tomentosa, an exciting herbal discovery from the Peruvian Rainforest. Also called Una de
Gato, cat's claw herb has been used for hundreds of years by the native Ashanica Indians.Uncaria tomentosa plant health benefit and side effects, benefit for inflammation and arthritis, joint pain
Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC., is a large woody vine native to the Amazon and Central American rainforests. It has been used by indigenous peoples since ancient times and studies indicate it can influence the immune system and has anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities.
NOW foods Cat's Claw "5000" -
This supplement is a natural
extract of the highest quality inner bark of authentic Uncaria
tomentosa, an exciting herbal discovery from the Peruvian Rainforest. Also called Una de
Gato, cat's claw herb has been used for hundreds of years by the native Ashanica Indians.
Cat's Claw "5000" is a concentrated water and alcohol extract standardized to contain a minimum of 3% total alkaloids (calculated as mitraphylline) and 15% total polyphenols.
Uncaria tomentosa plant
for dengue fever
Immunomodulating and antiviral activities of Uncaria tomentosa on human
monocytes infected with Dengue Virus-2.
Int Immunopharmacol. 2008. Reis SR, Valente LM, Sampaio AL, Siani
AC, Gandini M. Laboratório de Imunologia Viral, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz,
Brazil.
Several inflammatory mediators that are implicated in vascular
permeability and shock are produced after
dengue virus infection by
monocytes, the primary targets for virus replication. Here we assessed the
immunoregulatory and antiviral activities from Uncaria tomentosa derived
samples, which were tested in an in vitro dengue virus infection model. Our
results indicate the antiviral and immunomodulating in vitro effects from
Uncaria tomentosa pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids displayed novel properties
regarding therapeutic procedures in Dengue Fever and might be further
investigated as a promising candidate for clinical application.
Uncaria tomentosa plant
as a treatment for leukemia
Antiproliferative activity of
various Uncaria tomentosa preparations on HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells.
Pharmacol Rep. 2007. Pilarski R.
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego Poznań, Poland.
The woody Amazonian vine Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw) has been recently more
and more popular all over the world as an immunomodulatory, antiinflammatory and
anti-cancer remedy. This study investigates anti-proliferative potency of
several cat's claw preparations with different quantitative and qualitative
alkaloid contents on HL-60 acute promyelocytic human cells by applying trypan
blue exclusion and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
reduction assay (MTT). By standardization and statistical comparison of the
obtained results pteropodine and isomitraphylline are indicated to be most
suitable for standardization of medical cat's claw preparations.
Uncaria tomentosa and
Parkinson's disease
Reversible worsening of Parkinson disease motor symptoms after oral intake of
Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw).
Clin Neuropharmacol. 2008. Cosentino C, Torres L. Movement
Disorders Unit, Instituto de Ciencias Neurologicas, Ancash, Lima 1, Peru.
Uncaria tomentosa, also known as cat's claw, isa Peruvian Rubiaceae
species widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of a wide range of
health problems. There is no report about the use, safety, and efficacy of
Uncaria tomentosa in neurological disorders. We describe reversible worsening of
motor signs in a patient with Parkinson disease after oral intake of Uncaria
tomentosa, and some possible explanations are discussed.
Thyroid cancer
Antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of Uncaria tomentosa in human
medullary thyroid carcinoma cells.
Anticancer Res. 2009; Rinner B, Li ZX, Haas H, Siegl V, Sturm S,
Stuppner H, Pfragner R. Department of Pathophysiology and Immunology, Medical
University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse Graz, Austria.
Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), a rare calcitonin-producing tumor, is derived
from parafollicular C-cells of the thyroid and is characterized by constitutive
Bcl-2 overexpression. The tumor is relatively insensitive to radiation therapy
as well as conventional chemotherapy. To date, the only curative treatment is
the early and complete surgical removal of all neoplastic tissue. In this study,
the antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of fractions obtained from
Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC, commonly known as uña de gato or cat's claw were
investigated. Cell growth of MTC cells as well as enzymatic activity of
mitochondrial dehydrogenase was markedly inhibited after treatment with
different fractions of the plant. Furthermore, there was an increase in the
expressions of caspase-3 and -7 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) fraction,
while bcl-2 overexpression remained constant. In particular, the alkaloids
isopterpodine and pteropodine of U. tomentosa exhibited a significant
pro-apoptotic effect on MTC cells, whereas the alkaloid-poor fraction inhibited
cell proliferation but did not show any pro-apoptotic effects. These promising
results indicate the growth-restraining and apoptotic potential of plant
extracts against neuroendocrine tumors, which may add to existing therapies for
cancer.
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