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Pau d'arco
Pau d'arco is a natural grown herb that is derived from the inner bark of the Tabebuia Avellanedae or Tabebuia Impetiginosa (Taheebo) tree grown in South
America. Pau d'Arco Tea has been used for many centuries by the Indio tribes of South America. The ancient Incas and Aztecs were probably the first to be
familiar with the herbs healing powers. Stories abound telling of its miraculous curing powers.
Purple Lapacho:
Ancient Herb, Modern Miracle
DESCRIPTION
Lapacho is an evergreen tree, with rosy colored flowers, belonging to the Bignonia family. Nearly 100 species of lapacho trees are known, but only a few of
these yield high quality material, and it takes extremely skilled gatherers to tell the difference. (Half or more of the battle involved in bringing high quality
lapacho to the marketplace is finding and retaining qualified gatherers.) The medicinal part of the tree is the bark, specifically the inner lining of the bark,
called the phloem (pronounced floam). The use of whole bark, containing the dead wood, naturally dilutes the activity of the material. Lapacho is also known
by the Portuguese name of Pau D'Arco, and by tribal names such as Taheebo and Ipe Roxo.
Some texts distinguish between Lapacho colorado (red lapacho-ipe roxo) (scarlet flowers) and Lapacho morado (purple lapacho) which grows in cooler
climates such as high in the Andes, and high places in Paraguay. Recent evidence suggests that these two varieties of lapacho possess superior medicinal
properties, with a slight bow going to the purple as the best of all.
CONSTITUENTS
Most of the chemical analyses of lapacho have been performed on the heartwood of the tree, rather than on the phloem, or inner lining of the bark, which is
used medicinally. It is unclear why this has occurred. One reason may be that the heartwood contains enough quantities of a couple of important
constituents, mainly lapachol and tabebuin, to satisfy current research interests. Once the therapeutic activity of those constituents has been thoroughly
investigated, perhaps researchers will turn their attention to the phloem. Until then, it is probably safe to assume that the living bark contains a similar set of
active constituents as the heartwood plus some others that make it more effective and would account for the living bark's greater popularity as a folk
medicine. Traditionally, as anyone who chooses to examine the herbal literature of the world can verify, it is the living bark of a plant, especially a tree or
shrub, that is used medicinally--not the heartwood. The reason is simple: the nutrients and representative families of chemical substances used to sustain the
life of the tree are found in greatest concentration in the cambium layer and phloem of the living bark.
The life processes of a mature tree are carried out in the thin corridor lying between the outer bark and the inner heartwood. Pull the bark off a tree and you
will notice moist, very thin layers of tissue that seem to shred when picked at with the hands. This is the cambium layer. Its purpose is to create new tree
tissues, such as phloem, through cell division. The newest, youngest phloem cells are just outside the cambium. As new phloem is added, older cells are
crushed and pressed into the bark. Younger, newer cells added to the inside of the cambium layer are called xylem. Newer xylem is called sapwood; older
xylem is crushed and pressed into the heart of the tree. It is therfore known as heartwood. The actively conducting tissues of a tree are the thin layers of
fresh xylem and phloem on each side of the cambium. The outer bark and heartwood are, essentially, inactive materials that only serve to provide strength to
the tree. Indiscriminate combining of older, less active layers of bark and tree with the younger, living tissues results in a dramatic dilution of active principle
and medicinal value. Yet it is a common practice.
Lapachol is just one of a number of plant substances known as napthaquinones (N-factors) that occur in lapacho. Anthraquinones, or A-factors, comprise
another important class of compounds. The N-factors are not common except in herbal tonics. Seldom do both N- and A-factors occur in the same species.
Several of the remarkable properties of lapacho may be due to a probable synergy between A- and N- factors.
Quercitin, xloidone and other flavonoids are also present in lapacho; these undoubtedly contribute to the plant's effectiveness in the treatment of tumors and
infections.
FOLKLORE
The native Indians of Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and other South American countries have used lapacho for medicinal purposes for
thousands of years; there are indications that its use may actually ante-date the Incas. Before the advent of the Spanish, the Guarani and Tupi-Nambo
tribes, in particular, used great quantities of lapacho tea. In the high Andes, the Callawaya, the Quechua, Aymara and other tribes used lapacho ("taheebo"
to them) for many complaints.
Lapacho is applied externally and internally for the treatment of fevers, infections, colds, flu, syphilis, cancer, respiratory problems, skin ulcerations and boils,
dysentery, gastro-intestinal problems of all kinds, debilitating conditions such as arthritis and prostatitis, and circulation disturbances., Other conditions have
reportedly been cured with lapacho including lupus, diabetes, Hodgkins disease, osteomyelitis, Parkinson's disease, and psoriasis.
It is used to relieve pain, kill germs, increase the flow of urine, and even as an antidote to poisons. Its use in many ways parallels that of the
immuno-stimulants echinacea on this continent and ginseng in Asia, except that its action appears to exceed them both in terms of its potential as a cancer
treatment. The Guarani, Tupi and other tribes called the lapacho tree "Tajy," meaning "to have strength and vigor," or simply, "The Divine Tree."
Modern Guarani Indians prefer the purple lapacho, but also use the red lapacho. And they use only the inner lining of the bark.
The use of lapacho may not be limited to tropical countries. A Yugoslavian scientist, Voislav Todorovic, claims that he has found evidence that the plant was
used by the Vikings and the Russians. He also claims that a Russian chemist (in the late 1800's) manufactured a toothpaste that contained lapacho that was
supposed to have been extremely effective in preventing tooth decay.
EARLY SCIENTIFIC WORK
Research on lapacho has been going on for a long time. E. Paterno isolated the active constituent, lapachol, in 1884. Inn 1896, S.C. Hooker established the
chemical structure of lapachol, and L.F. Fieser synthesized the substance in 1927! So it would be a mistake to call lapacho a modern discovery.
As early as 1873, physicians were aware of the healing action of lapacho. Dr. Joaquin Almeida Pinto wrote during that year, "Pau D'Arco: Medicinal
Properties: prescribed as a fever-reducer; the bark is used against ulcers; also used for venereal and rheumatic disorders and especially useful for skin
disorders, especially eczema, herpes and the mange". Another early physician, Dr. Walter Accorsi, reported that lapacho, "eliminated the pains caused by
the disease (cancer) and multiplies the body's production of red corpuscles."
However, the science of lapacho began properly with the work of Theodoro Meyer in Argentina who tried for decades with little success to convince the
medical world of the value of lapacho for infections and cancer. Data from his laboratory are astounding in terms of the success rate observed when applying
the herb in dozens of different kinds of cancer. Much of Meyer's work was primitive by modern research standards; most of it lacked adequate controls and
statistical evaluation. But the sheer bulk of it is good evidence for the efficacy of lapacho. The Meyer era ended at his death in 1972, with the scientific world
left still largely unconvinced of the usefulness of lapacho as a modern medicinal agent. Perhaps the most important thing Meyer accomplished, from a
scientific point of view, was to bring lapacho to the attention of the rest of world, to extract the plant from the jungles of the Amazon, and announce, "Here is a
folk remedy with great promise for all mankind."
Independent of Meyer, a physician in Brazil, about 1960, after hearing a tale of its miraculous curative powers, used lapacho to treat his brother who was
lying in a Santo Andre, Brazil hospital, dying of cancer. His brother recovered, and the physician, Dr. Orlando dei Santi, began to use the herb to treat other
cancer patients at the hospital. Other physicians joined the team, and after a few months, several case histories of cures were recorded. In the typical case,
pain disappeared rapidly and sometimes complete remission was achieved in as little as four weeks.
Because of the work at the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre, lapacho has become a standard form of treatment for some kinds of cancer and for all kinds of
infections in medical establishments throughout Brazil. It should be noted that after the first reports of "miraculous" herbal cures appeared in Brazil, the
national government ordered a blackout of any more public statements by doctors involved in the research. The silence was finally broken by Alec De
Montmorency, who in 1981 published a lengthy review of the ongoing clinical work in Brazil. This report succeeded in stimulating worldwide interest in the
plant.
In 1968, Dr. Prats Ruiz of Concepcion, Argentina, successfully treated three cases of leukemia in his private clinic. Some of these results were widely
published and also helped to establish the popularity of lapacho among the "civilized" inhabitants of South American countries.
American physicians, of course, tend to look disparagingly upon the clinical evidence from backward areas of South America, preferring instead sanitized
evidence from their own brightly lit laboratories. The weight of the South American clinical evidence has not been sufficient to cause widespread acceptance
of the treatment outside South America, but it has stimulated research interest abroad. Pharmaceutical companies regularly screen lapacho for the presence
of substances that could be the basis for new drug applications. As we shall see, however, no isolated component of lapacho comes anywhere close to being
equal to the combined activity of all constituents, or, in other words, to the whole herb.
Drug Detox Observations. A common thread that runs throughout early and current empirical and clinical reports of lapacho treatment is the consistent
observation that the herb eliminates many of the common side effects of the orthodox medications. There is no explanation of this action, but it is so often
seen that one cannot easily doubt its validity. Pain, hair loss and immune dysfunction are among the symptoms most commonly eliminated.
MODERN INVESTIGATIVE WORK
While scientific research on lapacho has been going on for decades, most of it is worthless from a medicinal point of view. Some of it, however, is very good,
and has resulted in the isolation of several individual medicinally active constituents and in the analysis of their properties. The current interest in AIDS has
stimulated renewed interest in lapacho since the herb is such an effective anti-viral substance.
