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A little-known medicinal herb imported from the Peruvian Amazon is now one of the top-ten selling herbs in the natural products industry, according to industry sources. Cat's claw, also known as uña de gato or botanically as Uncaria tomentosa, has been the subject of glowing testimonials and numerous reports detailing its ability to help alleviate the symptoms of many intestinal disorders.

Unfortunately, these reports are anecdotal and there is little scientific evidence to back them up. However, after working with cat's claw for just over three years, I have become increasingly convinced of its value. Two practitioners I spoke with have witnessed the herb's dramatic ability to help patients suffering from Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel conditions. They are Brent W. Davis, D.C., a chiropractor in Van Nuys, Calif., who has been using cat's claw in his practice since 1988, and Satya Ambrose, N.D., a licensed acupuncturist in Clackamas, Ore., who has been recommending cat's claw to patients since 1994.

In the article "A New World Class Herb for A.K. Practice,"¹ (A.K. means applied kinesiology) published by his company, Phytotherapy Research Laboratories in Van Nuys, Calif., Davis relates his experience using cat's claw to treat approximately 150 patients from 1988 until 1992. He says, "I have seen Uncaria tomentosa treat severe intestinal disorders that no other available products can touch, including the strong and very useful undecylenic acid (an antifungal drug). The right type of preparation of bioactive uña de gato has a profound ability to eliminate deep-seated infection in the bowel and perhaps even the mesentery. I have nicknamed Uncaria tomentosa 'The Opener of the Way.' It breaks through metabolic log jams and then allows the practitioner to make further progress with other therapies."
Davis further suggests that cat's claw has applications in the treatment of a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders including Crohn's disease, ulcers, diverticulitis, recurring ileocecal valve problems, hemorrhoids, intestinal flora imbalance (dysbiosis), parasites and candidiasis.

One of the first patients Ambrose treated with cat's claw was a woman suffering from Crohn's disease. In an interview, Ambrose explained the woman had been taking sulfasalazine (a sulfa drug with numerous deleterious side effects) for a long time with little to no alleviation of symptoms. After only three weeks of taking cat's claw in capsule form, her bleeding stopped, digestion improved, energy returned and she was able to quit taking the sulfa drug.

Today cat's claw is widely available in tea, tablet, capsule and extract forms made from both the inner bark and root of the vine. (Though once thought to be illegal, harvesting of the root is permitted under Peruvian law.²)

In nearly two years of publishing Cat's Claw News, a bi-monthly newsletter, I have received more than 25 written and spoken testimonials from Crohn's sufferers, who report that cat's claw has alleviated many of their symptoms. However, to the best of my knowledge, there are no published clinical or scientific studies conducted with any of the available cat's claw products on patients with Crohn's disease or inflammatory bowel conditions.

Based on anecdotal evidence, I believe it is time for the scientific community to take a serious look at this herb and start conducting the necessary studies. Only then will we have the empirical evidence needed to convince more doctors and alternative practitioners of the efficacy of using cat's claw to treat inflammatory bowel disorders and other debilitating conditions.

Phillip N. Steinberg is a freelance writer and certified nutritional consultant (C.N.C.) with 25 years' experience in the natural products industry. Since July 1993, he has been disseminating information about cat's claw. His articles about the herb have appeared in more than 20 health publications.