Pau D'Arco 4:1

History:

Pau D'Arco is an evergreen of the Amazon rain forest, but it is also deciduous when it grows in higher and colder locations. It is a tropical tree, native to South and Central America, and although it grows to a height of one hundred feet, it may start out as a vine. The tree grows in well-drained, fertile soil in sunny, warm, tropical climates. The wood and inner bark are used for herbal medicinal purposes, and the lumber (known as lapacho) is highly valued in cabinetmaking. Pau D'Arco may flower in a number of colors, but the roxa (red, magenta, crimson and violet) varieties are used the most in herbal therapy; and the best quality is said to come from Argentina (where it has been used extensively by the Callaway tribe). Pau D'Arco has a long folk history of use in the management of infections and malignant diseases, and many South American Indian societies have used it for centuries to help them with wounds and infectious and malignant diseases, and to enhance energy and endurance. They also introduced Pau D'Arco to the early Portuguese settlers of Brazil to treat schistosomiasis, a tropical disease brought on by flatworm; and modern science supports those antimicrobial properties. Its ancient and current use in South America as a treatment for malignant diseases (mostly blood and skin) is highly controversial, but the National Cancer Institute does not recognize it as a viable treatment, because the high levels required to be effective may cause many undesirable side effects. Although the Argentine government dispenses the herb free of charge to cancer and leukemia patients, the government of Brazil disavows its efficacy for such treatments. Test tube studies have found that the lapachone content can kill malignant cells by inhibiting an enzyme called “topoisomerase,” and there are hopes that effective drugs may eventually be produced through chemical modification of lapachone. There is much ongoing research on the subject, but there have been wonderful positive reports regarding the herb's antifungal and anti-inflammatory qualities. Pau D'Arco has a high iron content, making it effective in the assimilation of nutrients and elimination of body wastes, and also includes beta-carotene, beta-sitosterol, flavonoids (quercetin), alkaloids (tecomine, hydroxybenzoic acid, and steroidal saponins), barium, iodine, lapachol (a naphthoquinone), beta-lapachone and xyloidine (quinoids), xyloidone (naphthoquinone) and tabebuin (anthroquinone).

Pau D'Arco is reputed to possess significant and potent antiviral and antifungal properties and has been used to support the body's natural efforts to manage a variety of viruses and yeast infections, potentially including Candida albicans, etc., herpes simplex, flu, gonorrhea, athlete's foot, warts, syphilis, venereal disease and vaginitis. Lapachol and beta-lapachone have demonstrated antibacterial, antifungal (fungistatic) and antimalarial activity.

Thought to be an botanical anti-inflammatory and painkiller, Pau D'Arco has been used to work along with the body's own restorative resources to support reduced pain and inflammation of conditions that may include arthritis and rheumatism. It is also believed to support relief for temporary discomforts of inflammatory bowel disease and  bowel pain.

Pau D'Arco is thought to complement the body's ability to promote, maintain and support normal blood sugar levels, which may thus be of potential help as a diabetes support.  It appears to support inhibition of glucose spillover into the urine and may act in a similar manner as the prescription drug ingredient, acarbose, by inhibiting sugar's passage through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.

Pau D'Arco is considered by herbalists to be a mild plant-based laxative and diuretic, which may also support clearing of  toxins from the body. By supporting increased urine flow, the herb may thus further support urinary tract health and, consequently, also be potentially useful for working with the body's own natural ability to support conditions such as cystitis, prostatitis and other urinary infections. The herb has also been used by herbalists to lower fever.

Regarded by herbalists as an botanical support for purifying and clearing toxins from the blood and working along with the body's own natural capacity to improve the number of red corpuscles, Pau D'Arco may thus potentially help to build blood and possibly also be helpful as a support for pernicious anemia and other ailments entailing blood deficiencies.

Pau D'Arco is also considered a botanical support for a strengthened immune system to potentially enable it to produce macrophages, immune cells that engulf and digest bacteria (echoing its ancient application for infection fighting). The herb is said to work with the body to support chronic degenerative ailments, improve energy and stamina; and Pau D'Arco has also been used by herbalists as a natural support for resistance to environmentally produced allergies and asthma.

Pau D'Arco may help to support healthy liver function. It is believed to facilitate the body's own healing resources to neutralize poisons that involve the liver and may, thus, be potentially helpful in supporting hepatitis management. Some South American hospitals have used Pau D'Arco on patients to reduce the destructive process that chemotherapy exerts on the liver and kidneys. Chemotherapy has been known to destroy the liver and kidneys, and this application may be of help to patients undergoing such treatments, but only with approval and care of a medical doctor.

Pau D'Arco is considered to be an excellent plant-based antibacterial with potential botanical antibiotic effects on Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium associated with gastritis and peptic ulcer. Its herbal antibiotic properties have also reputedly been useful in herbal therapy as a support for dysentery. Often used as a natural support for improved digestion, Pau D'Arco's active ingredient, lapachol, was observed In laboratory tests to reverse aspirin-induced irritation of the stomach lining.

The Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, has found that lapachol can also be useful against parasitic infection and may be a helpful support for malaria and Chagas disease (blood-borne parasitic infections). Research from the Mayo Clinic indicates that eosinophils (a type of white blood cell in blood and tissues) play an important part in the body's protective response against certain parasites, and although a normal part of your body, when eosinophil numbers increase significantly, problems arise. The claim that  Pau D'Arco supports increased numbers of red corpuscles with the ability to purify and clear toxins from the blood, may validate its historic role for its use against parasitic infestations, such as malaria and Chagas disease.

Used externally, Pau D'Arco has been used for centuries to work with the body's own natural healing qualities to support management of dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, scabies, boils and many other skin infections.

Recommended Dosage:
Take two (2) capsules, two (2) times each day with water at mealtimes.

Contraindications:
Pregnant and nursing women should not use Pau D'Arco Herbal Supplement, and excess amounts (many times the recommended dosage) may cause nausea, bleeding, vomiting, dizziness and diarrhea. People who take prescription anticancer drugs or those on chemotherapy should not use this herb without consulting with a physician. Because it may induce bleeding, people who take prescription blood thinners (Coumadin, etc.) should not use this herb, nor should it be used prior to surgery.

Capsule Information:
Our Pau D'Arco 4:1 supplements are encapsulated in 100% Gluten-free, Vegetable Cellulose, Certified Kosher, size "00" Capsules.(click here for size comparison) Each capsule contains approximately 600 mgs."

Special Note:
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Disclaimer:
The information presented herein by Herbal Extracts Plus is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.