The main problem with American research on the plant is the tunnel-vision with which the work is engaged. Without any understanding of the ultimate source
of the plant's effectiveness, researchers routinely isolate what they think should be the active component and apply it in standard screening trials. The results
of such research are sometimes positive, sometimes negative, sometimes strong, sometimes weak--always inadequate, by definition. It didn't surprise anyone
that the trials performed by the National Cancer Institute were less than convincing. And it also didn't surprise anyone when that same institute rejected
out-of-hand the highly positive results obtained by many non-American researchers who utilized different methods. The self-serving tendency of the
American medical/regulatory establishment to accept only its own research is indulged by the rest of the world's scientific community with polite and somewhat
amused patience, as they wait for America to grow up.
The following is a summary of some of the effects of lapacho and/or any of its constituents that have been validated by modern research:
1. Laxative effect. Regular use of lapacho will maintain regularity of bowel movements. This property is undoubtedly due to the presence of the
napthaquinones and anthraquinones. Users of lapacho universally report a pleasant and moderate loosening of the bowels that leads to greater regularity
without any unpleasant side-effects such as diarrhea.
2. Anti-cancer effect. The greater part of the basic research on lapacho, both in the United States and in other countries has dealt directly with the cancer
question. Obviously, this issue is of great importance. Any tendency of lapacho to ameliorate the course of cancer should be made known to all persons likely
to benefit from it. The absence of side effects makes lapacho a treatment of choice even in conjunction with standard forms of therapy. The user has nothing
to lose and much to gain from the judicious use of lapacho. Naturally, any and all treatment of a cancerous condition should be done under the supervision of
a qualified physician.
Some constituents or groups of constituents of lapacho have indeed been found to suppress tumor formation and reduce tumor viability, both in experimental
animal trials and in clinical settings involving human patients. In addition, anecdotal data abounds to such an extent that to overlook its importance is to turn
one's back on a potentially invaluable source of aid and health. Leukemia has proven particularly susceptible to the application of lapacho and several of its
constituents. Some researchers feel that lapachol is one of the most important anti-tumor agents in the entire world.
"I had a large tumor in my brain. Traditional treatment produced only minor success. Then I began to use lapacho tea. After several weeks a CAT scan
showed that the tumor was totally gone. The doctors couldn't believe it because they had classified my case as basically untreatable."
Part of the effectiveness of lapacho may stem from its observed ability to stimulate the production of red blood cells in bone marrow. Increased red blood cell
production would improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. This, in turn, could have important implications for the health of tissues throughout the
body. Also needed for oxygen transport by red cells is iron.
3. Anti-oxidant effect. In vitro trials show definite inhibition of free radicals and inflammatory leukotrienes by lapacho constituents. This property might underlie
the effectiveness of lapacho against skin cancer, and definitely helps to explain observed anti-aging effects. Modern science has recently uncovered the
importance of free radicals in the generation of many debilitating diseases, from cancer to arthritis. These molecules are even heavily implicated in the
normal aging process. Reversing their action has become big business in world health circles. Anti-oxidants, or free-radical scavengers, have emerged as
premier candidates for the role of healers and disease-preventers. Among the antioxidants few have greater potency than lapacho and other constituents of
lapacho.
4. Analgesic effect. The administration of lapacho is consistently credited in reports issuing from South American clinics as a primary modality for lessening
the pain associated with several kinds of cancer, especially cancer of the prostate, liver or breast. Arthritic pain has also been relieved with lapacho ingestion.
5. Antimicrobial/anti-parisiticidal effects. includes inhibition and destruction of gram positive and acid-fast bacteria (B. subtilis, M. pyogenes aureus, etc.),
yeasts, fungi, viruses and several kinds of parasites. Two troublesome families of viruses inhibited by lapachol are noteworthy: Herpes viruses and HIV's.
Together, these viruses account for much of the misery of mankind. The anti malarial activity of lapacho spawned a great deal of research interest in the
early decades of this century. A 1948 article reviewed the progress and indicated that the N-factors, especially lapachol, were among the most promising anti
malarial substances known at that time. Lapacho's immunostimulating action is due in part to its rather potent antimicrobial effects.
"I began using yerbamate and lapacho tea about 3 mos. ago. I immediately experienced a surge of energy . . . within half-an-hour I was up dancing which is
pretty amazing considering I've got MS and spent most of the Spring in a wheelchair. Within 2 days I noticed a lessening of pain and muscle spasms which
was fantastic . . . my urinary, bowel and digestive functions have vastly improved . . . There is no doubt that the MS has greatly improved with the herbs as I
quit using them for a week and all the old symptoms return. I start the tea again and they subside., I've repeated this scenario three times."
6. Anti-fungal effect. Lapacho is often singled out as the premier treatment for Candida or yeast infections. Lapachol, N-factors and xyloidone appear to be
the primary active principles.9/10 By the mid 70's the list of N-factors that inhibited Candida albicans and other fungi had grown to several dozen.
It would be misleading to categorically state that the N-factors in lapacho have proven antimicrobial and anti fungal activity in and of themselves. Studies have
shown that the manner in which they occur in the plant must be taken into consideration. We know, for example, that anti fungal activitys lost when the
N-factors are tightly bound to highly water-soluble or highly fat-soluble groups. It has not been clearly determined how the N-factors occur in lapacho.
N-factors, obtainable from various chemical supply companies, have become favorite testing agents in government/university labs due to the rise in yeast
infections resulting from increased use of cytotoxic drugs, corticosteroids, antibiotics and immunosuppressants.
An interesting application has been reported in which toe and fingernail fungi infections are relieved by soaking these appendages in lapacho tea off and on
for a couple of weeks.
7. Anti-inflammatory. The anti-inflammatory and healing action of lapacho extracts was demonstrated in a study in which purple lapacho extract was
administered to patients with cervicitis and cervico-vaginitis, conditions resulting variously from infections (candida albicans, trichomonas vaginalis), chemical
irritations and mechanical irritation. The lapacho extract was applied intra-vaginally via gauze tampons soaked in the extract, and renewed every 24 hours.
The treatment proved to be highly effective. One wonders what might happen were the tampon method combined with the ingestion of strong teas.
The anti-inflammatory action of lapacho might also account for its observed tendency to reduce the pain, inflammation and other symptoms of arthritis.
Anecdotal accounts of complete cures are even available. As yet virtually untested in research settings, the purported ability of this plant to reduce symptoms
of joint disease may be ultimately validated and added to the growing list of benefits to be enjoyed by the daily ingestion of lapacho tea.
"I recently had a violent M.S. attack. I lost my balance, lost vision in my left eye and had excruciating pain in my left leg. I went to bed, took the anti-siezure
medication and an analgesic. I drank about 1-1/2 quarts of lapacho and mate. Within 6 hours I was up stuffing turkey. Usually these episodes lay me up for
weeks. I am convinced the lapacho and mate made the difference."
8. Other beneficial effects. Routine screenings have revealed several minor properties of lapacho that might occur if needed in certain individuals: diuretic,
sedative, decongestant, and hypotensive, to name a few.
"I started drinking the red lapacho because I had read a testimonial letter that indicated that its daily use had been effective against the pain of arthritis. I was
skeptical to say the least. Prior to drinking the tea I could not stand on a hard surface for more than 5 minutes because the pain was excruciating in my hip . .
. Since drinking the red lapacho regularly I have been on my feet for two or three hours without pain. Now the doctor tells me the tissues in my hip are
regenerating!"
Unfortunately, space limitations preclude a lengthy discussion of all the benefits of lapacho, but some of the major actions listed above require further
elaboration as follows.
ANTI-VIRAL
One of the strongest actions of lapacho is against viruses. The range of viruses inactivated by lapacho extends from those that cause the common cold to
those that are responsible for AIDS. It has been shown to actively inhibit, kill or stunt the growth of several dangerous viruses, including herpes virus hominis
types I and II, polio virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, avian myeloblastosis virus, rauscho murine leukemia virus, friend virus, and rous sarcoma virus. Several
other viruses are also inhibited by lapacho's N- and A-factors.
One N-factor, beta-lapachone, inhibits enzymes in virus cells that directly affect the synthesis of DNA and RNA. It is also a potent inhibitor of the enzyme
reverse transcriptase, involved in RNA/DNA relationships. Once these processes are inhibited, the virus is unable to take over the reproductive processes of
the cell and cannot, therefore, replicate itself and infect other cells. Such inhibition is a characteristic of most substances that are being tested for activity
against AIDS and Epstein-Barr. The enzyme in question is a key to the action of retroviruses. These viruses, also known as ribodeoxyviruses or
oncornaviruses, have been implicated in the development of several kinds of experimental cancers. Beta-lapachone is obtained simply by treating lapachol
with sulfuric acid, and tests show that it has a unique method of action vis-a-vis the reverse transcpritase inhibition.
ANTI PARASITIC
Lapacho components have been intensively studied in terms of their action against two rather nasty parasites: Schistosoma mansoni and Trypanosoma cruzi,
both responsible for considerable disease and misery in tropical countries. Lapacho was effective against both.
Taken by mouth, lapachol is eventually secreted onto the skin via the sebaceous glands where it acts as a topical barrier, inactivating microorganisms soon
after they contact the skin. Meanwhile, throughout the G.I tract, it is performing the identical function on the mucous membranes, preventing the penetration
of parasites. The mechanism of action is not well understood, but is felt to involve the uncoupling of cellular respiration (see Cellular Mechanics Section), the
stimulation of lipid peroxidation and super oxide production, and the inhibition of DNA/RNA biosynthesis.
