Pau d’arco – A versatile and powerful herbal remedy for many health issues

March 19, 2015

What if you could treat and prevent a wide range of illness just by drinking tea or by swallowing a few drops of a powerful herbal extract? It turns out that you can, and this natural medicine has been in use for centuries.

Pau d’arco is used in many forms including:

Tincture
Liquid
Tablets,softgels, capsules
Powder
Herb
Ointment
Tea

Pau d’arco is said to cleanse the blood and body and stimulate the immune system and the production of red blood cells. It is an analgesic, an antioxidant, an antiparasitic, an antmicrobial an antiviral, an anti-inflammatory, an antibacterial, an antifungal, an astringent and a laxative.

The leaves and bark have been used by traditional folk healers of the Caribbean to treat wounds, snakebites, backaches, and toothaches. It has also been used traditionally by indigenous people to treat malaria, respiratory problems, colds, flu, fever, Lupus, infectious diseases, prostate inflammation, boils, ulcers, STDs, poor circulation, anemia, arthritis, rheumatism, and cancer.

In Western medicine, pau d’arco has been used as an herbal remedy for the following:

Liver disease
Hodgkin’s disease
Osteomyelitis
Parkinson’s disease
Herpes I and II
Diabetes
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Inflammation
Pain
Asthma
Influenza
Poliovirus
Vesticularstomatitis virus
Skin inflammations
Psoriasis
Hemorrhoids
Vaginal fungal infections
Eczema
Athlete’s foot
Pernicious anemia
Fungal infections of the nails and skin
Warts
Hepatitis

Combining Echinacea and pau d’arco in a tea is useful for combating tuberculosis. Some herbalists recommend pau d’arco to strengthen immunity, especially in cases of HIV /AIDS or cancer. Multiple studies have proven it accelerates wound healing.

Pau d’Arco and Cancer

Like many natural remedies, especially those with claims to heal cancer, information found is contradictory. There are reports of widespread use to heal cancer with miraculous shrinkage and elimination of tumors and reports of curing leukemia countered with warnings that claim the dosage needed to cure cancer would be toxic and may cause internal bleeding.

The National Cancer Institute in the U.S. has declared its side effects are too dangerous (in the high doses it says are necessary to combat cancer). Meanwhile, it is used in South America by doctors with great results. Argentina dispenses it freely to all patients with leukemia or cancer and Brazil sells it in herb stores and regular pharmacies.

Pau d’Arco Research Issues

One problem with most of the scientific research on this herb is the focus on the isolated compound,lapachol, typically a synthesized version. Pau d’arco contains other helpful compounds such as quinoids, benzenoids, flavonoids, and beta-lapachone. The side effects of the isolatedlapacholare more intense than the side effects of the whole pau d’arco herb.

Pau d’Arco Warnings

There are strong warnings against using pau d’arco when pregnant or lactating and not giving it to children. These warnings are not generally explained, but large quantities are known to cause digestive upset and bleeding. Be wary of prescription drug interaction, especially with blood thinners. Others warn that too high a dose could weaken immunity. There are also warnings that not all supplements claiming to be pau d’arco contain the correct herb. Obviously, if using pau d’arco to treat a serious disease, consulting a knowledgeable and experienced naturopath will help you determine the correct dosage and schedule and help you source a reputable brand.

Pau d’arco, the “Divine Tree,” is now threatened. Hopefully humanity will recognize it for the gift that it is and protect and cultivate it for future generations.

Check out this recipe with instructions for using Pau D’Arco for yeast infections and then kill Candida and balance your gutSee the first source for more on pau d’arco.

Source: Natural News
Published: 19 Mar 2015

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