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Laboratory findings: One of the two regularly examined patients was seropositive (rheumatism finding) before beginning therapy, the other one was seronegative. Both had very high blood sedimentation rates with one-hour values sometimes in excess of 100mm.
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 The picture shows Primal Nature’s director Ronald Prochnik looking for Cat's Claw vines in the rainforest. |
Therapy with Cat's Claw was resumed subsequently to the new reocurrence of clinical problems. The therapeutic effects followed the pattern established in the first treatment.
All six patients reported it to be remarkable that, in contrast to progress of the disease prior to therapy with Cat's Claw, there had been no generalised episodic occurences throughout the entire observation period and this from the first time Cat's Claw was administered onwards.
Side effects: Throughout the entire observation period lasting 10 years no side effects of the therapy with Cat's Claw were observed in any of the patients treated.
The Symposium on Uncarias took place at the Ministry of Health in Lima, Peru on February 4th, 1997. Following publication of books:
- The Saga of the Cat's Claw, by Dr Fernando Cabieses
- Cat's Claw, by Dr Lida Obregon
- Cat's Claw, by Dr Kenneth Jones
and several scientific articles by Drs De Simone (Italy), Wagner (Germany), Keplinger (Austria) and Coussio (Argentina), various groups of medical practitioners in Peru decided to conduct their own clinical studies.
The event commenced with the presentation of a research paper by a group of specialists in Rheumatology and Members of the Rheumatology Association of Peru, headed by Dr Osvaldo Castaneda.
Drs. Osvaldo Castaneda, Gustavo Leon, David Leon, Armando Calvo, Sonia Castillo, Jose Chavez, Jose Escalante, Armando Luza, Hector Quevedo, Oscar Sedano, Armando Rojo and Enrique Vega (Lima, Peru)
Executive Summary:
The results showed clearly that the patients that took Uncaria tomentosa experienced improvements regarding morning stiffness, daytime and nighttime pain and with the number of painful and inflamed joints.
This study was carried out on 60 patients who suffered from Rheumartoid Arthritis. They were divided into 2 groups: 31 patients took six daily capsules of pulverized Uncaria tomentosa and 29 patients received the same number of capsules containing a placebo. The study was conducted over seis months and assessments were made at one, three and six months. The results showed clearly that the patients that took Uncaria tomentosa experienced improvements in relation with morning stiffness, daytime and nighttime pain and in connection with the number of painful and inflamed joints. The next paper that was tabled was prepared by a group of researchers from the Rheumatology Service of the Cayetano Heredia University Hospital. This and the above paper were presented at the IInd Central American and Andean Congress of Rheumatology, at the Ist Pan American Rheumatology Symposium and at the IXth Peruvian Congress on Rheumatology.
Executive Summary: Uncaria tomentosa provided relief similar to Non Steroid Anti-inflammatories .
This study compared clinical effects of Uncaria tomentosa with usually used Non Steroid Antiinflammatories (NSAI) on a group of 60 patients, of which 30 patients were afflicted with extra-articular rheumatism and 30 patients were suffering from ostheoarthritis. Three daily capsules of pulverised Uncaria tomentosa and usual dosages of NSAI as prescribed by the physicians were used. The results showed that Uncaria tomentosa provided relief of statistical significance, with similar benefits to those of Non Steroid Antiinflammatories.
The 3rd group of researchers was headed by Dr Jose Piscoya, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of San Marcos, Lima Peru. and Head of the Department of Rheumatology of the Rebagliatti Hospital of the Peruvian Institute of Social Security. This group carried out a doble blind study to compare Uncaria guianensis with placebo on single daily dosage in treatment of ostheoarthrosis of the knee.
Drs Herman Silva, Raul Diaz, Ines Segami, Cesar Ugarte, Zoila Rodriguez, Felipe Becerra, Jose Escalante, Raul Maranon
Executive Summary: Patients who took Uncaria guianensis extract showed a noticeable clinical improvement from the 1st week of the treatment.
This study belongs to a multicentric research effort in several hospitals of the Peruvian Institute of Social Security.
The results presented at the Symposium corresponded to 45 patients who took a single daily dosage of 100mg of Uncaria guianensis extract during four weeks. In comparison to the patients who took placebo, the ones who took Uncaria guianensis extract showed a noticeable clinical improvement from the first week of the treatment. No statistically significant side effects were experienced and none of the patient reported any digestive side effects.
Summary: Uncaria tomentosa is widely used in Peruvian tradicional medicine as an anti-inflammatory, contraceptive and cytostatic remedy. This paper identifies the compounds responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity. It is hypothesised that that the strong anti-inflammatory activity may be due to the presence of a combination of compounds.