CANCER
Lapacho has been extensively investigated for potential anti-cancer activity. Even the National Cancer Institute has gotten in the act, but in their own typical
way, they managed to drop the ball before achieving success. They restricted their investigations to lapachol, and once they found that this substance had
side effects that offset its potential therapeutic benefits, they abandoned the project. The holistic practitioner readily perceives the fallacy of that approach,
and is skeptical of applying isolated herbal constituents. As if in conformation of that skepticism, research that involved whole lapacho has produced clinical
anti-cancer effects without side effects.
Animal research in the United States made a gigantic stride forward when it was discovered that lapachol inhibited solid tumors (Walker carcinosarcoma 256
and Ehrlich solid carcinoma) and Ehrlich ascites cell tumors. Such research then took a gigantic stride backwards when clinical toxicity of lapachol
prematurely ended these investigations.
One interesting line of research has shown that lapachol is more effective when ingested orally, rather than injected into the gut or into the muscles. These
results contradict a substantial amount of research on orthodox drugs that indicates the superiority of injectable routes. What is the meaning of this anomaly?
Could it be a sign that natural routes of administration (i.e., oral) are better suited for natural substances? The further removed from the natural state, the
more active substances become when injected directly into the blood stream, and the less able the natural processes of the body are in dealing with them.
Using the wood of the plant, several researchers have studied the effects of lapachol, alpha- and beta-lapachone and xyloidone on experimental cancer
(Yoshida's sarcoma and Walker 256 carcino-sarcoma). As high as 84% inhibition was observed on Yoshida's sarcoma. And no toxicity was found.
In one clinical study, South American researchers administered lapachol to patients with various forms of cancer, including adenocarcinoma of the liver,
breast and prostate, and squamous carcinoma of the palate and uterine cervix. Taken orally, the substance resulted in temporary reduction of all conditions
and in a significant reduction in pain. Duration of treatment was anywhere from 30 to 720 days, with an average of about two months. For example, one
patient with liver cancer presented with a significant reduction in jaundice accompanied by other signs of improvement after eight days of therapy. These
results were in close accord with results obtained by the same researchers in animal studies. One wonders what the administration of whole purple lapacho
phloem might have accomplished in this setting; other lines of evidence suggest that even better results may have been obtained.
"During exploratory surgery it was noted that I had ovarian, stomach, intestine & liver cancer. I was told I had approximately 4 to 6 months to live. I made up
my mind to fight. I went for chemotherapy, drank a quart of red lapacho tea, an ounce of aloe vera juice and took various vitamins daily. After 11 mos. the
physicians could not believe what they found (no cancer). I continue to have regular check-ups and have proved to be a 'miracle case'."
A Note on Nausea: In the human study reported above, some patients dropped out of the experiment due to nausea. This is a common observation in some,
but certainly not all, people who begin to experience the cleansing action of lapacho (and other healthful herbs). As toxins (and toxic medicines) and wastes
are drawn out of the cells, or flushed out, or physiologically expelled from the cells, through the action of the herb, they tend at times to accumulate in the
blood, lymph, lymph nodes, skin, liver and kidneys awaiting the opportunity to be expelled from the body. Backing up, they can, on occasion produce
sensations such as nausea; the body may even try to rid itself of some toxic substances by vomiting. Not to worry. These transient signs dissipate once the
toxins are moving freely from the body. They are a positive sign that the herb is working. Remember the body only has three basic processes for getting rid
of wastes: lower bowel movement, sweating, urinating. The use of lapacho can so overload these processes in the early stages that discomfort may be
produced.
"My wife was dying of cancer. She has a malignant tumor on her temple. The pain was so intense the doctors wanted to keep her sedated in the hospital until
she died. We decided not to give up. For three weeks now she has been drinking purple lapacho tea. The tumor looks much better; it began draining and no
longer looks so 'angry.' The pain is much less, and she can get up and move around the house. Our M.D. is impressed! . . . Now we have hope!"
CELLULAR MECHANICS
Every cell of the body requires oxygen and glucose to obtain energy for life-sustaining functions. The oxygen and glucose are subjected to a fairly complex
metabolic process in the tiny energy producing structures in the cell called mitochondria. This process requires numerous enzymes and coenzymes. The
oxygen and glucose are converted to carbon dioxide and water which are then returned to the blood. the CO2 is exhaled by the lungs (hence this metabolic
process is often called "respiration"); excess water is eventually drawn off through perspiration or through the kidneys. During this conversion, several free
electrons are freed up, which are immediately utilized by another pathway to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency of the cell--ATP is
the molecule every cell is required to utilize, or spend, to obtain energy. The two paths--one for breakdown of glucose, and one for synthesis of ATP--are
tightly coupled together. Should they become uncoupled, the cell can no longer obtain energy, and it dies. Such poisoning has acquired the name of
"uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation."
Many agents have been found that uncouple oxidative phosphorylation; many of them resemble the N-factors in lapacho. In fact, it has been found that
lapacho works like other benzoquionones, i.e., it uncouples the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation occurring in cancerous cells, but not in healthy ones.
This selective killing (cytotoxicity) of tumor cells is what makes lapacho such a potentially valuable agent for the treatment of cancer.
One of the games science plays is attempting to discover at what point cellular respiration is broken up by chemical agents. The components of lapacho
seem to interrupt the process at several points, usually by inhibiting an enzyme or coenzyme that is required for the next step in the chain to occur properly.
For instance, lapacho inhibits the proper functioning of ATPase, the enzyme that catalyzes the final step in the formation of ATP.
Lapachol has also been shown to inhibit the amount of another substance required for cellular reproduction: uridine triphosphate. This molecule is the main
source of substances (called pyrimidine nucleotides) that are required by cells in order to build DNA, RNA and most other important proteins of the body.
Lapacho may actually block the syntheses of pyrimidines in cancer cells (by inhibiting the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase). The result would be
certain cellular death.
There is also evidence that lapachol interacts directly with the nucleic acids of the DNA helix in cancerous cells. If such interaction, or bonding, takes place
then DNA replication would be impossible. The result is also eventual death of the cell.
Finally, lapacho constituent beta-lapachone has been shown to weaken malignant cells, even to the point of cellular death, by stimulating a process known as
lipid peroxidation, which produces toxic molecules.
TOXICITY
While there can be no doubt that lapacho is very toxic to many kinds of cancer cells, viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and other kinds of microorganisms,
the substance appears to be without any kind of significant toxicity to healthy human cells. The side-effects mainly encountered, and usually with isolated
lapacho constituents, are limited to nausea and anticoagulant effects in very high doses, a tendency to loosen the bowels, and diarrhea in very high doses.
As indicated earlier, some nausea should be expected as a natural consequence of the detoxification process. The FDA gave lapacho a clean bill of health in
1981.
Some trials have indicated that lapachol has anti-vitamin K action. Other constituents have a pro-vitamain K action; it is likely, therefore, that the two actions
cancel each other out (except possibly when one or the other is necessary--as one would expect from an herbal tonic).
Perhaps the most significant study on toxicity was published in 1970 by researchers from the Chase Pfizer & Co., Inc. Looking specifically at lapachol, these
investigators found that all signs of lapachol toxicity in animals were completely reversible and even self limiting, i.e., over time the signs of toxicity decreased
and even disappeared within the time constraints of the study. The most severe kinds of self-limiting side-effects they observed were an anti-vitamin K effect,
anemia, and significant rises of metabolic and protein toxins in the blood stream. The diminution of these signs indicates that lapacho initiates an immediate
"alterative" or "detoxification" effect on the body's cells. Once the cells are "cleaned up," the signs of toxicity disappear. This effect is quite common among
herbal tonics.
HOW MUCH AND WHEN
Lapacho can be used periodically as a preventative during colds and flu season, or whenever the chances for infections are high. Experience has taught that
lapacho is best ingested as a tea, one or two cups a day, morning and evening. Used in this fashion, it promotes the health of the immune system, helps
prevent the onset of colds and flus, keeps the bowel healthy and may impart some of the other important therapeutic effects, including a positive effect on
arthritis, pain, localized infection (e.g. candida) and systemic infection.
During periods of acute, active infection, lapacho should be administered several times a day in tea form. It is up to the individual to determine the optimum
amount for him or her. It is not uncommon for a person's awareness of his or her personal health needs and requirements to increase dramatically when
turning to a health-oriented, herbal approach. The recommended dose is 4-6 cups per day if actively fighting a form of Cancer.
"I was bitten by a brown recluse spider, but didn't know it for 3 days; it was finally diagnosed in an emergency room when the pain and swelling got so bad I
couldn't take it any longer. An ointment was prescribed, but I used instead a compress made of two tea bags of lapacho, changed often. Relief was almost
immediate. And, after 3 days, the doctor was amazed by the fact that all swelling and pain had disappeared, and new, healthy, tissue was growing back
rapidly."
CONCLUSION
Throughout the width and breadth of the earth there exist plants with the amazing ability to cure and prevent the ills of mankind when used with wisdom. They
grow and blossom and concentrate valuable healing nutrients within their tissues. It is the obligation of animals and people to discover these properties and
utilize them in the manner intended by the governing and organizing principles of nature. The search does not begin nor end in a research laboratory. It
begins with the experimentation of simple people living close to the earth, who invest nothing in their search save the desire to live healthy, prevent sickness
and cure disease. It ends when the rest of the world accepts knowledge so gained, and incorporates it into their own health system.
The need for scientific examination results in the accumulation of interesting and sometimes useful data; at its best it opens new avenues for effective
application of the wisdom of the ancients. At its worst, it asks the wrong questions, obtains the wrong answers, becomes puffed up by its own importance, and
gets in the way of man's quest for the discovery of nature's healing gifts.
