| Dietary sources | |
| Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) belongs to the Rubiaceae family and is native to the the South American rainforest. Root extracts obtained from this vine have long been used in herbal medicine due to their positive effect on the immune system. | |
| Physiological effects | |
| Antioxidant |
|
| Cat’s Claw – a Peruvian phytotherapeutic to increase immunological performance |
| Cat’s Claw is a vine whose root extract is traditionally used in South American herbal medicine for chronic inflammations, infections, tumors and gastric ulcers. Despite numerous studies, the mechanism of their proven effecicacy is still unclear(1). Recent studies identify quinic acid as one of the primary active substances. Quinic acid prevents the growth of genetically modified cells without inducing premature cell death. This gives the immune system improved possibilities for DNA repair and thus stimulates the entire immune system, inhibits inflammatory processes and improves protection against tumors (2). Strong antioxidant properties of Cat's Claw extract caused by oligomeric procyanidins and phenolic acids have also been demonstrated. They protect the lipids in the biological membranes of the immune cells from peroxidation (3). |
| Effect | Indication | Dosage |
| Physiological effects at a low intake |
Preventive at times of increased infection risk | 100 – 200 mg/d |
| Complementary therapy for weakened immune defense | 400 – 500 mg/d | |
| Complementary therapy for tumor diseases | 400 – 500 mg/d |
| General mode of administration | |
| When |
Cat’s-Claw extract should be taken between meals. |
| Side effects | |
| No side effects are known to date. | |
| Contraindications | |
| No contrainidcations are known to date. | |
| Drug interactions | |
| None | No interactions are known to date. |
| Nutrient interactions | |
| None | No interactions are known to date. |
| References |
|
1) Wagner, H., Wiesenauer, M. 2003. Phytotherapie. Phytopharmaka und pflanzliche Homöopathika. 2) Berhard Watzl, Claus Leitzmann. 1999. Bioaktive Substanzen in Lebensmitteln. 3) Sheng, Y. et al. 2005. An active ingredient of Cat's Claw water extracts. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 96, Nr. 3: 577–584. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.10.002.
Stargrove, M. B. et al. Herb, Nutrient and Drug Interactions: Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Strategies, 1. Auflage. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008. Gröber, U. Mikronährstoffe: Metabolic Tuning –Prävention –Therapie, 3. Auflage. Stuttgart: WVG Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttgart, 2011. Gröber, U. Arzneimittel und Mikronährstoffe: Medikationsorientierte Supplementierung, 3. aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage. Stuttgart: WVG Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttgart, 2014.
|
