P'au d'arco

Pau d'Arco (Tabebuia avellanedae) is a phytomedicine made from the bark of the South American trumpet tree. ("tajy," meaning to have strength and vigor) by the Guarani and Tupi tribes in South America.

Growing as tall as 125 feet, there are 100 species of the tree native to tropical America. Pau d'Arco, also referred to as alapacho,a is used by herbalists to treat various bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections.

You may be familiar with lapacho, a dense, extremely hard tropical wood. It makes beautiful, fine-grained furniture, but by woodworking standards, itas a challenge. Lapacho resists sawing and bending.

To put a nail in it, you have to prebore a hole. It doesnat take paint well and is impermeable to most wood preservatives. In the wild, lapacho is practically indestructible, yielding to neither termites nor decay.

The tree's resilience in the midst of the damp South American rain forest may have been what first attracted the attention of natives to its medicinal properties.

The medicinal use Pau d'Arco dates back thousands of years to the native Indians of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

It was used broadly to kill germs, relieve pain, increase urine flow,treat colitis, dysentery, snakebite, wounds, sore throats, ulcers, cancer, and a number of other ailments. Caribbean folk healers used the leaves in addition to the bark to treat toothaches and backaches.

Pau D'Arco is an exceptional herb that can be used for a plathora of diseases. While many health claims for Pau d'Arco have not been substantiated including the far-reaching assertion that it can "cure" various forms of cancerathere are several positive findings.

Research shows that it contains a natural antibacterial agent, cleanses the blood, and kills viruses. It builds the immune system, and increase resistance to disease.

Pau D'Arco has been shown to help the following conditions: all infections, blood builder, bronchitis, cancer candidiasis liver disease pin skin sores, varicose views warts, diabetes, eczema and lupus.

Reports have surfaced that the herb is even effective against certain illnesses such as diabetes. The herb has also been reported to aid treatment of Hodgkins disease and Parkinsons disease.

Today, plant scientists have identified two primary active constituents in Pau d'Arco that contain infection-fighting properties: Lapachol and Beta-lapachone. Pau d'arco is a rich source of iron, which contributes to the elimination of wastes from the body and the assimilation of nutrients.

Lapachol is known to support the immune system, and it also has antifungal, antibacterial and antibiotic properties. It has been used to treat immune deficiency disorders, cardiovascular problems and high blood pressure.

Some herbalists also recommend Pau d'Arco to strengthen immunity in the presence of such ailments as cancer, HIV or AIDS, chronic bronchitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Phytochemical Database housed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture has documented lapachol as being antiabscess, anticarcinomic, antiedemic, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antiseptic, antitumor, antiviral, bactericide, fungicide, insectifuge, pesticide, protisticide, respiradepressant, schistosomicide, termiticide, and viricide.

Besides lapachol, Pau D'Arco contains at least 20 other active constituents that are attributed to its other actions.

It has clearly demonstrated broad clinical applications against a large number of disease causing micro-organisms which explains its wide array of uses in herbal medicine. Its action seems to come from increasing oxygen supply at the local level, destroying bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

Its antimicrobial properties were clinically demonstrated in several clinical trials, demonstrating strong activity against various gram-positive bacteria and fungi including, Candida, Staphylococcus, Trichophyton, Brucella, tuberculosis, pneumonia, strep, and dysentery.

Pau D'Arco and it's constituents have demonstrated antiviral properties against various viruses including Herpes I and II, influenza, poliovirus, and vesicular stomatitis virus.

It's anti-parasitic actions against various parasites including malaria, Schistosoma, and Trypansoma have been clinically validated. Bark extracts of Pau D'Arco have demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity and have been shown to be successful against a wide range of inflammations.

Lapachol and beta-lapachone are known collectively as napthaquinones. Laboratory tests indicate napthaquinones to have extremely potent anti-fungal properties.

Scientists have theorized that Pau d'Arco anti-viral effects are a result of beta-lapachoneas effectiveness in inhibiting certain enzymes that viruses require to spread and grow. Pau da'rco also contains the potent flavonoids quercitin and xloidone.

Coupled with the infection-fighting napthaquinones, these flavonoids make Pau da'rco a threat to the opportunistic fungus called Candida albicans. When the immune system is weak, the candida fungus can grow uncontrollably.

The fungus normally occurs on the skin or in the mouth, respiratory tract, or vagina. Pau da'rco anti-fungal constituents have been shown to be highly beneficial in treating this condition,
as well as for fighting the fungi responsible for athlete's foot, jock itch, and other common fungal skin infections.

Additionally, laboratory studies have demonstrated that Pau d'Arco has anti-fungal properties on par with a common anti-fungal prescription drug (ketoconazole).
Use as tea and topically in ointments.