Science and folklore need not clash. When they do, it is usually because the wrong questions were asked, the wrong answers obtained, the wrong materials
examined, the wrong people involved. Lapacho currently finds itself in the middle of worldwide confusion. As data showing the efficacy of lapacho
accumulates in some areas of the world, other areas continue to ignore basic sources of information; data gathered in such a vacuum disappoints the mind
and obstructs progress.
We prefer to believe that lapacho, given enough time, will emerge into the full light of day, even from the dark and muddling laboratories of the United States,
and will take its rightful place as one of the great healing herbs of the world. We prefer to believe that until then the herb will be immune to the dealings of dim
and uninspired regulatory proceedings on bright continents. We prefer to believe that, in the end, the millions of lapacho users will prevail.
Note on the Text
The material appearing in italic with quotation marks around it, throughout this report, was taken from actual letters in my files. Where necessary, the generic
term "lapacho" was used in place of brand names.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Mowry is known primarily for his efforts to bring scientific data about herbal medicine to the attention of the American public. Toward this end he has
published the books entitled the Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, and Guaranteed Potency Herbs: Next Generation Herbal Medicine, which have
become standard texts in the field.
Dr. Mowry is Director of the Mountainwest Institute of Herbal Sciences, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
SOUTH AMERICAN CANCER CURE...
ANCIENT FOLK MEDICINE
This article is one of the first printed, years ago, in a U.S. publication about the curing powers of Pau d'Arco. It is reprinted here from "The Spotlight" which is
a "populist" weekly newspaper published in Washinton, D.C.
Could an ancient South American Indian folk medicine cure many types of cancer? Physicians and former cancer patients say yes. This has been widely
reported on in newspapers in Latin America, but not in the U.S.
South American physicians are using Indian folk medicine to successfully treat various forms of cancer - including leukemia - and other debilitating disease,
but news of the cures has not made it into the American media.
According to reports published in various South American periodicals prior to the establishment-imposed blackout, the inner bark of two South American
trees of the Bignoniaceae family are used successfully in the treatment of various diseases, including cancer.
A brew made with the inner bark of Lapacho Colorado (Tabebuia Avellanedae) or Lapacho Morado (Tabebuia Altissima) seems to attack the cause of the
disease, according to medical reports.
Lapacho Colorado, or red lapacho - so called because of its scarlet flowers - grows in the warmer part of South America: Brazil, northern Argentina,
Paraguay, Bolivia etc. It was commonly used by the medicine men of the Guarani and Tupi-Nambo Indians long before the advent of the Spanish in the New
World.
Another name for the lapachos is ipes, a name used in southern Brazil. Red lapacho is called ipe roxo. Still another name for the trees is pau d'arco; red
lapacho is called pau d'arco roxo. "Pau d'arco" means "bow stick"; the natives use the wood to make their bows for archery.
The red lapacho is very common in its range, the tropical lowlands.The lapacho morado, or purple lapacho, grows in cooler climes - in the Andes, for
example. In its range, it is not rare.
Red lapacho was discovered by the white man's medicine some 20 years ago at Americana - a suburb of Sao Paulo, Brazil. That was where several hundred
Confederate families homesteaded at the invitation of Emperor Dom Pedro II after the South was lost.
YOUNG GIRL CURED
The story of cancer-curing properties of the tropical bark begins about 20 years ago, when a Sao Paulo family had a homecoming party after a trip to Rio de
Janeiro. During dinner they told the story of a young relative of theirs - a girl who was stricken with cancer.
The medical establishment had given up on the girl and had told the parents that she did not have long to live. But a great aunt had contacted an Indian
tribal doctor who said that cancer could be cured with the brew made from the bark of a certain tree.The medicine man gave the woman a little bag of that
bark.
The young girl and her parents at first disdained the medicine man's concoction. But then the sick girl had a strange dream. She saw a friar who told her:
"Drink tea brewed with the bark the Indian gave you, and you will get well." At first she paid no attention to the dream, but as her pain increased, the dream
repeated itself.
Finally she decided to try the tea.
Her pain vanished. Encouraged by the results, she continued to take the medicine every morning. Within a month, she was well, and her regular doctor told
her parents that no trace of her cancer could be found.The hosts had brought back a bag of the bark as a souvenir.
A MAVERICK MEDICO
One of the guests at the party was a medical doctor from the nearby town of Santo Andre, who showed great interest in the bark and begged a sample.
Dr. Orlando dei Santi - the guest left the party early and went directly to the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre, another suburb of Sao Paulo, where he was a
resident physician. There, his cancer-stricken brother lay, near death. The cancer victim had just undergone a second operation, and his condition had been
declared "inoperable and terminal." He was beyond Establishment treatment.
In the course of his medical studies, dei Santi had been taught the need to study methodically any empirical remedy, such as those used by Indian tribes,
before even thinking of using it. He had learned that the medical researcher "must" first try to extract the active part or parts of the plant claimed to have the
therapeutic value.
Then the researcher must test the extracts in the laboratory on animals, and finally on human volunteers. One must patent the drug and get a respected
pharmaceutical manufacturer to produce the resulting pills, extracts, etc.
Only then - once the medicine is on the market - could one consider using it on a patient. Otherwise, a doctor would be defenseless against charges of
malpractice and face the danger of losing his medical license. That, of course, is the proper procedure approved by the medical authorities in Brazil and
throughout the rest of the civilized world.
Fortunately for the dying cancer victim in the Santo Andre Municipal Hospital, his brother was one doctor who decided not to adhere to the orthodox
procedures in this case.
Instead, he took the bark, boiled it in white wine, mixed the still-hot brew with orange juice and let his brother drink the concoction on an empty stomach. As if
by a miracle, the patient's pain disappeared, and he was able to sleep soundly. After a month of uninterupted treatment with the brew, he was discharged
from the hospital. A thorough examination had found no trace of cancer remaining.
CURE CAUGHT ON
After this startling development, the physicians at the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre decided to break the rules for the benefit of other cancer patients,
beginning with those of the "terminal" list. This happened near the end of 1960.
Since then, the physicians at the small provincial town hospital have noticed that the pain suffered by patients with leukemia or other cancers disappeared
within hours after they received the brew made from the inner bark of pau d'arco roxo. They also found that, within 30 days of treatment with this medicine,
most patients no longer showed any symptoms of the dread disease.
They noticed that many other afflictions from which some of the cancer patients suffered - such as diabetes - would disappear even more quickly than the
cancer. The physicians were amazed.
Since the early 1960s, this bark has been used regularly at the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre to treat leukemia as well as numerous diseases where
viruses were suspected as the cause. Both the herb stores and the "legitimate" pharmacies in Brazil now carry this bark.
"O Cruzeiro" (March 18 and 25, 1967), the respected Rio de Janeiro weekly, published two long, illustrated articles about this remedy and the Municipal
Hospital of Santo Andre, where it is used to cure a host of diseases. One of the pictures shows a patient's chart at the head of his bed. Below the patient's
name, age, etc is the diagnosis: "cancer of the lung." And, further below, in large handwritten letters, the prescription:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pau d'Arco
The List
There has been much discussion by many authoritative authors and researchers on the subject of Pau d'Arco. This is a composite list of the various
diseases and afflictions these research articles have mentioned when discussing Pau d'Arco. (Bibliography below)
VERY SIGNIFICANT REPORTS
CANCER - All Types Anemia AIDS Allergies Aterial Sclerosos Asthma
Energy Increase Fistula Fungius Diseases Gastritis Gonorrhea Granuloma Annulare
Polyps Prosititus Pyorrhea Rheumatism Ringworm Smokers Cough
Blood Deficiency Bronchitis Candida Albicasns Candida Trichophyton Circulation Problems Colitis
Hodgkin's Disease Infection Kidney Disease Leukema Liver Disorder Inflammation
Spleen Infection Stomatitus Syphillis Tonic Ulcers Varicose Veins
Constipation Diabetis Pain Relief Warts Eczema Parkison's Disease
Lupus Yeast Infection Viruses -All Types
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIGNIFICANT REPORTS
Analgesic Boils Urine Flow
Fever Mainge Cystitus
Psoriasis Supporation Poison Antidote
Anthrax Childhood Diseases Weight Loss
Flu Menapausal Syndrone Dysentary
Respiratory Problems Topical Barrier Poor Circulation
Antioxidant Colds Wounds
Gastrointestinal Problems Mild Laxitive
Snake Bite Tuberculosis
Bacteria Constipation
Hay Fever Parasites
Sore Throat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HAS BEEN USED FOR
Aneurysms High Blood Sugar Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Angina Pector High Blood Pressure Osteomyelitis
Arthritis Impotence Phlebitis
Diverticulosis Insomnia Sinusitis
Hemorrhoids Liver Disease Thyroid Problems
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bibliography:
"THE HEALING POWER OF PAU D'ARCO" By Walter Lubek, Lotus Light Publications
"PAU D'ARCO - IMMUNE POWER from the Rain Forest" by Kenneth Jones, Healing Arts Press
"NATURES WISDOM", Internet Article, 1998
"PAU d"ARCO", Raintree Nutrition, Inc, Research Article, Leslie Taylor
"ANCIENT HERB, MODERN MIRACLE" By Dr. D. Mowry, PhD, Mountainwest Institute of Herbal Sciences
"SOUTH AMERICAN CANCER CURE", Alec de Montmorency, The Spotlight, June, 1981,
"CANCER THERAPY" By Ralph Moss, PhD, Equinox Press
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legal Disclaimer
"These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease."
