{"id":195589,"date":"2025-09-08T09:48:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T08:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/?post_type=herb&p=195589"},"modified":"2025-09-08T09:57:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T08:57:05","slug":"cats-claw","status":"publish","type":"herb","link":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/herb\/cats-claw\/","title":{"rendered":"Cat\u2019s claw"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":195627,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"1","beyondwords_project_id":"47224","beyondwords_content_id":"e1f46b6e-2aa5-42dc-baed-43db59714382","beyondwords_preview_token":"cf2a8c2f-bdfb-45ee-86b3-62e2f5902872","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"tags":[],"conditions":[694,685,693,701,699,696,698,695,700,697],"sustainability":[1576],"sense":[31,18,786,1821],"western_action":[988,992,993,994,996,998,1000,1001,1008,1011,1015,1017,1828,1025],"chinese_action":[],"ayurvedic_action":[],"energetics_action":[1499,1498,1382,1496,1492],"region":[1893],"class_list":["post-195589","herb","type-herb","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","conditions-cardiovascular-system","conditions-digestive-system","conditions-endocrine-system","conditions-immune-system","conditions-musculoskeletal-system","conditions-nervous-system","conditions-reproductive-system","conditions-respiratory-system","conditions-skin","conditions-urinary-system","sustainability-green-sustainability-status","sense-astringent-taste","sense-bitter","sense-cooling","sense-sour","western_action-adaptogen","western_action-anti-inflammatory","western_action-antimicrobial","western_action-antioxidant","western_action-antirheumatic","western_action-antitussive","western_action-astringent","western_action-bitter","western_action-diuretic","western_action-febrifuge","western_action-immunomodulant","western_action-nervine","western_action-styptic","western_action-vulnerary","energetics_action-astringent","energetics_action-bitter","energetics_action-cool","energetics_action-sour","energetics_action-toning","region-western-herbs"],"acf":{"last_reviewed":"20250828","herb_author":1993,"banner_text":"Cat\u2019s claw is a tropical vine with centuries of medicinal use","latin_name":"Uncaria tomentosa<\/span><\/i>","pseudonym_name":"U\u00f1a de gato","family_name":"Rubiaceae","herb_summary":"U\u00f1a de gato \u2014 known as cat\u2019s claw in English \u2014 is a highly esteemed herb that has been traditionally used in Central and South America for thousands of years as an anti-inflammatory, to support the immune system and treat arthritis, asthma, abscesses, fever, wounds, and urinary tract and viral infections.","key_benefits":"Immunostimulant\r\nImmune enhancing\r\nAnti-inflammatory\r\nAntioxidant \r\nCytoprotective \r\nAntiviral \r\nAntimicrobial\r\nAntiparasitical\r\nAntineoplastic \r\nCardiovascular support","how_does_it_feel":"Overall, it is a cooling herb, with a sour, mildly bitter and watery flavour profile creating a slight astringent effect in the mucous membranes and warming to the respiratory system. It has a light, sweet and woody aroma. <\/span>","hdif_image_1":195626,"hdif_image_2":195633,"hdif_image_3":195631,"hdif_video":"","sense":[31,18,786,1821],"what_can_i_use_it_for":"[caption id=\"attachment_195627\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"516\"]\"Cat's Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nCat\u2019s claw has many modern and ethno-traditional uses in health conditions requiring <\/span>anti-inflammatory<\/span><\/a>, antiviral,\u00a0 antibacterial, immunostimulatory, <\/span>antioxidant<\/span><\/a> and cardiovascular actions, as well as affecting the central nervous system. The potential for future development of further research with cat\u2019s claw\u00a0continues, particularly around anti-inflammatory, immune and vascular-related health conditions (5).<\/span>\r\n\r\nCat\u2019s claw is useful in both <\/span>osteoarthritis<\/span><\/a> and rheumatoid arthritis (6,7). It\u2019s noted for its use in inflammatory digestive system disorders such as diverticulitis, colitis, <\/span>gastritis<\/span><\/a>, stomach ulcers and leaky bowel syndrome (8).<\/span> Its traditional use in wound healing has led to research in its <\/span>antimicrobia<\/span><\/a>l action specific for wounds along with gum infections and Lyme\u2019s disease (9\u201316).<\/span> As an adjunctive treatment, cat\u2019s claw has been used in Peru and Europe for HIV (17\u201318) and cancer (19\u201320) since the 1990s. Extracts of cat\u2019s claw were found to slow down the growth of cancer cells in<\/span> cervical carcinoma, osteosarcoma, as well as colon adenocarcinoma, breast cancer (MCF7), and AGS gastric cells, and this is an ongoing area of research (21).<\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch has found cat\u2019s claw to improve DNA repair enhancement as well as improve white blood cell function in response to infection in chemotherapy-induced immunodeficience (22,23). Its effects upon parasites such as Babesia \u2014 spread through tick bites \u2014 is attributed to its capacity to digest harmful microorganisms (24).<\/span>","into_the_heart_of":"Cat\u2019s claw has a long history of cultural, spiritual and medicinal use in Peru and has been reported as being used by the ancient Incas as a medicine for physical and spiritual ailments (25). It <\/span>is considered to be one of the most important medicinal plants to the native Ashaninka community who reside in the Peruvian amazon basin. Cat\u2019s claw is reserved solely for use by Ashaninka priests to encourage the communication between the physical and spiritual dimensions of human existence.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe efficacy of cat\u2019s claw was empirically thought to be due to the presence of oxindole alkaloids; however, traditional water extracts of cat\u2019s claw contain a very small quantities of the constituent, yet, the preparation is still shown to be highly therapeutic (26,27)<\/span>","tradtional_uses":"[caption id=\"attachment_195633\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"514\"]\"Cat's Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn Peruvian traditional medicine, cat\u2019s claw is one of the most used medicinal plant preparations for tumour treatment and it is also prescribed in hospitals. Cat\u2019s claw is usually taken as a tea, tablet or capsule and traditional use advocates a hot water extraction using the bark (26).<\/span>\r\n\r\nBoth the bark and root of cat\u2019s claw have been traditionally used in tropical South America as therapy for <\/span>asthma<\/span><\/a>, abscesses, fever, <\/span>urinary tract infections<\/span><\/a>, viral infections, and wounds (28,29).<\/span> There is documented use for blood and kidney cleansing, cancer, contraception, gastric ulcers, inflammation, infection, menstrual irregularities and haemorrhage, <\/span>anxiety<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>stress<\/span><\/a> (24).<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Chirik Sacha native community legally manage cat\u2019s claw in northern Peru as part of a nationwide program to protect and ensure sustainability of cat\u2019s claw as a plant and medicinal product. Interviews with members of Chirik Sacha native community , who, along with medical practitioners at Takiwasi, confirmed that the water inside the vine is used for its strengthening and revitalizing properties. The community\u2019s usage of cat\u2019s claw medicinally is shown below (3).<\/span>\r\n\r\nCat's claw can treat following health concerns:<\/strong>\r\n