How does cats claw work

In this regard it is unique. The marked effects on NSAID-induced gastropathy and enteropathy suggests that Cat's claw should be considered as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of arthritis and gut inflammation.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Reprints and Permissions. Miller, M. Pediatr Res 45, Download citation. Issue Date : 01 April Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Advanced search. There have been claims that it may help with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer disease.

But further research is needed before experts can draw any conclusions. You take it by boiling a specific amount of the herb in water. It has different alkaloids that cause its effects. These include rhynchophylline and isorhynchophylline. Cat's claw has been used for treating digestive issues. Pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids found in cat's claw are claimed to modulate the immune system.

They do this by increasing the activity of white blood cells. They also increase the levels of Interleukin Some claims suggest that cat's claw treats some viral infections. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Cat's claw Uncaria tomentosa is a woody vine native to the Amazon and Central American rainforests. Most of these uses are unsupported by scientific evidence or only have early evidence supporting their use.

That said, several identified properties of cat's claw make it attractive to medical researchers. It has been shown to have immune-modulating, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects and research is looking into its potential use for several concerns, including some types of arthritis , Lyme disease , and cancer.

It should not be confused with cat's claw acacia, which contains a potentially poisonous cyanide compound. Cat's claw contains a unique compound known as pentacyclic oxindolic alkaloid POA that is believed to have anti-inflammatory effects, which makes it attractive as a possible treatment for arthritis.

POA appears to block the production of inflammatory substances such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha TNF-a. TNF-a helps regulate the immune response and, among other things, is responsible for inducing fever, inflammation , and apoptosis programmed cell death in old or damaged cells. However, while a review states that three studies support cat's claw for osteoarthritis either alone or in combination with other treatments , researchers didn't find credible evidence that it was effective for RA.

A special type of cat's claw, known as samento, is believed to aid in the treatment of Lyme disease. Proponents claim that samento is able to "boost" the immune system more effectively than regular cat's claw because it is devoid of a compound called tetracyclic oxindole alkaloid TOA , which is believed to inhibit POA. Early evidence for samanto came from test tube studies in which the plant was better able to neutralize the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi , which leads to Lyme disease , than the antibiotic doxycycline.

Until those studies come along, though, the veracity of the health claims will remain largely unsupported. Some early test tube studies have suggested that the POA found in cat's claw may have anti-tumor properties.

It is believed that POA is toxic in specific cancers cells and may have less impact on the healthy cells that are typically damaged by chemotherapy. A study from the University of Seville reported that POA derived from the bark of cat's claw was able to kill and prevent the spread of breast cancer and Ewing's sarcoma cells in test tube studies.

While the cytotoxic cell-killing effect was similar to that of the drug Cytoxan cyclophosphamide , the dose needed to achieve this effect in humans would likely be unreasonable. Still, the finding hints at a promising new avenue for cancer drug development. A study suggested that different strains of cat's claw can kill different types of cancer cells, including those from bladder cancer and glioblastoma , a type of brain cancer. This research found that cat's claw doesn't harm healthy cells.

Cat's claw supplements are generally sold in capsule and tincture formulations. The herb is also available in tea bags or purchased as loose "wild-crafted" powders and bark chips.

There is no official guidance as to the appropriate use of cat's claw. Dosing recommendations vary by manufacturer and are guided more by current practices than by hard evidence. Capsule formulations are generally considered safe at doses of up to milligrams mg daily. The dosing of cat's claw tinctures can vary by the strength of the formulation, but 1 to 4 milliliters ml daily is the most commonly recommended dose.

As a rule of thumb, never take more than is recommended on the product label. However, published clinical trials lasting from four weeks to a year have reported relatively few side effects. The indigenous people of Peru boil traditionally boil 20 to 30 grams g of the inner bark or root in a liter of water for 30 to 60 minutes.

For home use, you can steep one tablespoon 2 g of dried cat's claw powder in one cup of hot water for five to 10 minutes. The flavor of the tea, unsurprisingly, is bitter and woody. Some people like to mix it with rooibos tea , honey, and lemon to make it more palatable. Most side effects resolve on their own once the treatment is stopped. Cat's claw can also slow blood clotting, leading to easy bruising and bleeding particularly in people on anticoagulants.