Pau d'arco is a natural grown herb that is derived from the inner bark of the Tabebuia Avellanedae or Tabebuia Impetiginosa (Taheebo) tree grown in South
America. Pau d'Arco Tea has been used for many centuries by the Indio tribes of South America. The ancient Incas and Aztecs were probably the first to be
familiar with the herbs healing powers. Stories abound telling of its miraculous curing powers.
Purple Lapacho:
Ancient Herb, Modern Miracle
DESCRIPTION
Lapacho is an evergreen tree, with rosy colored flowers, belonging to the Bignonia family. Nearly 100 species of lapacho trees are known, but only a few of
these yield high quality material, and it takes extremely skilled gatherers to tell the difference. (Half or more of the battle involved in bringing high quality
lapacho to the marketplace is finding and retaining qualified gatherers.) The medicinal part of the tree is the bark, specifically the inner lining of the bark,
called the phloem (pronounced floam). The use of whole bark, containing the dead wood, naturally dilutes the activity of the material. Lapacho is also known
by the Portuguese name of Pau D'Arco, and by tribal names such as Taheebo and Ipe Roxo.
Some texts distinguish between Lapacho colorado (red lapacho-ipe roxo) (scarlet flowers) and Lapacho morado (purple lapacho) which grows in cooler
climates such as high in the Andes, and high places in Paraguay. Recent evidence suggests that these two varieties of lapacho possess superior medicinal
properties, with a slight bow going to the purple as the best of all.
CONSTITUENTS
Most of the chemical analyses of lapacho have been performed on the heartwood of the tree, rather than on the phloem, or inner lining of the bark, which is
used medicinally. It is unclear why this has occurred. One reason may be that the heartwood contains enough quantities of a couple of important
constituents, mainly lapachol and tabebuin, to satisfy current research interests. Once the therapeutic activity of those constituents has been thoroughly
investigated, perhaps researchers will turn their attention to the phloem. Until then, it is probably safe to assume that the living bark contains a similar set of
active constituents as the heartwood plus some others that make it more effective and would account for the living bark's greater popularity as a folk
medicine. Traditionally, as anyone who chooses to examine the herbal literature of the world can verify, it is the living bark of a plant, especially a tree or
shrub, that is used medicinally--not the heartwood. The reason is simple: the nutrients and representative families of chemical substances used to sustain the
life of the tree are found in greatest concentration in the cambium layer and phloem of the living bark.
The life processes of a mature tree are carried out in the thin corridor lying between the outer bark and the inner heartwood. Pull the bark off a tree and you
will notice moist, very thin layers of tissue that seem to shred when picked at with the hands. This is the cambium layer. Its purpose is to create new tree
tissues, such as phloem, through cell division. The newest, youngest phloem cells are just outside the cambium. As new phloem is added, older cells are
crushed and pressed into the bark. Younger, newer cells added to the inside of the cambium layer are called xylem. Newer xylem is called sapwood; older
xylem is crushed and pressed into the heart of the tree. It is therfore known as heartwood. The actively conducting tissues of a tree are the thin layers of
fresh xylem and phloem on each side of the cambium. The outer bark and heartwood are, essentially, inactive materials that only serve to provide strength to
the tree. Indiscriminate combining of older, less active layers of bark and tree with the younger, living tissues results in a dramatic dilution of active principle
and medicinal value. Yet it is a common practice.
Lapachol is just one of a number of plant substances known as napthaquinones (N-factors) that occur in lapacho. Anthraquinones, or A-factors, comprise
another important class of compounds. The N-factors are not common except in herbal tonics. Seldom do both N- and A-factors occur in the same species.
Several of the remarkable properties of lapacho may be due to a probable synergy between A- and N- factors.
Quercitin, xloidone and other flavonoids are also present in lapacho; these undoubtedly contribute to the plant's effectiveness in the treatment of tumors and
infections.
FOLKLORE
The native Indians of Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and other South American countries have used lapacho for medicinal purposes for
thousands of years; there are indications that its use may actually ante-date the Incas. Before the advent of the Spanish, the Guarani and Tupi-Nambo
tribes, in particular, used great quantities of lapacho tea. In the high Andes, the Callawaya, the Quechua, Aymara and other tribes used lapacho ("taheebo"
to them) for many complaints.
Lapacho is applied externally and internally for the treatment of fevers, infections, colds, flu, syphilis, cancer, respiratory problems, skin ulcerations and boils,
dysentery, gastro-intestinal problems of all kinds, debilitating conditions such as arthritis and prostatitis, and circulation disturbances., Other conditions have
reportedly been cured with lapacho including lupus, diabetes, Hodgkins disease, osteomyelitis, Parkinson's disease, and psoriasis.
It is used to relieve pain, kill germs, increase the flow of urine, and even as an antidote to poisons. Its use in many ways parallels that of the
immuno-stimulants echinacea on this continent and ginseng in Asia, except that its action appears to exceed them both in terms of its potential as a cancer
treatment. The Guarani, Tupi and other tribes called the lapacho tree "Tajy," meaning "to have strength and vigor," or simply, "The Divine Tree."
Modern Guarani Indians prefer the purple lapacho, but also use the red lapacho. And they use only the inner lining of the bark.
The use of lapacho may not be limited to tropical countries. A Yugoslavian scientist, Voislav Todorovic, claims that he has found evidence that the plant was
used by the Vikings and the Russians. He also claims that a Russian chemist (in the late 1800's) manufactured a toothpaste that contained lapacho that was
supposed to have been extremely effective in preventing tooth decay.
EARLY SCIENTIFIC WORK
Research on lapacho has been going on for a long time. E. Paterno isolated the active constituent, lapachol, in 1884. Inn 1896, S.C. Hooker established the
chemical structure of lapachol, and L.F. Fieser synthesized the substance in 1927! So it would be a mistake to call lapacho a modern discovery.
As early as 1873, physicians were aware of the healing action of lapacho. Dr. Joaquin Almeida Pinto wrote during that year, "Pau D'Arco: Medicinal
Properties: prescribed as a fever-reducer; the bark is used against ulcers; also used for venereal and rheumatic disorders and especially useful for skin
disorders, especially eczema, herpes and the mange". Another early physician, Dr. Walter Accorsi, reported that lapacho, "eliminated the pains caused by
the disease (cancer) and multiplies the body's production of red corpuscles."
However, the science of lapacho began properly with the work of Theodoro Meyer in Argentina who tried for decades with little success to convince the
medical world of the value of lapacho for infections and cancer. Data from his laboratory are astounding in terms of the success rate observed when applying
the herb in dozens of different kinds of cancer. Much of Meyer's work was primitive by modern research standards; most of it lacked adequate controls and
statistical evaluation. But the sheer bulk of it is good evidence for the efficacy of lapacho. The Meyer era ended at his death in 1972, with the scientific world
left still largely unconvinced of the usefulness of lapacho as a modern medicinal agent. Perhaps the most important thing Meyer accomplished, from a
scientific point of view, was to bring lapacho to the attention of the rest of world, to extract the plant from the jungles of the Amazon, and announce, "Here is a
folk remedy with great promise for all mankind."
Independent of Meyer, a physician in Brazil, about 1960, after hearing a tale of its miraculous curative powers, used lapacho to treat his brother who was
lying in a Santo Andre, Brazil hospital, dying of cancer. His brother recovered, and the physician, Dr. Orlando dei Santi, began to use the herb to treat other
cancer patients at the hospital. Other physicians joined the team, and after a few months, several case histories of cures were recorded. In the typical case,
pain disappeared rapidly and sometimes complete remission was achieved in as little as four weeks.
Because of the work at the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre, lapacho has become a standard form of treatment for some kinds of cancer and for all kinds of
infections in medical establishments throughout Brazil. It should be noted that after the first reports of "miraculous" herbal cures appeared in Brazil, the
national government ordered a blackout of any more public statements by doctors involved in the research. The silence was finally broken by Alec De
Montmorency, who in 1981 published a lengthy review of the ongoing clinical work in Brazil. This report succeeded in stimulating worldwide interest in the
plant.
In 1968, Dr. Prats Ruiz of Concepcion, Argentina, successfully treated three cases of leukemia in his private clinic. Some of these results were widely
published and also helped to establish the popularity of lapacho among the "civilized" inhabitants of South American countries.
American physicians, of course, tend to look disparagingly upon the clinical evidence from backward areas of South America, preferring instead sanitized
evidence from their own brightly lit laboratories. The weight of the South American clinical evidence has not been sufficient to cause widespread acceptance
of the treatment outside South America, but it has stimulated research interest abroad. Pharmaceutical companies regularly screen lapacho for the presence
of substances that could be the basis for new drug applications. As we shall see, however, no isolated component of lapacho comes anywhere close to being
equal to the combined activity of all constituents, or, in other words, to the whole herb.
Drug Detox Observations. A common thread that runs throughout early and current empirical and clinical reports of lapacho treatment is the consistent
observation that the herb eliminates many of the common side effects of the orthodox medications. There is no explanation of this action, but it is so often
seen that one cannot easily doubt its validity. Pain, hair loss and immune dysfunction are among the symptoms most commonly eliminated.
MODERN INVESTIGATIVE WORK
While scientific research on lapacho has been going on for decades, most of it is worthless from a medicinal point of view. Some of it, however, is very good,
and has resulted in the isolation of several individual medicinally active constituents and in the analysis of their properties. The current interest in AIDS has
stimulated renewed interest in lapacho since the herb is such an effective anti-viral substance.
