PAU DARCO TABEBUIA SPP

PAU D’ARCO (Tabebuia spp.) +

Activities (Pau d’Arco) :
Abortifacient (1; MAB); Alexeteric (f; CRC); Analgesic (1; CRC; MAB); Antiaggregant (1; MAB); Antibacterial (1; APA; MAB); Antidote (f; CRC); Antiedemic (1; MAB); Antiestrogenic (1; MAB); Antiinflammatory (1; MAB); Antilymphosarcomic (1; MAB); Antimelanomic (1; MAB); Antimetastatic (1; MAB); Antipyretic (f; PED); Antiretroviral (1; MAB); Antirheumatic (f; MAB); Antiseptic (1; MAB); Antitrypanosomic (1; MAB); Antitumor (1; MAB; PED); Antiulcerogenic (1; MAB); Antiviral (1; MAB); Aphrodisiac (f; CRC); Astringent (f; PED); Candidicide (1; MAB); Cytotoxic (1; MAB); Depurative (f; MAB); Digestive (f; APA); Diuretic (f; CRC; PED); Estrogenic (1; MAB); Fungicide (1; APA; CRC; MAB; PED); Hypoglycemic (f; APA); Immunodepressant (1; MAB); Immunostimulant (1; MAB); Parasiticide (1; APA; MAB); Protisticide (1; MAB); Termitifuge (1; CRC).

Indications (Pau d’Arco) :
Adenopathy (f; CRC; JLH); Anemia (f; MAB); Athlete’s Foot (1; APA); Bacteria (1; APA; MAB); Boil (f; CRC); Cancer (1; APA; MAB; PED); Cancer, breast (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, colon (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, esophagus (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, intestine (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, liver (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, lung (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, pancreas (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, prostate (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, skin (1; MAB; PED); Cancer, throat (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Cancer, tongue (1; CRC; FNF; JLH); Candida (1; MAB); Carcinoma (1; MAB); Chlorosis (f; CRC); Cold (f; CRC); Dermatosis (1; MAB; PED); Diarrhea (f; CRC); Dysentery (f; CRC; MAB); EBV (1; MAB); Dysuria (f; CRC); Eczema (1; MAB; PED); Enterosis (f; JLH); Enuresis (f; CRC); Fever (f; CRC; PED); Fungus (1; APA; CRC; MAB; PED; SKY); Gonorrhea (f; CRC); Headache (f; CRC); Hemorrhoid (f; PED); Hodgkin’s Disease (f; APA; CRC); Hyperglycemia (f; APA); Immune Dysfunction (f; SKY); Immunodepression (1; MAB); Incontinence (f; CRC); Infection (1; APA; CRC; MAB; PED); Inflammation (1; MAB); Leukemia (1; APA; MAB; PED); Lupus (f; CRC); Malaria (1; MAB); Melanoma (1; MAB); Metastasis (f; JLH); Mycosis (1; APA; CRC; MAB; PED); Pain (1; CRC; MAB); Parasite (1; APA; MAB); Pharyngosis (f; CRC); Polyp (f; JLH); Psoriasis (f; PED); Rabies (f; CRC); Rheumatism (f; PED; MAB); Scabies (f; MAB); Schistosomiasis (1; MAB); Snakebite (f; CRC); Sore Throat (f; MAB); Swelling (1; MAB); Syphilis (f; CRC); Toothache (f; CRC); Tumor (1; MAB; PED); Ulcer (1; MAB; PED); Vaginosis (1; MAB); VD (f; CRC); Virus (1; MAB); Wound (1; MAB); Yeast (1; CRC; MAB; SKY).

Dosages (Pau d’Arco) :
15–20 g bark/pint water/day (APA); 1.5–3.5 g dry bark/day (MAB); 15–20 g inner bark/pint/day; 0.25–0.5 cup fresh inner bark (PED); 6–12 g dry inner bark (PED); 9 g dry inner bark:45 ml alcohol/45 ml water (PED); 300 mg bark capsules 3 ×/day (SKY); 3 (505 mg) capsules 3 ×/day (NH); 3–7 ml extract in 45% ethanol (1:2)/day (MAB).

Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects (Pau d’Arco) :
Class 1 (AHP). Side effects may include GI distress and nausea. “Whole bark has no known serious side effects” (SKY). Pregnant and lactating women should avoid (SKY). Guiraud et al. (1994) note that lapachol and beta-lapachone, though active against Candida, could be harmful. Multiple doses of oral lapachol at 500 mg/kg caused death with severe histopathological changes. In clinical trials, oral lapachol induced anticoagulant effects, nausea, and vomiting. After 6 doses at 9 mg/kg, beta-lapachone caused death, following anorexia, diarrhea, and weight loss (LRNP, July 1990). Napthaquinones (lapachol and beta-lapachone) have antifungal properties comparable to ketoconazole (SKY). Beta-lapachone is a better antifungal than ketoconazole (MAB). Since anticancer levels of naphthoquinones are toxic, pau d’arco cannot currently be recommended as a treatment for cancer (SKY). In large doses, lapachol and other naphthaquinones can be cyctotoxic or immunodepressant while small doses can be immounostimulant (MAB). “The cytotoxic effects of the extracts may arise by induction of cellular and immune factors, LD50 values for lapachol in white mice at 1600 mg/kg, for xyloidone 600 mg/kg, and beta-lapachone 80 mg/kg. Lapachol has a relatively high therapeutic index of nearly 20” (MAB).