Uncaria tomentosa (Willdenow ex Roemer &
Schultes) De Candolle
1. CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom: Plantae (Plants)
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular
plants)
Superdivision: Spermatophyta (Seed plants)
Division: Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Rubiales
Family: Rubiaceae (Madder family)
Genus: Uncaria Schreber,
Gen. Pl.: 125. Apr 1789
Species: Uncaria tomentosa
(Willd.) DC
Common Names: “cat’s claw”, “Peruvian
cat’s claw”, “hawk’s claw”. Castilian/Spanish
: Peru “uña de gato”, “uña de gato roja”;
Loreto “garabato colorado”; Ucayali “uña de gato de
altura”, “garabato amarillo”,“bejuco de agua”;
San Martín “garabato”; Others “paraguayo”,
“garabato”, “garabato casha”, “samento”, “toroñ”, “tambor huasca”, “uña
huasca”, “uña de gavilán”, “garra de gavilán”, “saventaro”, “soga de agua”,
“vilcacora”. Asháninka: kug-kukjagui. Portuguese
: “deixa paraguayo”. Others: “unganangui”, “uncucha”,
“tsachik”, “paotati-mösha”, “misho-mentis”, “jipotatsa”,
“torõn”.
2. DESCRIPTION
Habit: Gigantic (very large) perennial
liana (woody vine) that grows climbing around treesor creeping, with hook-like
thorns that grow along the vine and resemble the claws of a cat. These
claw-like projections allow the vine to attach to tree bark and also give the
plant its name. The stem is reddish colored. This species can reach over 30 m
high into the canopy and much more meters in length.
The stem of Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC
can reach several centimeters in diameter and contains a clear watery sap. The
external bark has superficial longitudinal fissures, and the internal bark is
fibrous, with the ground bark the color golden yellow. The sap is watery and
astringent in taste. The terminal branchlets are quadrangular and yellow-green
in color.
Uncaria guianensis, a closely related
species, has thorns that are more curved.
Leaves: Simple, opposite, bright green,
and dimorphic; oblong, oblong-ovate (oval-shaped) or elliptic. The hook-like
thorns grow at the base of the leaves. The underside of the leaf has fine
hairs. The leaf blade is 7.5 cm to 17 cm in length and 5 cm to 12 cm in width.
The leaf margins are entire; apex is acute, or rarely acuminate; base is round
and/or cordate (heart-shaped). The stipules are deltoid, 6 mm to 12 mm long
and 4 mm to 8 mm wide. The spines are woody, occur in pairs, are slightly
curved but straight, and pointy; 8 mm to 10 mm in length and 3 mm to 6 mm in
width.
Flowers: The inflorescences occur in
racemes or globular cymes, are axilary and/or terminal, 7 cm to 18 cm in
length, 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm in diameter. Flowers are bisexual, actinomorphic and
sessile. The calyx is gamosepalous, tubular, 1 mm to 1.5 mm in length and 0.8
mm to 1 mm in diameter. The corolla is gamopetalous, 7 mm to 13 mm in length,
3 mm to 5 mm in diameter, with 5 round lobes; yellow. Stamens are sessil;
5-fused to the throat. The anthers are oblong with prolonged and divergent
bases; 1 mm to 1.2 mm in length and 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm in width. The stigma is
ellipsoid, 0.5 mm in length, with linear 4 mm long styles; inferior ovary.
Uncaria guianensis, a closely related
species, has reddish-orange flowers.
Fruit:The fruits are dry and dehiscent;
elliptic capsules; 5 mm to 8 mm long and 3 mm to 6 mm wide.
3. ORIGIN, DISTRIBUTION AND
ECOLOGY
Origin: Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.)
DC is native to the Amazon basin, particularly to Peru.
Distribution: Uncaria tomentosa
proliferates spontaneously all over the Amazon rainforest, especially in the
upper Amazon region of Peru and neighboring countries, and other tropical
areas of South and Central America, including Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana,
Trinidad, Venezuela, Suriname, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Panama. It has also
been reported as far North as Belize, and South into Paraguay. Maranhao,
Brazil, is the most Eastern area where Uncaria tomentosa has been
reported to grow naturally. There are as many as 60 species related to this
plant.
Uncaria tomentosa, which is used
by Indian shamans, can be found on the mountain slopes in the jungle. It is
most frequent in the Montaña in Peru.
In Peru, Uncaria guianensis (Aubl.) J. F.
