* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description: An evergreen tree of up to 25 m in height, with palmately compound leaves and rounded clusters of attractive tubular flowers. They are predominantly pink but have a yellow throat. The narrowly oblong fruits produce numerous flat, winged seeds. T. avellanedae was previously considered to be a distinct species but is now included in T. impetiginosa. Tabebuia species are best known as sources of valuable timber and as ornamental trees (e.g. T. rosea and T. chrysantha).
Origin: Northern Mexico to Argentina; bark is harvested in the wild.
Uses and Properties: In modem herbal medicine, the bark is used mainly to treat candida infections, bacterial infections, chronic venereal diseases and as supportive treatment in cancer. South Americans traditionally used lapacho as a cure-all to treat various conditions, including cancer, rheumatism, gastritis, bronchitis, fever, eczema and fungal infections.
Preparation and Dosage: The bark is infused and used as a tea, or is powdered and used to manufacture capsules and tablets.
Active Ingredients: Bark contains anthraquinones, naphthoquinones and furanonaphthoquinone as main active constituents. Of particular interest is the naphthoquinone lapachol, that co-occurs with dehydroiso-alpha-lapachone and dehydro-alpha-lapachone. Commercial products often contain little or no naphthoquinones, despite the fact that the bark produces 2-7% lapachol. Various other compounds are present, including various benzoic acid derivatives and iridoid glycosides (6-epimonomelittoside).
Pharmacological Effects: The quinones as chemically reactive as oxidants; furanonaphthoquinone can form covalent bonds with proteins and DNA. In various in vitro and in vivo studies, the naphthoquinone (or bark extracts) showed definite antibacterial antiviral, antifungal, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and cancer preventative activities. Even at very low concentrations, the naphthoquinones act as non-specific immune stimulants. Anticancer activity has been acribed to lapachol but the results of clinical trials have thus far been ambiguous.
Status: Traditional medicine.
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Directions
Take 2-3 capsules, 3 times per day.
Ingredients
Pau D'Arco Bark (Tabebuia heptaphylla) - 450 mg
Cautions
May cause nausea. Do not use in combination with anti-coagulant drugs, without seeking professional medical advice.
Additional Information
Herb-Xtra is committed to the manufacture of high quality, standardized and guaranteed natural health products and supplements.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
