Pau D'Arco

"Tabebuia Avellanedae"

Amy Bigus, Deanna Massengill, and Christy Walker

Common Names

• Ipe Roxo
• Taheebo
• LaPacho

• Lapacho colorado (red) - scarlet flowers
• Lapacho morado (purple) - grows in cooler climates (high in Andes or high places in Paraguay)

General description

• Found in South American rain forests & mountains
• Bignonia family - about 100 species of lapacho trees but few yield high quality material
• Evergreen tree with rosy colored flowers
• Can grow to height of 125 feet
• Medicinal part = inner lining of bark (pholem)
• Use of whole bark (w/deadwood) naturally dilutes the activity of the material

Chemical Composition

• Many studies performed on heartwood
• Bark is used in folk medicine, sold in market place
• Major components = 16 quinones
• containing both naphthoquinones and anthraquinones
• Rare to find both in the same plant
• Lapacho content normally 2-7%
• Other chemicals in heartwood:

1. lapachenole
2. quercetin
3. o- and p-hydroxybenzoic acid

• Analysis of 12 products, only showed 1 that contained lapachol… possible reasons?

• Suggests products now are not truly Tabebuia species?
• Wrong part of the plant is being marked?
• Damaged product from processing & transportation?

History and Folk Use

Use inner bark for variety of conditions

• boils
• sore throat
• colitis
• snake bites
• dysentery
• poor circulation
• respiratory problems
• wounds
• prostatitis
• arthritis
• bed wetting
• cystitis
• fever
• constipation
• various cancers
• ulcers
  

• External and internal use for fevers, infections, colds and flu

• Used to relieve pain, kill germs, increases urine flow, poison antidote

• Similar to immuno-stimulants (echinacea in North America, ginseng in Asia)

• Action exceeds both in potential as a cancer therapy

Pharmacology

First active constituent studied was lapachol, but many studies show better results with the whole extract

1. laxative effect
2. antimicrobial activity
3. anti-cancer effect
4. antiparasitic activity
5. anti-oxidant effect
6. anti-fungal activity
7. analgesic effect
8. anti-inflammatory activity

Laxative Effect

• regular use will maintain regularity of bowel movements
• due to presence of napthaquinones & anthraquinones
• users report pleasant & moderate loosening of bowels, greater regularity w/o unpleasant S/Es (e.g. diarrhea)

Anti-oxidant effect

• inhibition of free radicals & inflammatory leukotrienes
• among antioxidants, few have greater potency than lapacho

Analgesic effect

• lessening pain associated with several kinds of cancer - especially prostate, liver & breast cancer
• also relieves arthritic pain

Anti-bacterial/Anti-parasitic action

• activity against gram-positive & acid-fast bacteria, yeast, fungi & viruses, strong activity vs. Brucella species
• anti-microbial activity (s with progressive purification
• Naphtoquinones – highly effective vs. Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes
• Lapchol = anti-microbial and anti-viral action
• Beta-lapachone = diversified anti-parasitic & anti-viral activity
• Alpha-lapachone = active vs. certain parasites
• Xyloldone = active vs. numerous bacteria and fungi
• causative agents of TB, dysentery & anthrax
• Lapachol – acts as respiratory poison by interfering with energy production of organism

• Taken PO, secreted onto skin via sebaceous glands where it acts a s a topical barrier, inactivating organisms after they contact the skin; throughout the GI tract, does the same of mucous membranes

• Mort = not well understood, but felt to involve the uncoupling of cellular respiration

Anti-inflammatory effects

• Extracts of bark have clear anti-inflammatory activity
• Tampons soaked in alcoholic extract are successful vs. a wide range of inflammations (cervicitis, cervicovaginitis, etc.)

Anti-cancer effects

• Uncouples mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation occurring in cancerous cells, but not healthy ones
• Inhibits proper functioning of ATPase (enzyme that catalyzed the final step in ATP formation)
• May block synthesis of pyrimidines in cancer cells (inhibiting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase) resulting in cellular death
• Interacts with nucleic acids of DNA helix in cancerous cells (prevents DNA replication)
• Beta-lapachone – stimulates lipid peroxidation producing toxic molecules in malignant cells to weaken them
• Absence of S/Es makes it the Tx of choice even with standard forms of therapy – eliminates the S/Es of cancer meds (pain, hair loss, immune dysfunction, etc.)

