Uña de Gato or Cat s Claw: Another Valuable Treasure from the Peruvian Rain Forest :: Botany

UÃ ±a de Gato or Cat' s Claw: Another Valuable Treasure from the Peruvian Rain Forest Cat's Claw, also commonly called UÃ ±a de Gato, is a breakthrough herbal medicine that is reported to be beneficial to the treatment of cancer, digestion disorders, Crohn's disease, arthritis, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, bursitis, rheumatism, genital herpes and herpes zoster, allergies, ulcers, systemic candidiasis, pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), along with numerous other bowl and intestinal disorders. It also is noted to have positive effect on immune system problems, including those infected with the HIV virus. This wonder drug seems to have surpassed the capabilities of other sought after natural medicinal products such as golden seal, astragalus, Siberian Ginseng, maitake, and shark cartilage. (Steinberg 1994) Cat's Claw is a woody vine that grows over 100 feet in length that is indigenous to the Amazon Rainforest and other tropical areas of South and Central America including Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Trinidad, Venezuela, Suriname, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Panama. (www.raintree.com/catclaw.htm). Cat's Claw is from two closely related species. Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis and both are used interchangeably by the locals. The difference between the two species is that U. tomentosa has smaller yellowish-white flowers and is found in elevations of 700 to 2500 meters while, U. guainensis has thorns that are more curved and reddish-orange flowers and is found at lower elevations. (Moss 1995 and www.rain-tree.com/catclaw.htm). According to legend, Cat's Claw was discovered by a despaired Peruvian hunter who was having difficulty getting game for his family. Then one day, he observed a jaguar that was clawing at a vine and also drinking the water that was seeping from it. Immediately after the jaguar finished drinking, he made a successful kill. The hunter decided to follow the lead of the jaguar and drank some of the water from the vine. Immediately, the hunter felt rejuvenated. The next day, the hunter woke up full of newfound strength. He finally made a successful hunting excursion and was able to bring home much needed food for his family. In the mid 1960's, an European teacher, Arturo Brell, and U.S. professor Eugene Whitworth, were the first to document the tribal uses of this plant. They also took plant samples and performed some screening for the active components (www.rain-tree.com/catclaw.htm). However, they did not market their discovery. Shortly afterwards, Cat's claw was rediscovered by Claus Keplinger, an Austrian scientist of Innsbruck University. (Moss 1995)