Gmel., a closely related species, has been reported in Amazonas, Ayacucho,
Cuzco, Huánuco, Loreto, Madre de Dios, San Martín, and Ucayali.
Ecology: Uncaria tomentosa is a
ligneous climbing plant that reaches full maturity after about twenty years of
age. According to father Edmund Szelinga —a Polish Salesian missionary living
70 years in Peru— the best part for medicinal purposes is the bark or root of
young Uncaria tomentosa which is around three years old. According to
other authorities, for use in medicine, the bark is removed from the stems of
Uncaria tomentosa vines that are over 8 years old.
The bark is just as efficient as the roots;
therefore the underground parts of the plant should not be exploited, so that
the plant can regenerate. The de-barked vines may be woven into rattan-like
furniture.
Uncaria tomentosa as well as Uncaria
guianensis are both, collected from the wild and cultivated. The best
growing areas for Uncaria tomentosa are in the organic soils between
250 and 900 meters above sea level. Although both are difficult to cultivate,
in some areas of Peru they are usually planted from cuttings of the vine
rather than from seeds. When collected from the wild, they are cut 1 meter
above the ground in order to leave the root undisturbed. The vine can grow
back and reach maturity again in about four years. It can then be harvested
again.
This plant is typical of primary forest, but is
also found in disturbed forest and rarely in secondary forest.
4. HISTORY
Father Edmund Szeliga —an elderly Polish
missionary living in Peru— cited by Rybiński and Warszewski (2000) on their
book ‘Vilcacora, the Miracle Cancer Cure’ states “…the queen of
all the healing plants of Amazon, vilcacora. Its Latin name is Uncaria
tomentosa (Willd.) DC, while in Spanish it is ‘uña de gato’. It’s the
Incas holy vine, whose use once was restricted to the current ruler and his
closest family only. As early as the 1960s at the Naples University, a
detailed chemical analysis was conducted at my commission, which showed that
this plant has a completely unique composition of alkaloids and glycosides,
which inhibits the growth of many varieties of cancer. The infusion from a few
grams of desiccated vilcacora drunk three times a day in quarter of a liter
doses proves to be an extremely successful remedy even at the advanced stages
of the disease. This amazing plant opens up completely new perspectives for
medicine!...”.
Uncaria tomentosa is still considered a
sacred plant among the Ashaninkas and other indigenous Peruvian Amazonian
tribes such as the Campa Indians. Actually, in the Amazon rainforest, there
exist two closely-related species of Uncaria that are used almost
interchangeably. They are Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis
, and both are called by the same common name, ‘cat’s claw’ or ‘uña de gato’.
Sometimes, Uncaria tomentosa is called ‘uña de gato roja’ (red cat’s
claw), and Uncaria guianensis, ‘uña de gato blanca’ (white cat’s claw),
in order to differentiate them from each other. According to the Austrian
investigator Klaus Keplinger (1999), these herbs serve as a means of
"regulating the physical and spiritual worlds" for these tribal groups.
In other parts of Latin America, there exist
several other species of plants with a common name of ‘cat’s claw’; however,
they belong to totally different groups of plants other than the genus
Uncaria and family Rubiaceae. In Mexico, for example, there exist several
‘cat’s claw’ species that have toxic properties.
From the perspective of ethnobotany, the higher
a plant's status among native peoples, the more potent it often proves to be
medicinally. Both, Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis,
have been being used by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest since
ancient times for medical purposes. It has been estimated that these species
of Uncaria have been used medicinally by the Aguaruna, Asháninka,
Cashibo, Conibo, and Shipibo tribes of Peru for at least 2 000 years.
The earliest record of use of Uncaria
tomentosa was related to the Asháninka Indian tribe in Central Peru. They
continue using this plant until today and nowadays they are also the largest
commercial source of Uncaria tomentosa from Peru.
The Asháninka Indians live further and deeper
into the jungle than other tribes. All the other tribes learned from the
Asháninkas about the unusual healing properties of Uncaria tomentosa
long before Spanish colonization. The Asháninkas, just like the Incas did
later, worshipped Uncaria tomentosa as a god, and called it
kug-kukjagui. Uncaria tomentosa was to them the highest deity who
gave rise to all other gods. This is why the Indians carved the images of
their minor gods in the mature, ligneous shoots of Uncaria tomentosa.