Anti-viral effects

• Actively inhibits, kills, or stunts the growth of several dangerous viruses:
• Herpes virus types I & II, polio, vesicular stomatitis, avian myeloblastosis, rauscho murine leukemia virus, etc.
• Beta-lapachone (N-factor) – inhibits enzymes in virus cells that directly affect DNA & RNA synthesis
• Potent inhibitor of reverse transcriptase
• Once processes are inhibited, the virus is unable to take over the reproductive processes of the cell and can't replicate itself & infect other cells.
• Yerbamate – sulfurous compound; when combined w/ lapacho, might provide a catalytic base to ( effectiveness of lapacho

Clinical Applications

• Antineoplastic activity
• Remission of different forms of cancer
• Antimicrobial activity
• Intestinal Candidiasis
• Vaginal Candidiasis
• Prevention of cold and flu
• Promotion of health of immune system
• Bowel health
• Positive effects on arthritis, pain, localized and systemic infections

Dosage

• Usual form is decoction

• Standard dose = 1 cup of decocted bark 2-8 times daily

• Aqueous, fluid or solid extracts

• daily dose = 1.5 - 2.0 g/day

• Tea
• Capsules
• Mist

Toxicity

• Oral LD50 = 1.2 - 2.4 g/kg
• No significant toxicity to healthy human cells
• Main side effects:

1. nausea (*positive sign herb is working*) - due to accumulation of toxins & wastes
2. anticoagulant effects (high doses)
3. loose bowels, diarrhea (high doses)

Review of Literature

• Rao KV, McBride TJ and JJ Oleson. "Recognition and evaluation of lapachol as an anti-tumor agent." Cancer Research. 28:1952-4, October 1968.

Lapachol (2-hydroxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone) is identified as an active compound isolated from the lapacho tree. Walker 256 rat carcinosarcoma showed sensitivity to lapachol by daily intraperitoneal injection at levels up to those producing limited toxicity. Lapachol exhibited marked effectiveness by oral route of administration with best activity shown with twice a day oral administration on Days 3-6.

• Dinnen RD and K Ebisuzaki. "The search for novel anticancer agents: a differentiation - based assay and analysis of a folk lore product." Anticancer Research. 17(2A):1027-33, March/April 1997.

Pau d'arco showed clear evidence of differentiation-inducing activity. In vitro studies showed lapachol activity at concentrations similar to that of many anti-cancer drugs. Activity on pau d'arco and lapachol was inhibited by vitamin K1. the structure of lapachol resembles that of vitamin K. Results indicate that the concentrations of lapachol and pau d'arco required for differentiation are considerably less than that required for cytotoxicity. The results also suggest that lapachol interacts with a vitamin-K-dependent reaction involved in the erythroid differentiation program. Targeted vitamin-K-requiring reactions may therefore include the activity of an oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase.

References

• Dinner RD and K Ebisuzaki. "The search for novel anticancer agents: a differentiation - based assay and analysis of a folk lore product." Anticancer Research. 17(2A):1027-33, March/April 1997.
• "Questionable Methods of Cancer Management: 'nutritional' therapies." CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 43(5):309-319, 1993.
• Mourey DB. "Lapacho, taheebo and Pau d'Arco: many names for nature's power plant." Health News and Review. Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 19(1), Winter 1994.
• Murray MT. The Healing Power of Herbs. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1996,.
• Pizzorno JE and MT Murray. "Tabebuia Avellandedae," A Textbook of Natural Medicine. Bothell, WA: Bastyr University Publications, Vol. 1, 1996.
• Rau KV, McBride TJ and JJ Oleson. "Recognition and evaluation of lapachol as an anti-tumor agent." Cancer Research. 28:1952-4, October 1968.
• Internet sites as follows:

• http://north.island.net/~glynnw/docs/paudarco.htm
• http://www.healthfree.com/herbgarden/lapacho.htm
• http://www.healthfree.com/herbgarden/lapachomiracle.htm
• http://www.lifeplusvitamins.com/taheebo.html
• http://rain-tree.com/clincp.htm