Cancer Fighting Herb from the Rainforest

Pau d’Arco is an amazing herb from the depths of the South American rainforests. But before you read on, you should know that experts say that not all Pau d’ Arco is the same, because most of these herbs on the market are either imitations, not from the best part of the plant or “watered down” versions.

Pau d’Arco, according to some researchers such as Dr Leslie Taylor, author of The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs, is a potent plant capable of tremendous healing powers. This is why NutriPlex Formulas has put the herb in their Ultimate Defense formula. Dr. Taylor’s book is a great one to have if you are in pursuit of natural healing and plant nutrition. It is one of the best researched anywhere

Of Pau d’Arco, Dr. Leslie Taylor writes:

Pau d’arco has a long and well-documented history of use by the indigenous peoples of the rainforest. Indications imply that its use may actually predate the Incas. Throughout South America, tribes living thousands of miles apart have employed it for the same medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. Several Indian tribes of the rainforest have used pau d’arco wood for centuries to make their hunting bows; their common names for the tree mean “bow stick” and “bow stem.” The Guarani and Tupi Indians call the tree tajy, which means “to have strength and vigor.” They use the bark to treat many different conditions and as a tonic for the same strength and vigor it puts into their bows. Pau d’arco is recorded to be used by forest inhabitants throughout the Amazon for malaria, anemia, colitis, respiratory problems, colds, cough, flu, fungal infections, fever, arthritis and rheumatism, snakebite, poor circulation, boils, syphilis, and cancer.

Here’s what researchers at the University of Maryland write about the herb:

Pau d’arco, or the inner bark of the Tabebuia avellanedae tree, is native to Brazil, where it is used traditionally to treat a wide range of conditions including pain, arthritis, inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis), fever, dysentery, boils and ulcers, and various cancers. Preliminary laboratory research examining the properties of pau d’arco is beginning to suggest that the traditional uses may have scientific merit. Such laboratory studies have shown that pau d’arco has pain killing, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, anti-psoriatic, and anti-cancer abilities. Taking this early data, combined with information collected about traditional uses, herbalists may recommend pau d’arco to treat or prevent a number of conditions, including candidiasis (a yeast infection of the vaginal or oral areas), herpes simplex virus, influenza, parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis, bacterial infections such as brucellosis, and inflammation of the cervix (cervicitis) or the vagina (vaginitis). Pau d’arco may also reduce inflammation of the joints associated with arthritis.