Alkaloids in Uncaria tomentosa seem to enhance the immune system in a general way. These alkaloids have a pronounced effect on the ability of white blood cells to engulf and digest harmful micro-organisms and foreign matter. Austrian researcher Klaus Keplinger has obtained two US patents for isolating some of the herb's major components. According to these patents, six oxindole alkaloids have been isolated from Cat's Claw and four of these have been proven "suitable for the unspecified stimulation of the immunologic system". Laboratory testing has shown these alkaloids to have a pronounced enhancement effect on phagocytosis (the ability of the white blood cells and macrophages to attack, engulf and digest harmful micro-organisms, foreign matter and debris). The most immunologically active alkaloid appears to be isopteropodine.
Summary
Oxindole alkaloids are suitable for the unspecific stimulation of the immune system. The invention claims:
A method for stimulating the immune system providing oxindole alkaloids from the extract of the root of Uncaria tomentosa. Administering the extract to a subject and measuring the rate of increase in activation of phagocytosis in the subject.
The method according to claim 1 above wherein the rate of increase in the phagocytosis activation in the subject is between 30% to 405 as a result of administering the extract.
Summary: The plants and fractions show no mutagenic effect. As far as antimutagenic action is concerned, the plant extracts and fractions show a protective effect both in vitro and in vivo. The antimutagenic power of Uncaria tomentosa, in vitro, seems to be due to the antioxidant property of the bark components which act quenching singlet oxygen and scavenging the other oxyradicals. Also, in vivo, the inhibitor effect of Uncaria tomentosa may be due to the antioxidant mechanism which acts inhibiting oxidative/free radicals.
Summary: Six oxyndole alkaloids were isolated from the roots of Uncaria tomentosa, of which four showed a pronounced enhancement effect on phagocytosis determined in two In Vitro tests and the In Vivo carbon clearance test.
Dr Fernando Cabieses, Director, Institute of Tradicional Medicine (Ministry. of Health, Peru)
The Third European Colloqium on Ethnopharmaceutics took place in May and June 1996 at the University of Genoa, Italy. It was attended by over 1,000 scientists from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. One of the sessions was dedicated to the peruvian Cat's Claw. It concluded that the Uncarias are an excellent pharmacological contribution of the Amazon Flora, showing well proven anti-inflammatory actions and containing compounds that have inhibited in the laboratory the proliferation of several neoplasic cultures, as well as other compounds that improve mechanisms of immunity. The excellent scientific research by the Universities of innsbruck in Austria, Munich in Germany and Naples and Salerno in Italy support with full professional thoroughness these conclusions and have opened the way for more and very promising research in the laboratory and in the clinic. The Macchu Picchu Symposium took place on the 1st week of May 1996, organised by the Peruvian Institute of Traditional Medicine. It was attended by 63 scientists from the Americas and Europe. The subject discussed was; "The Medicinal Plant; Links between Modern and Traditional Medicine." Among the papers on Amazonic Uncarias that were tabled was one which showed that the carcinogenic substances which appears in tobacco smoker's urine, dimished under the effects of Uncaria tomentosa. Studies on human beings may take several years to reach definite conclusions but several groups are working with full energy and conviction in America and Europe. Up to date, studies on human beings are showing what was predicted in the early 1990's:
These herbal species have clear anti-inflammatory effects, with definite but still limited anti-mutagenic properties and interesting immuno-modulating properties.
Its practically inexistent toxicity at recommended dosages have allowed its international popularity as an anti-inflammatory to generalise. To say that Cat's Claw is a good anti-inflammatory is almost fully accepted by the good sense of the medical profession. But to say that this herb cures cancer or AIDS is still a big cruelty because clinical studies are not sufficiently advanced to claim success in these cases. Cat's Claw is a very promising herb, given the excellent results obtained in the laboratory and on animals with neoplasic diseases. Included in the above is the work carried out by Dr Ruiz at the Faculty of Veterinary of the University of san Marcos, Lima Peru, who confirmed the effectiveness of Uncaria tomentosa on dogs and cats suffering from breast cancer; the findings reported by Stuppner and colleagues on human leukaemic cells; the interesting confirmations by V.R. Villanueva in his research carried out at the Centre Internationale de la Recherche Scientifique in France; the important findings by Cano at the Ontario Northeastern Regional Cancer Centre in Canada; and other work, which are slowly discovering facts which allow us to state that Peru's cat's Claw is a promising herb in the context of the problem of cancer.