And because this is a long climbing plant, the gods, as you may find out when
visiting any museum devoted to the Indians of the forest, have very long
profiles and oval faces (Rybiński and Warszewski, 2000).
Asthma, inflammations of the urinary tract and
recovering from childbirth are some of the conditions they treat with the
decoction of this plant. The Asháninka also use Uncaria tomentosa
as a kidney cleanser, to cure deep wounds, for arthritis, rheumatism, and bone
pain. Control of inflammation and gastric ulcers as well as treatment for
cancer are also some of the uses the Asháninka assign to this plant.
This Peruvian ethnic group, as well as several
other different ones, have also been using Uncaria tomentosa as a
contraceptive. Dr. Fernando Cabieses, M.D., a noted authority on Peruvian
medicinal plants, has reported that the Asháninka boil 5 to 6 kilograms of the
root in water until it is reduced to little more than 1 cup. This decoction is
then taken 1 cup daily during the period of menstruation for three consecutive
months, which supposedly causes sterility for three to four years.
In Piura, a region in the Peruvian coast,
indigenous tribes use Uncaria tomentosa to treat tumors, inflammations,
rheumatism, and gastric ulcers.
Other Peruvian indigenous tribes use Uncaria
tomentosa to treat diabetes, urinary tract cancer in women, hemorrhages,
menstrual irregularity, cirrhosis, fevers, abscesses, gastritis, rheumatism,
inflammations; for internal cleansing and tumors; and to normalize the body.
In Colombia, some Indian tribes use Uncaria
tomentosa to treat gonorrhea and dysentery.
In Suriname, the decoction of Uncaria
tomentosa is used against dysentery, intestinal affections and wounds.
In England, some companies are offering massage
creams with Uncaria tomentosa. They are also marketing toothpaste of
Uncaria tomentosa to prevent and cure periodontosis, soaps based on
Uncaria tomentosa as an anti-mycotic with supposed fungistatic activity,
recommended for excessively sweating skin. A shampoo is also sold, recommended
for patients with allergic reactions, psoriasis, sensitive to detergents and
susceptible to hair loss. A hair conditioner as well as an antiseptic and
antimycotic talc as a preventive for mycosis and eczema are also
commercialized.
Due to its many curative properties, Amerindians
consider Uncaria tomentosa a kind of panacea —a cure for anything—. The
most traditional Ashaninkas always carry a kind of bag or basket woven from
some flexible forest bark. The Indians from the jungle use these bags to carry
Uncaria tomentosa a plant which they never part with, a plant that
accompanies them in whatever they do.
Although its uses by native healers have been
known for over fifty years, it was not until Keplinger began studying the
properties of ‘uña de gato’ in 1974 that it began to receive attention for its
potential medicinal value. A 1999 systematic review paper by Keplinger et al
. described an analysis of 55 works summarizing ethnomedical and
pharmacological uses.
The first scientifically controlled studies on
Uncaria tomentosa were performed in the early 1970s when Klaus Keplinger,
a journalist and self-taught ethnologist from Innsbruck, Austria, organized
the first definitive work on Uncaria tomentosa. Attracted by the
several ethnologic reports that documented the many uses of this tropical
vine, Keplinger worked with this plant for several years. His work eventually
led in the early 1990s to the marketing of several extracts of Uncaria
tomentosa in Austria and Germany as herbal drugs with immunomodulating
properties (Keplinger et al., 1999; Gabriel et al., 1999). He
also filed four U. S. patents describing extraction procedures for a group of
chemicals called oxindole alkaloids, and the immunostimulating actions of
these alkaloids, found in this plant.
Keplinger’s studies on Uncaria tomentosa
and its novel oxindole alkaloids called worldwide attention in the medicinal
properties of this valuable vine of the rainforest. Consequently, several
other independent researchers in Spain, France, Japan, Germany and Peru
confirmed Keplinger’s results. Since mid-1990s, some Peruvian physicians are
investigating the use of the extract of Uncaria tomentosa, complemented
with other herbal drugs, in order to treat AIDS.
Many of the studies published after Keplinger’s
work confirmed the immunostimulating properties of the alkaloids in the bark
and roots. The whole oxindole alkaloid fraction, whole Uncaria tomentosa
bark and/or root bark extracts, and six individually-tested oxindole
alkaloids increased immune function by up to 50% in relatively small amounts.