The main problem with American research on the plant is the tunnel-vision with which the work is engaged. Without any understanding of the ultimate source
of the plant's effectiveness, researchers routinely isolate what they think should be the active component and apply it in standard screening trials. The results
of such research are sometimes positive, sometimes negative, sometimes strong, sometimes weak--always inadequate, by definition. It didn't surprise anyone
that the trials performed by the National Cancer Institute were less than convincing. And it also didn't surprise anyone when that same institute rejected
out-of-hand the highly positive results obtained by many non-American researchers who utilized different methods. The self-serving tendency of the
American medical/regulatory establishment to accept only its own research is indulged by the rest of the world's scientific community with polite and somewhat
amused patience, as they wait for America to grow up.
The following is a summary of some of the effects of lapacho and/or any of its constituents that have been validated by modern research:
1. Laxative effect. Regular use of lapacho will maintain regularity of bowel movements. This property is undoubtedly due to the presence of the
napthaquinones and anthraquinones. Users of lapacho universally report a pleasant and moderate loosening of the bowels that leads to greater regularity
without any unpleasant side-effects such as diarrhea.
2. Anti-cancer effect. The greater part of the basic research on lapacho, both in the United States and in other countries has dealt directly with the cancer
question. Obviously, this issue is of great importance. Any tendency of lapacho to ameliorate the course of cancer should be made known to all persons likely
to benefit from it. The absence of side effects makes lapacho a treatment of choice even in conjunction with standard forms of therapy. The user has nothing
to lose and much to gain from the judicious use of lapacho. Naturally, any and all treatment of a cancerous condition should be done under the supervision of
a qualified physician.
Some constituents or groups of constituents of lapacho have indeed been found to suppress tumor formation and reduce tumor viability, both in experimental
animal trials and in clinical settings involving human patients. In addition, anecdotal data abounds to such an extent that to overlook its importance is to turn
one's back on a potentially invaluable source of aid and health. Leukemia has proven particularly susceptible to the application of lapacho and several of its
constituents. Some researchers feel that lapachol is one of the most important anti-tumor agents in the entire world.
"I had a large tumor in my brain. Traditional treatment produced only minor success. Then I began to use lapacho tea. After several weeks a CAT scan
showed that the tumor was totally gone. The doctors couldn't believe it because they had classified my case as basically untreatable."
Part of the effectiveness of lapacho may stem from its observed ability to stimulate the production of red blood cells in bone marrow. Increased red blood cell
production would improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. This, in turn, could have important implications for the health of tissues throughout the
body. Also needed for oxygen transport by red cells is iron.
3. Anti-oxidant effect. In vitro trials show definite inhibition of free radicals and inflammatory leukotrienes by lapacho constituents. This property might underlie
the effectiveness of lapacho against skin cancer, and definitely helps to explain observed anti-aging effects. Modern science has recently uncovered the
importance of free radicals in the generation of many debilitating diseases, from cancer to arthritis. These molecules are even heavily implicated in the
normal aging process. Reversing their action has become big business in world health circles. Anti-oxidants, or free-radical scavengers, have emerged as
premier candidates for the role of healers and disease-preventers. Among the antioxidants few have greater potency than lapacho and other constituents of
lapacho.
4. Analgesic effect. The administration of lapacho is consistently credited in reports issuing from South American clinics as a primary modality for lessening
the pain associated with several kinds of cancer, especially cancer of the prostate, liver or breast. Arthritic pain has also been relieved with lapacho ingestion.
5. Antimicrobial/anti-parisiticidal effects. includes inhibition and destruction of gram positive and acid-fast bacteria (B. subtilis, M. pyogenes aureus, etc.),
yeasts, fungi, viruses and several kinds of parasites. Two troublesome families of viruses inhibited by lapachol are noteworthy: Herpes viruses and HIV's.
Together, these viruses account for much of the misery of mankind. The anti malarial activity of lapacho spawned a great deal of research interest in the
early decades of this century. A 1948 article reviewed the progress and indicated that the N-factors, especially lapachol, were among the most promising anti
malarial substances known at that time. Lapacho's immunostimulating action is due in part to its rather potent antimicrobial effects.
"I began using yerbamate and lapacho tea about 3 mos. ago. I immediately experienced a surge of energy . . . within half-an-hour I was up dancing which is
pretty amazing considering I've got MS and spent most of the Spring in a wheelchair. Within 2 days I noticed a lessening of pain and muscle spasms which
was fantastic . . . my urinary, bowel and digestive functions have vastly improved . . . There is no doubt that the MS has greatly improved with the herbs as I
quit using them for a week and all the old symptoms return. I start the tea again and they subside., I've repeated this scenario three times."
6. Anti-fungal effect. Lapacho is often singled out as the premier treatment for Candida or yeast infections. Lapachol, N-factors and xyloidone appear to be
the primary active principles.9/10 By the mid 70's the list of N-factors that inhibited Candida albicans and other fungi had grown to several dozen.
It would be misleading to categorically state that the N-factors in lapacho have proven antimicrobial and anti fungal activity in and of themselves. Studies have
shown that the manner in which they occur in the plant must be taken into consideration. We know, for example, that anti fungal activitys lost when the
N-factors are tightly bound to highly water-soluble or highly fat-soluble groups. It has not been clearly determined how the N-factors occur in lapacho.
N-factors, obtainable from various chemical supply companies, have become favorite testing agents in government/university labs due to the rise in yeast
infections resulting from increased use of cytotoxic drugs, corticosteroids, antibiotics and immunosuppressants.
An interesting application has been reported in which toe and fingernail fungi infections are relieved by soaking these appendages in lapacho tea off and on
for a couple of weeks.
7. Anti-inflammatory. The anti-inflammatory and healing action of lapacho extracts was demonstrated in a study in which purple lapacho extract was
administered to patients with cervicitis and cervico-vaginitis, conditions resulting variously from infections (candida albicans, trichomonas vaginalis), chemical
irritations and mechanical irritation. The lapacho extract was applied intra-vaginally via gauze tampons soaked in the extract, and renewed every 24 hours.
The treatment proved to be highly effective. One wonders what might happen were the tampon method combined with the ingestion of strong teas.
The anti-inflammatory action of lapacho might also account for its observed tendency to reduce the pain, inflammation and other symptoms of arthritis.
Anecdotal accounts of complete cures are even available. As yet virtually untested in research settings, the purported ability of this plant to reduce symptoms
of joint disease may be ultimately validated and added to the growing list of benefits to be enjoyed by the daily ingestion of lapacho tea.
"I recently had a violent M.S. attack. I lost my balance, lost vision in my left eye and had excruciating pain in my left leg. I went to bed, took the anti-siezure
medication and an analgesic. I drank about 1-1/2 quarts of lapacho and mate. Within 6 hours I was up stuffing turkey. Usually these episodes lay me up for
weeks. I am convinced the lapacho and mate made the difference."
8. Other beneficial effects. Routine screenings have revealed several minor properties of lapacho that might occur if needed in certain individuals: diuretic,
sedative, decongestant, and hypotensive, to name a few.
"I started drinking the red lapacho because I had read a testimonial letter that indicated that its daily use had been effective against the pain of arthritis. I was
skeptical to say the least. Prior to drinking the tea I could not stand on a hard surface for more than 5 minutes because the pain was excruciating in my hip . .
. Since drinking the red lapacho regularly I have been on my feet for two or three hours without pain. Now the doctor tells me the tissues in my hip are
regenerating!"
Unfortunately, space limitations preclude a lengthy discussion of all the benefits of lapacho, but some of the major actions listed above require further
elaboration as follows.
ANTI-VIRAL
One of the strongest actions of lapacho is against viruses. The range of viruses inactivated by lapacho extends from those that cause the common cold to
those that are responsible for AIDS. It has been shown to actively inhibit, kill or stunt the growth of several dangerous viruses, including herpes virus hominis
types I and II, polio virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, avian myeloblastosis virus, rauscho murine leukemia virus, friend virus, and rous sarcoma virus. Several
other viruses are also inhibited by lapacho's N- and A-factors.
One N-factor, beta-lapachone, inhibits enzymes in virus cells that directly affect the synthesis of DNA and RNA. It is also a potent inhibitor of the enzyme
reverse transcriptase, involved in RNA/DNA relationships. Once these processes are inhibited, the virus is unable to take over the reproductive processes of
the cell and cannot, therefore, replicate itself and infect other cells. Such inhibition is a characteristic of most substances that are being tested for activity
against AIDS and Epstein-Barr. The enzyme in question is a key to the action of retroviruses. These viruses, also known as ribodeoxyviruses or
oncornaviruses, have been implicated in the development of several kinds of experimental cancers. Beta-lapachone is obtained simply by treating lapachol
with sulfuric acid, and tests show that it has a unique method of action vis-a-vis the reverse transcpritase inhibition.
ANTI PARASITIC
Lapacho components have been intensively studied in terms of their action against two rather nasty parasites: Schistosoma mansoni and Trypanosoma cruzi,
both responsible for considerable disease and misery in tropical countries. Lapacho was effective against both.
Taken by mouth, lapachol is eventually secreted onto the skin via the sebaceous glands where it acts as a topical barrier, inactivating microorganisms soon
after they contact the skin. Meanwhile, throughout the G.I tract, it is performing the identical function on the mucous membranes, preventing the penetration
of parasites. The mechanism of action is not well understood, but is felt to involve the uncoupling of cellular respiration (see Cellular Mechanics Section), the
stimulation of lipid peroxidation and super oxide production, and the inhibition of DNA/RNA biosynthesis.
