Pau d’arcois valued for its antioxidant properties and other potential health benefits.
Pau d’arco contains plant-based compounds calledlapacholandbeta-lapachone.
They are found in the tree bark of certainTabebuiaspecies and have long been used in traditional medicine.
Verywell / Getty Images
That means some supplement products may not contain what the label says.
Pau d’arco has been an ingredient in herbal medicines for centuries and is available as a dietary supplement.
It also includes a potent antioxidant calledquercetin.
Verywell / Anastasia Tretiak
Research has investigated the individual components of pau d’arco and the whole plant.
Is the pau darco tree endangered?
The popularity of pau d’arco in traditional medicine has led to concerns about its sustainability.
RelatedTabebuiaspecies are on the vulnerable or threatened species list.
Here is a look at some of these critical research findings.
These results suggest pau d’arco may have some anti-inflammatory effects.
In the live mouse study, researchers gave the animalsarachidonic acidto cause ear swelling.
They found that theTabebuia avellanedaeextract given to the mice by mouth decreased the swelling.
More About Prostaglandins
Prostaglandins appear at tissue damage or infection sites.
They cause inflammation, pain, and fever as part of the healing process.
These effects are still theoretical, and more research in people is necessary before researchers can draw firm conclusions.
Like the previous study, results from mouse studies are somewhat promising but do not necessarily apply to humans.
Is Pau d’Arco an Anti-Inflammatory Tea?
It isn’t yet known if pau d’arco could be useful as an anti-inflammatory tea.
Researchers have studied other teas with health benefits andfoods with anti-inflammatory effects.
During three months of treatment, 49 people reported noCandidaepisodes.
This is promising but may not apply to people who take Tabebuia alone.
These included strains ofCandida,Aspergillus,Saccharomyces, andPenicillium.
Lapachol showed activity against all these microorganisms.
Scientists also tested the antibacterial effects of combining medicinal plants with antibiotics.
These includedclarithromycin,azithromycin, and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid.
Results showed that the medicinal plant extracts sometimes increased antibacterial activity, which is a path for future study.
Despite the promising results of these studies, the dosages used in manyin vitroexperiments would be toxic in humans.
Further investigation in humans is necessary before researchers can draw any firm conclusions.
Wound Healing
Researchers studied the wound-healing effects of beta-lapachone, a component of pau darco.
Beta-lapachone ointment used in mice also led to faster recovery than ointment without the added beta-lapachone.
Researchers cannot apply these results to humans like the other animal andin vitrostudies noted.
They only mean that further research is worthwhile.
Check with your healthcare provider before adding integrative treatments to yourcancer treatmentregimen.
Sometimes medicinal herbs can worsen your symptoms or even interact with your cancer medicine.
Remember, do not replace your cancer treatment with herbal medicine.
More About Apoptosis
All normal cells undergo apoptosis so new cells can replace old cells.
Cancer cells, however, are “immortal,” replicating without end.
Triggering apoptosis (cell death) can theoretically control cancerous tumors.
What Are the Side Effects of Pau d’Arco?
Little is known about the long-term safety of pau d’arco.
Pau d’arco is possibly unsafe.
And call 911 if your symptoms feel life-threatening.
Limited animal studies showed fetal harm with lapachol.
People with kidney or liver disease should also take it with caution.
Verywell / Anastasia Tretiak
Dosage: How Much Pau d’Arco Should I Take?
Pau d’arco is available as capsules, tablets, dried bark tea, bark powder, and alcohol-based tinctures.
There are no guidelines directing its appropriate use.
Accurately calculating the dosage of pau d’arco in tea form is sometimes difficult.
Store pau darco in a cool, dry place.
Keep pau darco away from direct sunlight.
Discard as indicated on the packaging.
Information about the toxicity of pau d’arco in humans is sparse.
The exact translation of this information for humans is unclear.
However, people with kidney or liver disease should take it cautiously.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)have a theoretical interaction with pau darco.
Although there are no published studies about pau darco interacting with NSAIDs, this can still happen.
Ask your healthcare provider for recommendations of brands that are known to have undergone testing for impurities.
Talk with your healthcare provider first if you’re considering using pau d’arco or making other dietary changes.
Self-treating a condition and avoiding or delaying standard care may have serious consequences.
It has long been part of folk medicine.
Research on pau d’arco has mostly beenin vitroand for animals.
However, this evidence does not support the use of pau d’arco to treat any conditions in humans yet.
2018 Jan 30;5:2].Front Nutr.
water extract prevents DSS-induced colitis in mice by up-regulating punch in II T helper immune responses.
BMC Complement Altern Med.
2013;108(3).
2008;295(4):C931-C943.
2015;35 Suppl:S78-S103.
doi:10.1016/j.semcancer.2015.03.001
Medline Plus.Pau D’Arco.
2007;21(7):658-662. doi:10.1002/ptr.2141
National Institutes of Health.Dietary Supplement Label Database.
Lemos OA, Sanches JC, Silva IE, et al.Genotoxic effects ofTabebuia impetiginosa(Mart.
(Lamiales, Bignoniaceae) extract in Wistar rats.Genet Mol Biol.
2002;27(6):391-401. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2710.2002.00444.x