In 1998, independent Peruvian researchers
demonstrated that a whole extract of Uncaria tomentosa increased immune
function in rats at a dosage of 400 mg/kg. In 1999, independent Canadian
researchers at the University of Ottawa reported that a whole Uncaria
tomentosa extract demonstrated a strong immunostimulant effect.
Since 1999, several patented extracts of
Uncaria tomentosa have been manufactured and marketed in the United States
and other developed countries. Clinical studies funded by private companies
continue to be carried out; these studies show that the immunostimulating
benefits of Uncaria tomentosa claimed by Amazon indigenous tribes have
a scientific support.
In the last years, the presence of Uncaria
tomentosa —the ‘original cat’s claw’ species— has declined in the Peruvian
rainforest by overharvesting due to sustained market demand. This species is
getting harder for wild harvesters to find.
Today, the lower-growing and easier to find
Uncaria guianensis is commonly found in many large lots of Uncaria
tomentosa bulk material being exported out of South America. Although it
is easy to tell which is Uncaria tomentosa and which Uncaria
guianensis if one can see the claws or hooks —the hook shapes are
different; even, the leaves of the Uncaria tomentosa species are also
more hairy than those of Uncaria guianensis— these species are
literally indistinguishable after they have been harvested (unless subjected
to chemical analysis). And during harvest, leaves and hooks are sometimes 30
meters above ground in the canopy and obscured by other vegetation (it is only
the lower vine that is cut off in harvesting, whereas the upper vine is
discarded in the top of the canopy where it is wound around everything). By
the time it arrives to the marketers, there is no way to tell if the inner
bark is Uncaria tomentosaor Uncaria guianensis
Uncaria tomentosa generally grows at
higher elevations than Uncaria guianensis, which grows at river level.
This means that Uncaria guianensis is easier to find, easier to get to,
easier to harvest and easier to transport (because it grows near to the
rivers).
The effect of this substitution on the medical
properties is still unknown, although independent phytochemical analysis
shows, however, that both plants contain most all of the same phytochemicals
(including alkaloids), just in different ratios. Further information is
required.
Market demand for ‘cat's claw’ has increased
dramatically in the past 10 years, and a huge amount of Uncaria tomentosa
has been harvested out of the Peruvian Amazon and exported out of Peru.
Brazilian harvesters have entered the market in the last five and are
exporting as well.
In an age of emerging new viruses with stunning
virulence, natural antiviral and immunomodulating substances such as those
from Uncaria tomentosa could play a significant role in human disease
prevention and treatment. Several institutions in Peru, Austria, Germany,
Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland and the United States, among other countries
are conducting today detailed research in Uncaria tomentosa.
Legend: How the Asháninkas where taught
about Uncaria tomentosa
Taken from the book ‘Vilcacora, the
Miracle Cancer Cure’, by G. Rybiński and R. Warszewski (2000)
—————
Tasurinchi was the first Ashaninka. He was the
Indian Adam. He did not have a wife at that moment, because initially he was
alone in the world, and this is why he had to cook, and wash, and hunt on his
own. Tasurinchi’s life was horrible. He toiled away at tasks without number,
and there was no one to help him. His legs hurt from constant chasing of
animals. His hands hurt from stringing beads for necklaces. His head hurt from
constant thinking about how to cope with all his chores.
One day he met a puma as he was walking, or
actually running, through the forest.
— ‘I have a stomach-ache,’ — he complained.
— ‘Why?’ — the puma was surprised.
— ‘Because the food I had yesterday wasn’t
fresh, I guess. Maybe you know, dear puma, what I should do?’
The puma approached a tree, reached for a thick
liana that was entwined around it, and tore off some bark with its claws.
— ‘Suck it under your tongue’ — the puma advised
Tasurinchi —‘This
will help you.’
— ‘What is it?’ — he asked.
— ‘How come you don’t know? It’s
kug-kukjagui (cat’s claw)’.
Tasurinchi listened to the puma and his stomach
stopped aching after a moment. But what of it, if his head still hurt. ‘I have
handled the stomach somehow. What should I do to get rid of this horrible pain
in my head?’ he wondered and kept on running. He must have covered some
kilometer when he met a capybara that was heading towards the river.
— ‘I have an awful headache,’ —he said to the
rodent, instead of ‘Good morning’. ‘Don’t you know, dear capybara, what could
help me?’
The capybara approached a trunk that was
entwined with some plant, and scraped some rustcoloured powder off the strong
stem with its knife-sharp teeth.