CANCER
Lapacho has been extensively investigated for potential anti-cancer activity. Even the National Cancer Institute has gotten in the act, but in their own typical
way, they managed to drop the ball before achieving success. They restricted their investigations to lapachol, and once they found that this substance had
side effects that offset its potential therapeutic benefits, they abandoned the project. The holistic practitioner readily perceives the fallacy of that approach,
and is skeptical of applying isolated herbal constituents. As if in conformation of that skepticism, research that involved whole lapacho has produced clinical
anti-cancer effects without side effects.
Animal research in the United States made a gigantic stride forward when it was discovered that lapachol inhibited solid tumors (Walker carcinosarcoma 256
and Ehrlich solid carcinoma) and Ehrlich ascites cell tumors. Such research then took a gigantic stride backwards when clinical toxicity of lapachol
prematurely ended these investigations.
One interesting line of research has shown that lapachol is more effective when ingested orally, rather than injected into the gut or into the muscles. These
results contradict a substantial amount of research on orthodox drugs that indicates the superiority of injectable routes. What is the meaning of this anomaly?
Could it be a sign that natural routes of administration (i.e., oral) are better suited for natural substances? The further removed from the natural state, the
more active substances become when injected directly into the blood stream, and the less able the natural processes of the body are in dealing with them.
Using the wood of the plant, several researchers have studied the effects of lapachol, alpha- and beta-lapachone and xyloidone on experimental cancer
(Yoshida's sarcoma and Walker 256 carcino-sarcoma). As high as 84% inhibition was observed on Yoshida's sarcoma. And no toxicity was found.
In one clinical study, South American researchers administered lapachol to patients with various forms of cancer, including adenocarcinoma of the liver,
breast and prostate, and squamous carcinoma of the palate and uterine cervix. Taken orally, the substance resulted in temporary reduction of all conditions
and in a significant reduction in pain. Duration of treatment was anywhere from 30 to 720 days, with an average of about two months. For example, one
patient with liver cancer presented with a significant reduction in jaundice accompanied by other signs of improvement after eight days of therapy. These
results were in close accord with results obtained by the same researchers in animal studies. One wonders what the administration of whole purple lapacho
phloem might have accomplished in this setting; other lines of evidence suggest that even better results may have been obtained.
"During exploratory surgery it was noted that I had ovarian, stomach, intestine & liver cancer. I was told I had approximately 4 to 6 months to live. I made up
my mind to fight. I went for chemotherapy, drank a quart of red lapacho tea, an ounce of aloe vera juice and took various vitamins daily. After 11 mos. the
physicians could not believe what they found (no cancer). I continue to have regular check-ups and have proved to be a 'miracle case'."
A Note on Nausea: In the human study reported above, some patients dropped out of the experiment due to nausea. This is a common observation in some,
but certainly not all, people who begin to experience the cleansing action of lapacho (and other healthful herbs). As toxins (and toxic medicines) and wastes
are drawn out of the cells, or flushed out, or physiologically expelled from the cells, through the action of the herb, they tend at times to accumulate in the
blood, lymph, lymph nodes, skin, liver and kidneys awaiting the opportunity to be expelled from the body. Backing up, they can, on occasion produce
sensations such as nausea; the body may even try to rid itself of some toxic substances by vomiting. Not to worry. These transient signs dissipate once the
toxins are moving freely from the body. They are a positive sign that the herb is working. Remember the body only has three basic processes for getting rid
of wastes: lower bowel movement, sweating, urinating. The use of lapacho can so overload these processes in the early stages that discomfort may be
produced.
"My wife was dying of cancer. She has a malignant tumor on her temple. The pain was so intense the doctors wanted to keep her sedated in the hospital until
she died. We decided not to give up. For three weeks now she has been drinking purple lapacho tea. The tumor looks much better; it began draining and no
longer looks so 'angry.' The pain is much less, and she can get up and move around the house. Our M.D. is impressed! . . . Now we have hope!"
CELLULAR MECHANICS
Every cell of the body requires oxygen and glucose to obtain energy for life-sustaining functions. The oxygen and glucose are subjected to a fairly complex
metabolic process in the tiny energy producing structures in the cell called mitochondria. This process requires numerous enzymes and coenzymes. The
oxygen and glucose are converted to carbon dioxide and water which are then returned to the blood. the CO2 is exhaled by the lungs (hence this metabolic
process is often called "respiration"); excess water is eventually drawn off through perspiration or through the kidneys. During this conversion, several free
electrons are freed up, which are immediately utilized by another pathway to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency of the cell--ATP is
the molecule every cell is required to utilize, or spend, to obtain energy. The two paths--one for breakdown of glucose, and one for synthesis of ATP--are
tightly coupled together. Should they become uncoupled, the cell can no longer obtain energy, and it dies. Such poisoning has acquired the name of
"uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation."
Many agents have been found that uncouple oxidative phosphorylation; many of them resemble the N-factors in lapacho. In fact, it has been found that
lapacho works like other benzoquionones, i.e., it uncouples the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation occurring in cancerous cells, but not in healthy ones.
This selective killing (cytotoxicity) of tumor cells is what makes lapacho such a potentially valuable agent for the treatment of cancer.
One of the games science plays is attempting to discover at what point cellular respiration is broken up by chemical agents. The components of lapacho
seem to interrupt the process at several points, usually by inhibiting an enzyme or coenzyme that is required for the next step in the chain to occur properly.
For instance, lapacho inhibits the proper functioning of ATPase, the enzyme that catalyzes the final step in the formation of ATP.
Lapachol has also been shown to inhibit the amount of another substance required for cellular reproduction: uridine triphosphate. This molecule is the main
source of substances (called pyrimidine nucleotides) that are required by cells in order to build DNA, RNA and most other important proteins of the body.
Lapacho may actually block the syntheses of pyrimidines in cancer cells (by inhibiting the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase). The result would be
certain cellular death.
There is also evidence that lapachol interacts directly with the nucleic acids of the DNA helix in cancerous cells. If such interaction, or bonding, takes place
then DNA replication would be impossible. The result is also eventual death of the cell.
Finally, lapacho constituent beta-lapachone has been shown to weaken malignant cells, even to the point of cellular death, by stimulating a process known as
lipid peroxidation, which produces toxic molecules.
TOXICITY
While there can be no doubt that lapacho is very toxic to many kinds of cancer cells, viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and other kinds of microorganisms,
the substance appears to be without any kind of significant toxicity to healthy human cells. The side-effects mainly encountered, and usually with isolated
lapacho constituents, are limited to nausea and anticoagulant effects in very high doses, a tendency to loosen the bowels, and diarrhea in very high doses.
As indicated earlier, some nausea should be expected as a natural consequence of the detoxification process. The FDA gave lapacho a clean bill of health in
1981.
Some trials have indicated that lapachol has anti-vitamin K action. Other constituents have a pro-vitamain K action; it is likely, therefore, that the two actions
cancel each other out (except possibly when one or the other is necessary--as one would expect from an herbal tonic).
Perhaps the most significant study on toxicity was published in 1970 by researchers from the Chase Pfizer & Co., Inc. Looking specifically at lapachol, these
investigators found that all signs of lapachol toxicity in animals were completely reversible and even self limiting, i.e., over time the signs of toxicity decreased
and even disappeared within the time constraints of the study. The most severe kinds of self-limiting side-effects they observed were an anti-vitamin K effect,
anemia, and significant rises of metabolic and protein toxins in the blood stream. The diminution of these signs indicates that lapacho initiates an immediate
"alterative" or "detoxification" effect on the body's cells. Once the cells are "cleaned up," the signs of toxicity disappear. This effect is quite common among
herbal tonics.
HOW MUCH AND WHEN
Lapacho can be used periodically as a preventative during colds and flu season, or whenever the chances for infections are high. Experience has taught that
lapacho is best ingested as a tea, one or two cups a day, morning and evening. Used in this fashion, it promotes the health of the immune system, helps
prevent the onset of colds and flus, keeps the bowel healthy and may impart some of the other important therapeutic effects, including a positive effect on
arthritis, pain, localized infection (e.g. candida) and systemic infection.
During periods of acute, active infection, lapacho should be administered several times a day in tea form. It is up to the individual to determine the optimum
amount for him or her. It is not uncommon for a person's awareness of his or her personal health needs and requirements to increase dramatically when
turning to a health-oriented, herbal approach. The recommended dose is 4-6 cups per day if actively fighting a form of Cancer.
"I was bitten by a brown recluse spider, but didn't know it for 3 days; it was finally diagnosed in an emergency room when the pain and swelling got so bad I
couldn't take it any longer. An ointment was prescribed, but I used instead a compress made of two tea bags of lapacho, changed often. Relief was almost
immediate. And, after 3 days, the doctor was amazed by the fact that all swelling and pain had disappeared, and new, healthy, tissue was growing back
rapidly."
CONCLUSION
Throughout the width and breadth of the earth there exist plants with the amazing ability to cure and prevent the ills of mankind when used with wisdom. They
grow and blossom and concentrate valuable healing nutrients within their tissues. It is the obligation of animals and people to discover these properties and
utilize them in the manner intended by the governing and organizing principles of nature. The search does not begin nor end in a research laboratory. It
begins with the experimentation of simple people living close to the earth, who invest nothing in their search save the desire to live healthy, prevent sickness
and cure disease. It ends when the rest of the world accepts knowledge so gained, and incorporates it into their own health system.
The need for scientific examination results in the accumulation of interesting and sometimes useful data; at its best it opens new avenues for effective
application of the wisdom of the ancients. At its worst, it asks the wrong questions, obtains the wrong answers, becomes puffed up by its own importance, and
gets in the way of man's quest for the discovery of nature's healing gifts.
