Pau D’arco: Barking up the Right Tree
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Primarily noted for its ability to combat leukemia, cancer, yeast, fungus, tumors, bacteria, inflammation, and sexually transmitted diseases, pau d’arco is used widely in herbal medicine throughout the world, including South America, Europe, and the United States.
Efficacy Against Cancer
During the 1960’s, research done on plant extracts of the bark and heartwood exhibited anti-tumor effects on animals. In 1968, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) identified a compound in pau d’arco bark called lapachol as being a highly effective anti-cancer chemical component and began conducting a series of studies solely on this isolated compound. In 1970, a lapachol clinical trial conducted by the NCI on cancer patients yielded nausea and vomiting. A study done five years later did show an 80% increase in the lifespan of rats with leukemia. In 1980, a lapachol clinical trial conducted on human patients with various cancers such as liver, kidney, breast, prostate, and cervical cancer, demonstrated a reduction of tumors and pain and a complete cancer remission in 33% of the patients.
An explanation of the different outcomes may be based on the fact that studies done on whole extracts of the bark have shown no human toxicity. This is quite different from studies using lapachol in isolation. It is believed that whole bark extracts have no side effects because they contain all effective pau d’arco compounds that work together to keep the body in balance.
Another pau d’arco compound, lapachone, has demonstrated the same results as lapachol with fewer side-effects. A patent issued in 2002 in the United States on a lapachone derivative was documented to combat colon, breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and bone marrow cancer and leukemia. Another patent cited a lapachone derivative as inhibiting the growth of prostate tumors.
Infection Combatant
Pau d’arco has shown antimicrobial properties and the ability to combat bacteria, fungi, and yeast, including candida, mold, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and microbes that cause stomach ulcers, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and dysentery. A water extract of pau d’arco was reported to combat 11 fungus and yeast strains. In fact, unlike other trees in the Amazon, pau d’arco does not develop fungus growth.
Today pau d’arco is widely known and recommended by herbal practitioners and used in the fight against many diseases. The USDA cites lapachol as having antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, antiseptic, anti-tumor, anti-termite, pesticide, and insecticidal properties. It also states that lapachol is effective against malaria, edema, and abscesses.
The Search for Pure Medicinal Species of Pau D’arco
Several factors have led to confusion about how to obtain effective pau d’arco. Many commercially available products are of low quality and do not contain the correct species, or have not been properly extracted or activated. A crucial factor is discerning the medicinal species from similar non-medicinal trees. Additionally, for full efficacy, pau d’arco bark must be boiled for at least eight to ten minutes rather than brewed as a tea in order for the active components to be extracted. There are inner bark and heartwood shavings sold in the United States that are merely by-products of the timber and lumber industries and contain only two to seven percent pau d’arco bark with active components.
Pau d’arco is sold as dried bark tea, alcohol extract, and non-alcohol extract. Standardized pau d’arco extracts guarantee the amount of lapachol; an average of four percent lapachol is a good quality extract. Dried bark tea that is labeled with pau d’arco should state that the product actually contains Tabebuia avellanedae as an ingredient.
Deirdre DeVane is the founder of Perpetual Chi, a company now building an online repository of studies and peer-reviewed research articles on the benefits of plant-based diets and the efficacy of plant-based and other natural healing modalities. For more on herbs from the Amazon call 678-642- 8615 or 888-300-3507 ext. 801. Or visit perpetual-chi.amazonherb. net.
