, antiviral, anti-mutagenic, hypotensive, anti-edemic, and an effective contraceptive.

The bark extract has been used, according to Steinberg, to treat AIDS patients in Austria and Germany. It has also been used successfully to treat arthritis, neurobronchitis, allergies, rheumatism, diverticulosis, Crohn's disease, peptic and gastric ulcers, gastritis, parasites, colitis, leaky bowel syndrome, dysentery, hemorrhoids, cancer (along with other herbs that moderate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation), herpes (herpes genitalis, stomatitis aftesa, and varicella zoster), diabetes, and inflammation.