— ‘Dissolve this in water and drink it,’ — said
the animal. — ‘You will forget the headache in a moment.’
— ‘What is it?’ asked Tasurinchi.
— ‘How come you don’t know? It’s
kug-kukjagui (cat’s claw).’
Tasurinchi prepared the decoction just as the
capybara had advised him and drank it with a grimace because it was bitter.
Before he managed to think that he should move on, he realised his head did
not hurt any more. ‘Very good,’ he thought. ‘Excellent! Fantastic! But what of
it, if the wound on my hand I had inflicted on myself when forcing my way
through the thickets still smarts...’. A tapir came along from across the way.
— ‘Hello, tapir!’ — exclaimed Tasurinchi. — ‘My
friend, maybe you could advise me how I should dress this smarting wound?’
The tapir sniffed around for a while with his
long nose, and then approached a tree that was clad with some kind of ivy. The
tapir hit the thick stem a few times with its hoof, tore off a piece of the
bark and passed it to Tasurinchi.
— ‘Make a dressing of this bark,’ — said the
animal. — ‘Surely, this will help you. I always dress my hoof with
kug-kukjagui (cat’s claw) whenever I hurt it. We animals have long known
this tried out and tested way...’
— ‘Is this kug-kukjagui
(cat’s claw) as well?’ — Tasurinchi was surprised.
— ‘Why, don’t you recognize it?’
— ‘Could you tear off another piece for me?’ —
asked Tasurinchi, who suddenly realized that he had probably found the
solution to all his problems. ‘I’m in a hurry and I won’t have time to stop,
and I would very much like to have some of this bark for later...’
—————
5. UTILITY
Parts Used: Bark, root, leaves.
· Bark: The part used medicinally is
the inner bark of the vine from which a boiled decoction is made or extracts
produced. The inner bark of Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC contains up
to 0.5% Pentacyclic Oxindole Alkaloids (POA).
· Roots: Although the traditional
part used as medicinal is the bark, in recent years, extracts of the root have
also been prepared commercially. It has never been, however, proven
scientifically that the root or the root bark contains more alkaloids than the
vine bark. In fact, independent lab analysis over the years shows the vine
bark contains an equal or greater percentage of alkaloids than the root and/or
root bark, although there are contradictory results.
· Leaves: Some companies are
marketing pulverized leaves of Uncaria tomentosa. This powder can be
used in order to prepare an infusion the same way as the bark or root is used.
The leaves contain higher levels of Pentacyclic Oxindole Alkaloids than the
stem bark.
Properties:
Uncaria tomentosa is used as:
Although there exist several proprietary
extracts in the market, many authorities believe that the best way to profit
of Uncaria tomentosa is preparing a natural vine bark decoction. They
recommend to get some good quality vine bark and boil it in water in order to
obtain a concentrated decoction, which is the traditional way the Amazonians
use this amazing plant, with all the natural chemicals that nature provides in
the proper ratio. They argue that the invasive ‘purification’ techniques may
only extract one particular type of chemical, or change the complex ratio of
naturally-occurring chemicals in herbal systems, which ignore the natural
synergy of the plant chemicals.
Immune System
There are a number of parallels between plant
immunological activity and the immune systems of mammals, including adaptive
mechanisms for viral resistance. In order to adapt to environmental
aggressions, plants produce a vast number of natural products that have
antimicrobial and immunomodulating potential.
The human immune system is a highly complex and
extraordinarily sophisticated mechanism involving both innate and adaptive
responses. In the last years, basic research on how natural substances
extracted from plants affect immune response has led to the discovery of
several tropical plants such as Uncaria tomentosa, which has gained
popularity as a natural immunostimulant and immunomodulating agent.
Plants from tropical rainforests represent a
rich source of potential immunomodulating substances. Immunomodulating
activity refers to biological or pharmacological effects of compounds on
humoral or cellular aspects of the immune response.
In a 1998 British narrative review paper,
Syrimis magazine concluded that the broad therapeutic application of
Uncaria tomentosa suggests it is a worthy addition to the list of drugs
used to treat the immune system.
In one study (Flores, 1999), Uncaria tomentosa
showed an increase in phagocytosis. In other in vivo Peruvian study,
Mestanza (1999) found that phagocytosis was increased in rats when an extract
of Uncaria tomentosa was administered at a dose of 400 mg/kg. The
strengthening of phagocytosis in turn heightens the organism’s self-defense.
