Yoga For Your Health

A thousand years ago, the Incas of Peru found the inner bark of the pink-flowered lapacho tree indispensable for treating fever, sore throat, dysentery, snakebite, bladder and yeast infections, and even cancer. They also used its wood to make bows for hunting.

Now called pau d’arco (pow-DAR-co), which is Portuguese for “bow stick,” the term refers to various trees of the Tabebuia family that grow in the mountains of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru.

In spite of this negative report, pau d’arco has since been used successfully to treat such things as fevers, arthritis, infections, malaria, skin problems, cancers, and even complications of AIDS. Two reasons for the discrepancy between the research and reality are these.

A study at the University of Rio de Janeiro discovered that pau d’arco helps treat Staphylococcus aureus infections that resist antibiotics. Research at Seoul National University suggests that the herb is active against human intestinal bacteria, which cause food poisoning.

Pau d’arco has effectively treated malaria, yeast infections, tuberculosis, strep, and dysentery. Pau d’ arco in small dosages increases immune system activity and in large doses suppresses some immune responses such as inflammation. Its anti-inflammatory work have given pau d’arco promise as a treatment for arthritis, allergies, ulcers, skin problems, and other similar conditions. Add to that list diabetes, flu, lupus, parasites, and skin diseases, and it is easy to see why it was once toted as a ‘wonder drug.’

Pau d’arco is sold as tablets, dried bark tea, and tincture (which contains alcohol). The chemicals that give pau d’arco its medicinal effects dissolve poorly in water, so a tea is not recommended.

Tea can be made from the bark by adding one tbsp of bark for every three cups of water. The tea should be boiled for twenty minutes or longer in a non-aluminum pot. One cup of tea can be taken three or four times daily for acute conditions. One-half cup three or four times daily is recommended for other conditions. Pau d’arco tea has a cool, bitter flavor.

Pregnant and nursing women should not use pau d’arco until it is sufficiently researched. Pau d’arco has been shown to have blood-thinning actions in some people, and may cause anemia when used long term. Possible side effects from ingesting too much pau d’arco include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and stomach cramps. Another precaution consumers should heed is assuring that the product they purchase is produced by a reputable manufacturer. Some tested have very few active ingredients. The pau d’arco imported from Argentina is generally considered to be the highest quality bark.