Cat's Claw Powder

What is Cat's Claw Powder?

Cat's claw, or Uncaria tomentosa, is a medicinal plant that grows in the Amazonian rainforest and other tropical areas in Central and South America. The Incas were the first people to use the herb. The native people of South America used cat's claw to treat ulcers, cancer, viral infections, inflammation, and to strengthen the immune system. Its name comes from the fact that its thorns look like cat claws. The plants Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis can both be called "cat's claw." Most teas, tablets, and capsules sold in stores have U. tomentosa in them. The two kinds of cat's claw have different active compounds and can be used for different things. There are more pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs) in Uncaria tomentosa, while U. guianensis has more tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs).

POAs affect the immune system, while TOAs affect the brain and spinal cord. POAs have no effect when TOAs are in place. Because of this, it is important to make sure that cat's claw extracts have been tested for TOA and POA levels before you buy and use them. The chemical structure shows how the two types are different from each other. The bark of the vine has pentacyclic alkaloids, while the leaves and stem have tetracyclic alkaloids.

How do I use Cat's Claw Powder?

It should be noted that dosage recommendations for cat's claw have not yet been established. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an average daily dose of 20–350 mg of desiccated stem bark extracts or 300–500 mg of capsules, divided into two–three discrete intakes throughout the day (21).

Cat's Claw Powder benefits:

Studies done in test tubes show that cat's claw may boost the immune system, help relax smooth muscles (like those in the intestines), widen blood vessels (which helps lower blood pressure), and make you pee more (helping the body eliminate excess water).

◉ Immune System: Cat's claw may boost the immune system by making more key immune cells (T helper and B cells) and making granulocytes work better.In a small test with 23 healthy people, an extract from a cat's claw made a vaccine against pneumococcal infections work better. The extract increased the number of immune cells (lymphocytes) and made the vaccine's response to antibodies last longer. Again, this possible benefit of cat's claw has only been looked into in a small clinical trial and some animal and cell-based research. We need more clinical trials with larger groups of people.

◉ High Blood Pressure: In clinical tests, almost 300 people who took Jiang Zhuo Qinggan and Qian Yang He Ji, two traditional Chinese medicines with cat's claw and other herbs, had their blood pressure go down. But a different treatment that combined cat's claw and potato orchid (Gastrodia) didn't work, so it was used as a "negative control" in a different study with 79 people. There is a chemical called hirsutine in a cat's claw that lowers blood pressure. It works as a calcium channel blocker in the heart and blood vessels, which slows down the heart rate and relaxes the blood vessels.

We don't know if the effects observed were due to this particular ingredient because the only clinical trials looked at herbal mixes with cat's claw and other extracts (with mixed results). More clinical trials using the cat's claw alone are needed to shed some light on this possible use.

◉ Protecting Red Blood Cells: The cat's claw reduced the amount of oxidative stress that was placed on red blood cells (RBCs) and protected them from damage caused by toxins. In RBCs that had been exposed to pesticides, it also prevented cell death and oxidative stress from occurring.

◉ Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory: In experiments conducted on cells, the procyanidins and other polyphenols found in cat's claw were able to scavenge and eliminate reactive radicals. The use of a cat's claw prevented both the production of an inflammatory cytokine known as TNF- and cell death.

Where can I buy cat's claw powder?

Buy Cat's Claw Powder from the health food store in the USA, Alive Herbals.

Cat's Claw Powder information (at a glance):