Independent research performed on whole oxindole
extracts and whole root or vine extracts of Uncaria tomentosa reports
the presence of two types of alkaloids in the extracts. These are the
pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POA) and the tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids
(TOA). Both of them showed immune stimulant actions.
Monocytes and granulocytes, under the influence
of these alkaloids, take over the function of macrophages, cells attacking
viruses and bacteria. It was noticed that after patients had taken the
infusion of Uncaria tomentosa for a week, the monocytes’ activity rose
by about 50%. The erythrocytes’ resistance to damage grew as well. This means
in practice that the crisis is over and that the organism is beginning to get
better.
Some commercial companies that market patented
formulas extracted from Uncaria tomentosa argue that this plant
produces ‘good alkaloids’ and ‘bad alkaloids.’ According to studies funded by
them, the ‘good ones’ are the pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POA) which
are reported to induce a yet unknown immune regulating factor (Muhammad et
al., 2001) and the ‘bad ones’ are the tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOA).
A 1998 study showed that pentacyclic alkaloids weakly activated human B- and
T-lymphocytes, and that tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids reduced the activity of
pentacyclic oxindoles (Wurm et al., 1998).
Presumably, the bad alkaloids counteract the
immune benefits of the good alkaloids. The presence of as little as 1%
tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids content in an Uncaria tomentosa
formulation would diminish the immunostimulant effect of the formulation by as
much as 30%. However, this hypothesis has not yet been confirmed by
independent laboratories, and there are only two studies reporting that, both
of them funded by or performed by the only company selling a TOA-free
Uncaria tomentosa product.
The company that funded these studies is
marketing standardized extracts of the root of Uncaria tomentosa
containing a minimum of 1.3-percent pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids free of
tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids.
Some scientists have proposed that the supposed
‘bad alkaloids’ are not such. Instead, they think that the overexploitation of
Uncaria tomentosa has led the indigenous peoples of the Amazon who collect
the plant from the wild to turn to Uncaria guianensis, a species that
is easier to find and collect. Indeed, today Uncaria guianensis is a
common ‘contaminant’ in many large lots of Uncaria tomentosa
bulk material exported from South America. Although the phytochemical makeup
of both species is similar, the ratio of oxindole alkaloids could be different.
The immunomodulating activity of Uncaria
tomentosa includes suppression of NF-kappa B (Sandoval et al.,
2000), enhancement of B- and T-lymphocytes, stimulation of phagocytosis
(Wagner, 1985), and enhancement of interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 (Lemarie
et al., 2000).
According to Pero (2000), the whole plant
extract is considered a non-specific immunomodulating agent and may be used
synergistically with antioxidant therapy. According to Dr. Klaus
Keplinger, holder of several patents on Uncaria tomentosa from the
Austrian laboratory Immodal, this plant is exceptionally useful in general
stimulation of the immune system, and in multiplying the defensive strength of
the organism.
Finally, it is important to notice that, with a
few exceptions, the majority of studies have been in vitro or in animal
models, with weak to moderate immunomodulating and antiviral effects. As
Williams (2001) says, “…There is no overwhelming evidence to support the
public perception of this herb as a potent immune stimulant, although it
appears to be a beneficial and safe, non-specific immunomodulating botanical.
Further research, both in the laboratory and clinically, is warranted…”.
Cancer
Traditionally, the indigenous peoples of the
Amazon have been using Uncaria tomentosa to treat cancer. In the upper
Amazon, a decoction of the bark of Uncaria tomentosa is mixed with
resin of Croton lechleri Müll. Arg., an herbal product with recognized
potent cytotoxicity against cancer cells, to treat several kinds of cancer.
Western medicine in Peru and Europe started to use extracts of Uncaria
tomentosa as an adjunctive treatment for cancer in the early 1990s.
Some in vitro anticancerous properties
have been documented for the raw extract of Uncaria tomentosa as well
as oxindole alkaloids and other constituents in the extract. Five of the
oxindole alkaloids have been clinically documented with in vitro
antileukemic properties, and various root and bark extracts have demonstrated
antitumorous and antimutagenic properties.
Uncaria tomentosa has the ability to stop
and reverse very advanced pathology, and, what is also important, its
application does not exclude the continuation of therapy with the use of the
methods of traditional medicine. In the 1980s, Keplinger observed that cancer
patients receiving traditional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and
radiation reported fewer side effects (such as hair loss, weight loss, nausea,
secondary infections, and skin problems) to the traditional therapies when
they were treated with extracts of Uncaria tomentosa.