Science and folklore need not clash. When they do, it is usually because the wrong questions were asked, the wrong answers obtained, the wrong materials
examined, the wrong people involved. Lapacho currently finds itself in the middle of worldwide confusion. As data showing the efficacy of lapacho
accumulates in some areas of the world, other areas continue to ignore basic sources of information; data gathered in such a vacuum disappoints the mind
and obstructs progress.
We prefer to believe that lapacho, given enough time, will emerge into the full light of day, even from the dark and muddling laboratories of the United States,
and will take its rightful place as one of the great healing herbs of the world. We prefer to believe that until then the herb will be immune to the dealings of dim
and uninspired regulatory proceedings on bright continents. We prefer to believe that, in the end, the millions of lapacho users will prevail.
Note on the Text
The material appearing in italic with quotation marks around it, throughout this report, was taken from actual letters in my files. Where necessary, the generic
term "lapacho" was used in place of brand names.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Mowry is known primarily for his efforts to bring scientific data about herbal medicine to the attention of the American public. Toward this end he has
published the books entitled the Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, and Guaranteed Potency Herbs: Next Generation Herbal Medicine, which have
become standard texts in the field.
Dr. Mowry is Director of the Mountainwest Institute of Herbal Sciences, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
SOUTH AMERICAN CANCER CURE...
ANCIENT FOLK MEDICINE
This article is one of the first printed, years ago, in a U.S. publication about the curing powers of Pau d'Arco. It is reprinted here from "The Spotlight" which is
a "populist" weekly newspaper published in Washinton, D.C.
Could an ancient South American Indian folk medicine cure many types of cancer? Physicians and former cancer patients say yes. This has been widely
reported on in newspapers in Latin America, but not in the U.S.
South American physicians are using Indian folk medicine to successfully treat various forms of cancer - including leukemia - and other debilitating disease,
but news of the cures has not made it into the American media.
According to reports published in various South American periodicals prior to the establishment-imposed blackout, the inner bark of two South American
trees of the Bignoniaceae family are used successfully in the treatment of various diseases, including cancer.
A brew made with the inner bark of Lapacho Colorado (Tabebuia Avellanedae) or Lapacho Morado (Tabebuia Altissima) seems to attack the cause of the
disease, according to medical reports.
Lapacho Colorado, or red lapacho - so called because of its scarlet flowers - grows in the warmer part of South America: Brazil, northern Argentina,
Paraguay, Bolivia etc. It was commonly used by the medicine men of the Guarani and Tupi-Nambo Indians long before the advent of the Spanish in the New
World.
Another name for the lapachos is ipes, a name used in southern Brazil. Red lapacho is called ipe roxo. Still another name for the trees is pau d'arco; red
lapacho is called pau d'arco roxo. "Pau d'arco" means "bow stick"; the natives use the wood to make their bows for archery.
The red lapacho is very common in its range, the tropical lowlands.The lapacho morado, or purple lapacho, grows in cooler climes - in the Andes, for
example. In its range, it is not rare.
Red lapacho was discovered by the white man's medicine some 20 years ago at Americana - a suburb of Sao Paulo, Brazil. That was where several hundred
Confederate families homesteaded at the invitation of Emperor Dom Pedro II after the South was lost.
YOUNG GIRL CURED
The story of cancer-curing properties of the tropical bark begins about 20 years ago, when a Sao Paulo family had a homecoming party after a trip to Rio de
Janeiro. During dinner they told the story of a young relative of theirs - a girl who was stricken with cancer.
The medical establishment had given up on the girl and had told the parents that she did not have long to live. But a great aunt had contacted an Indian
tribal doctor who said that cancer could be cured with the brew made from the bark of a certain tree.The medicine man gave the woman a little bag of that
bark.
The young girl and her parents at first disdained the medicine man's concoction. But then the sick girl had a strange dream. She saw a friar who told her:
"Drink tea brewed with the bark the Indian gave you, and you will get well." At first she paid no attention to the dream, but as her pain increased, the dream
repeated itself.
Finally she decided to try the tea.
Her pain vanished. Encouraged by the results, she continued to take the medicine every morning. Within a month, she was well, and her regular doctor told
her parents that no trace of her cancer could be found.The hosts had brought back a bag of the bark as a souvenir.
A MAVERICK MEDICO
One of the guests at the party was a medical doctor from the nearby town of Santo Andre, who showed great interest in the bark and begged a sample.
Dr. Orlando dei Santi - the guest left the party early and went directly to the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre, another suburb of Sao Paulo, where he was a
resident physician. There, his cancer-stricken brother lay, near death. The cancer victim had just undergone a second operation, and his condition had been
declared "inoperable and terminal." He was beyond Establishment treatment.
In the course of his medical studies, dei Santi had been taught the need to study methodically any empirical remedy, such as those used by Indian tribes,
before even thinking of using it. He had learned that the medical researcher "must" first try to extract the active part or parts of the plant claimed to have the
therapeutic value.
Then the researcher must test the extracts in the laboratory on animals, and finally on human volunteers. One must patent the drug and get a respected
pharmaceutical manufacturer to produce the resulting pills, extracts, etc.
Only then - once the medicine is on the market - could one consider using it on a patient. Otherwise, a doctor would be defenseless against charges of
malpractice and face the danger of losing his medical license. That, of course, is the proper procedure approved by the medical authorities in Brazil and
throughout the rest of the civilized world.
Fortunately for the dying cancer victim in the Santo Andre Municipal Hospital, his brother was one doctor who decided not to adhere to the orthodox
procedures in this case.
Instead, he took the bark, boiled it in white wine, mixed the still-hot brew with orange juice and let his brother drink the concoction on an empty stomach. As if
by a miracle, the patient's pain disappeared, and he was able to sleep soundly. After a month of uninterupted treatment with the brew, he was discharged
from the hospital. A thorough examination had found no trace of cancer remaining.
CURE CAUGHT ON
After this startling development, the physicians at the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre decided to break the rules for the benefit of other cancer patients,
beginning with those of the "terminal" list. This happened near the end of 1960.
Since then, the physicians at the small provincial town hospital have noticed that the pain suffered by patients with leukemia or other cancers disappeared
within hours after they received the brew made from the inner bark of pau d'arco roxo. They also found that, within 30 days of treatment with this medicine,
most patients no longer showed any symptoms of the dread disease.
They noticed that many other afflictions from which some of the cancer patients suffered - such as diabetes - would disappear even more quickly than the
cancer. The physicians were amazed.
Since the early 1960s, this bark has been used regularly at the Municipal Hospital of Santo Andre to treat leukemia as well as numerous diseases where
viruses were suspected as the cause. Both the herb stores and the "legitimate" pharmacies in Brazil now carry this bark.
"O Cruzeiro" (March 18 and 25, 1967), the respected Rio de Janeiro weekly, published two long, illustrated articles about this remedy and the Municipal
Hospital of Santo Andre, where it is used to cure a host of diseases. One of the pictures shows a patient's chart at the head of his bed. Below the patient's
name, age, etc is the diagnosis: "cancer of the lung." And, further below, in large handwritten letters, the prescription:
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Pau d'Arco
The List
There has been much discussion by many authoritative authors and researchers on the subject of Pau d'Arco. This is a composite list of the various
diseases and afflictions these research articles have mentioned when discussing Pau d'Arco. (Bibliography below)
VERY SIGNIFICANT REPORTS
CANCER - All Types Anemia AIDS Allergies Aterial Sclerosos Asthma
Energy Increase Fistula Fungius Diseases Gastritis Gonorrhea Granuloma Annulare
Polyps Prosititus Pyorrhea Rheumatism Ringworm Smokers Cough
Blood Deficiency Bronchitis Candida Albicasns Candida Trichophyton Circulation Problems Colitis
Hodgkin's Disease Infection Kidney Disease Leukema Liver Disorder Inflammation
Spleen Infection Stomatitus Syphillis Tonic Ulcers Varicose Veins
Constipation Diabetis Pain Relief Warts Eczema Parkison's Disease
Lupus Yeast Infection Viruses -All Types
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SIGNIFICANT REPORTS
Analgesic Boils Urine Flow
Fever Mainge Cystitus
Psoriasis Supporation Poison Antidote
Anthrax Childhood Diseases Weight Loss
Flu Menapausal Syndrone Dysentary
Respiratory Problems Topical Barrier Poor Circulation
Antioxidant Colds Wounds
Gastrointestinal Problems Mild Laxitive
Snake Bite Tuberculosis
Bacteria Constipation
Hay Fever Parasites
Sore Throat
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HAS BEEN USED FOR
Aneurysms High Blood Sugar Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Angina Pector High Blood Pressure Osteomyelitis
Arthritis Impotence Phlebitis
Diverticulosis Insomnia Sinusitis
Hemorrhoids Liver Disease Thyroid Problems
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Bibliography:
"THE HEALING POWER OF PAU D'ARCO" By Walter Lubek, Lotus Light Publications
"PAU D'ARCO - IMMUNE POWER from the Rain Forest" by Kenneth Jones, Healing Arts Press
"NATURES WISDOM", Internet Article, 1998
"PAU d"ARCO", Raintree Nutrition, Inc, Research Article, Leslie Taylor
"ANCIENT HERB, MODERN MIRACLE" By Dr. D. Mowry, PhD, Mountainwest Institute of Herbal Sciences
"SOUTH AMERICAN CANCER CURE", Alec de Montmorency, The Spotlight, June, 1981,
"CANCER THERAPY" By Ralph Moss, PhD, Equinox Press
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Legal Disclaimer
"These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease."
Pau d'arco - The Miracle Tea
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