Dr. Julie Clements, oncologist from the United
States, affirms (cited by G. Rybiński and R. Warszewski, 2000): “There has
been a substantial decrease in the side-effects of radiation treatment and
chemotherapy with respect to my patients suffering from malignant diseases who
have been treated with Uncaria tomentosa. On the basis of a few years’
clinical practice, I also know that applying Uncaria tomentosa, may be
compared in terms of its effects to remission, i.e. the disappearance of
tumors, including substantially large tumors. With time, I have come to like
Uncaria tomentosa so much that I have had my mother use it.”
Subsequent studies have shown that the extract
of Uncaria tomentosa can aid in DNA cellular repair and prevent cells
from mutating, which might explain why the extract allows cancer patients to
better tolerate chemotherapy and radiation. Besides, these studies have also
reported that the extract of Uncaria tomentosa can help prevent
leukopenia (a common chemotherapy side effect consisting in lossing of white
blood cells) and immune damage caused by many chemotherapy drugs.
According to Peruvian Dr. Victor Incháustegui,
however, plant therapy should not be used during radiotherapy and
chemotherapy. He recommends maintaining a three-day interval between
chemotherapy or radiotherapy and phytotherapy, and vice versa. The results are
particularly favorable if such a time sequence is observed.
In 1993 at the Instituto de Medicina
Tradicional (IMET, Institute of Traditional Medicine) Dr. Teodoro Cerruti
and others separate from Uncaria tomentosa the alkaloids
isopteropodine, pteropodine, isomitraphiline, unkarine, mitraphiline, and
speciophiline. Colonies of leukemia, HL-60 and U-937, were subjected to their
effect.
After the colometric tests with the use of
agar-agar, the slowing-down effect on colonies of leukemia cells of alkalis
separated from Uncaria tomentosa appeared to be clear and measurable.
Various concentrations of alkalis were used in that experiment and their
effect lasted up to the seventh day after the experiment had finished.
Moreover, through colometric and
spectrophotometric analyses, the survival ability of pathological cells and
the number of colonies of HL-60 and U-937 cells were assessed. They obtained
the following results: It was stated that isopteropodine, pteropodine,
isomitraphiline, unkarine and speciophiline alkalis have a strong inhibitory,
i.e. slowing-down, effect on the growth of leukemia cells from the HL-60
and U-937 lines. This appeared to be directly proportional to the dose of
alkalis administered during the experiment.
The most effective alkali here is unkarine F. In
its case the value of IC-50 was achieved, which means that this substance has
reacted to at least 50% of leukemia cells, which, in turn, in clinical
experience means the beginning of the illness’s regress. Unkarine F worked
selectively and was able to differentiate between pathological and healthy
cells. Thanks to this it did not inhibit the growth of healthy cells produced
in the bone marrow. To sum up, it can be said that unkarine F, derived from
Uncaria tomentosa, can be regarded as a strong drug which is effective
against leukemia.
Several studies also at the Instituto de
Medicina Tradicional, Iquitos, Peru, performed on animals, have shown that
Uncaria tomentosa heightens the capacity of the immune system to react to
cancerous cells. The experiments conducted there show the particular
efficiency of Uncaria tomentosa in overcoming breast, prostate, lung
and stomach tumours.
Dr. Cerruti, however, notices that not every
disease that they can cure in the case of rats is, with the use of similar
methods, equally curable in the case of people. Although they have obtained
very interesting results from the research conducted on animals, these results
are not definitive.
In 1998, a scientific Swedish team reported that
the extract of Uncaria tomentosa inhibited the growth of lymphoma and
leukemia cells in vitro.
In 2001, a medical Italian team reported that
some extracts and their chromatographic fractions from the bark of Uncaria
tomentosa directly inhibited the growth in vitro of a human breast
cancer cell line MCF7 by 90%. Their data indicated that, in addition to the
antimutagenic activity, Uncaria tomentosa extracts and fractions exert
a direct antiproliferative activity on MCF7. The bioassay-directed
fractionation from barks and leaves resulted in the isolation of two active
fractions, which displayed an IC50 of 10 mg/ml and 20 mg/ml, respectively and
an antiproliferative effect, with about 90% of inhibition at a concentration
of 100 mg/ml. Moreover, another team reported that it inhibited the binding of
estrogens in human breast cancer cells in vitro.
Dr Richard Geber, author of the best-seller book
‘Vibrational Medicine’, assures that Uncaria tomentosa
decreases the effects of radiation treatment and chemotherapy, which are
inevitable when treating new growth tumors with conventional methods.
In their book, G. Rybiński and R. Warszewski
(2000) cite four studies related to Uncaria tomentosa and cancer. i) In
a group of three patients suffering from colon and ovary cancer, the new
growth tumor disappeared in two cases after 4 and 7 months and became
substantially smaller in one case. ii) In a group of twenty-two patients
suffering from various varieties of new growth tumors, there was remission in
13 cases, i.e. the tumor disappeared, and the other patients lived longer than
5 years. iii) In the most numerous group of seventy-eight patients suffering
from brain cancer, the disappearance of the tumors was observed with respect
to all patients after a year. iv) In other clinical examinations where the
efficiency of Uncaria tomentosa was tested with respect to three women
of 42, 58, and 80 years of age suffering from ovary, uterus, and colon
cancers, an amazing improvement was observed in all cases, including the
disappearance of the tumors. These authors do not mention, however, the
sources of these results.
Finally, in an online article by the Center for
Alternative Medicine Research in Cancer (
www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/utcam/therapies/cat/htm) they concluded that, although the
results of the 43 studies carried out in Uncaria tomentosa reviewed by
them were very positive in terms of cancer regression, they did not provide
substantial information on use in cancer and were not well documented.
Anti-inflammatory
In any kind of lesion, from the shortest cut in
a finger to burnings and chronic affections such as arthritis and Alzheimer,
there is an inflammatory process involved. This process is natural and allows
the lesions to cicatrize.
Traditionally, the Asháninka Indian tribe in
Central Peru uses a decoction of Uncaria tomentosa to treat
inflammations of the urinary tract. They also use it to control inflammation
related to arthritis and rheumatism. In order to treat arthritis, they
sometimes use Uncaria tomentosa in combination with other local herbs
such as chuchuhuasi bark.
In Western countries, Uncaria tomentosais
included in some herbal combination remedies, e.g. with capsaicin in
the arthritis cream, Nikken Anti-Arthritis. Some Essiac tea mixtures now
contain Uncaria tomentosa in addition to the four traditional
ingredients (burdock root, sheep sorrel, turkey rhubarb root and slippery elm
bark).
Other Peruvian Indian tribes also use a water
extract of Uncaria tomentosa in order to treat inflammations such as
gastritis (stomach inflammation), arthritis (joint inflammation) and other
types of inflammatory stomach and bowel disorders.
The anti-inflammatory effect of the water
extract of Uncaria tomentosa can be understood by means of some plant
sterols (beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol) with well-known
anti-inflammatory properties found in this extract. Additionally, in 1991 a
group of novel phytochemicals found in the bark and roots of this plant
(called quinovic acid glycosides) had been documented with anti-inflammatory
properties. Even more, these new phytochemicals have been reported with the
most potent anti-inflammatory effect among all the constituents known in the
plant. Some antioxidant chemicals (catechins and procyanidins) found in the
extract also contribute to the anti-inflammatory properties.
Several subsequent in vivo and in vitro
studies determined that the water extract of Uncaria tomentosa —and,
especially, its glycosides— could inhibit inflammation up to 89%.
In 2000, a study by Sandoval et al.
related to the antioxidant properties of the water extract of Uncaria
tomentosa concluded that the extract is not only an antioxidant but also a
remarkably potent inhibitor of TNF-alpha production. He stated “…
The primary mechanism for cat's claw's anti-inflammatory action appears to be
immunomodulation via suppression of TNF-a synthesis."
TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor - alpha) is a
powerful molecule that initiates an inflammatory process. This protein also
allows the recruiting of some specialized cells of the immune system called
macrophages.
TNF represents a model for tumor growth driven
by an inflammatory cytokine. Some researches reported that the primary
mechanism for the anti-inflammatory action of Uncaria tomentosa appears
to be immunomodulation through the suppression of this cytokine.
Water decoction of Uncaria tomentosa have
been traditionally used by Amazonians in order to treat arthritis and
rheumatism. According to Dr Richard Geber, author of the best-seller book ‘
Vibrational Medicine’, this plant has very low toxicity, and thus
may be applied against arthritis even for a longer p