Cat's claw: application, reviews, beneficial properties. Application of cat claw Cat claw pressure

Cat's claw is a biologically active food supplement that has a pronounced immunostimulating and restorative effect in case of poor nutrition, increased mental and physical stress. Available in the form of capsules for oral use.

Description and pharmacological action of Cat's Claw

According to the instructions for the drug, the dietary supplement includes the root of Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw), which contains phytosterols, polyphenols, triterpenes and oxyindole alkaloids.

The active ingredient of the dietary supplement is a perennial plant from the Rubiaceae family. It is a tree-like liana that grows in the tropical forests of Central and South America, as well as in the foothills and banks of the Amazon in Peru. Such a vine can reach 50 m in length and 15-20 cm in thickness. The inner bark of the root is used as a medicinal raw material, the concentration of useful substances in which reaches its maximum.

As a result of numerous studies, a rich composition of healing substances contained in the fibers of this plant has been established.

The main biologically active components of Cat's Claw are alkaloids, which include quinic acid glycosides, organic acids, bioflavonoids, plant steroids, polyphenol and phenol, isorhynchophylline and rhynchophylline, isomitraphylline and mitraphylline, uncarine, pteropodine, isopteropodine and other substances. The mechanism of action of the drug is due to the group of isopteropodins it contains, the mechanism of action of which is to activate T-lymphocytes that destroy tumor cells in tissues.

When used, Cat's Claw stimulates the processes of phagocytosis in tissues, normalizes the balance of immunoglobulins in the blood, improves the rheological characteristics of the blood, and significantly reduces the risk of thrombosis in the vascular bed. The drug has cytostatic and anti-inflammatory properties, and its components eliminate viruses and disrupt the replication mechanism of their DNA structures.

Since ancient times, powder from the dried bark of the plant has been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, eliminate symptoms of viral infections, colds, cancer, arthritis, impotence and sexual dysfunction in men.

When used, Cat's Claw acts at the cellular level, exerting a powerful immunostimulating effect on the body, as a result of which it restores its functional activity.

Indications for use of Cat's Claw

A dietary supplement is prescribed to stabilize the overall hormonal levels of the body, as well as for therapy:

• Depression and mental disorders;
• Thrombosis, circulatory and blood clotting disorders;
• Skin diseases;
• Muscle pain of various origins;
• Gynecological diseases and premenstrual syndrome;
• Prostatitis;
• Diabetes mellitus;
• Arthritis.

In accordance with the instructions, Cat's Claw effectively eliminates the effects of intoxication with drugs, radiation and chemical therapy. The drug is recommended as an immunostimulating and general strengthening agent for people who have a disrupted diet and/or reduced physical activity.

Methods of use and dosage of Cat's Claw

Take this medication orally, 1 capsule with meals. Frequency of application – 2 times a day.

The duration of treatment is determined by the attending doctor.

Side effects

In reviews of Cat's Claw, there are no reports of cases of adverse reactions from the body while taking the drug.

Contraindications for use

Contraindications to this drug are individual intolerance to the components included in its composition, childhood, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

People who have donor organs should not take Cat's Claw in order to prevent the process of organ rejection.

Overdose

In the reviews of Cat's Claw there is no data on an overdose of the drug.

Analogs of Cat's Claw

According to the mechanism of action and active substance, the analogue of Cat's Claw is Unya de Gato.

Additional Information

Cat's claw is not a drug, but you should consult your doctor before using it.

The instructions for Cat's Claw indicate that the capsules should be stored in a dark, dry, cool place out of reach of children.

Available from pharmacies over the counter.

The shelf life of the dietary supplement is 3 years.

1 year ago

In America there grows an amazing plant with a mysterious name - cat's claw. It has general strengthening and immunostimulating properties. In our country, we can only find cat's claw as an active biological additive. Indications for its use and other important aspects will be discussed in today’s article.

The liana grows on the Amazon coast and in other parts of the tropical regions of the American continents. Its shoots resemble the claws of a cat in appearance, hence the name of the plant. The inner part of the bark has healing properties.

Cat's claw has a unique component composition, but most of all this plant extract contains organic acids, bioflavonoids, and steroids.

The properties of cat's claw are inextricably linked with the component composition. This remedy is recommended for people who are exposed to grueling physical and mental stress every day.

On a note! In practice, traditional healers and supporters of alternative medicine recommend cat's claw for the treatment of malignant diseases. This supplement also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

What benefits does the product contain?

The rich component composition makes cat's claw very useful for the human body. Reviews from doctors about the use of this dietary supplement are different. But most qualified experts believe that it is possible to take cat's claw to strengthen the immune system.

Do not forget that herbal supplements are not classified as pharmacological drugs. You can take cat's claw in combination with prescribed pharmaceuticals.

The beneficial properties of cat's claw include:

• relief from allergic reactions;
• activation of the body's immune defense;
• fight against pathogenic microorganisms, viruses;
• improvement in inflammatory processes of various origins and localization;
• restoration of hormonal balance;
• normalization of the functioning of the digestive tract;
• treatment of gastric ulcers.

As part of complex therapy, cat's claw is used to cure a number of ailments and pathological conditions, in particular:

• arthritis;
• diabetes mellitus;
• prostatitis;
• diseases of a gynecological nature;
• myalgia;
• impaired blood clotting;
• psychoemotional disorders;
• intoxication;
• dermatological ailments;
• thrombosis

Important! Cat's claw is often used in the treatment of cancer. This biological supplement improves overall well-being and increases the body's defenses. Cat's claw is especially useful after radiation or chemotherapy.

About dosage in detail

A dietary supplement with an unusual name is sold over-the-counter. Despite the environmental friendliness and absolute herbal composition of cat's claw, it should be taken only after consultation with a specialized doctor and careful reading of the annotation.

Today, cat's claw is produced in various pharmacological forms. You may find the supplement in the form of a dried herb, oil extract, ointment, tablets, or capsules.

Which of the given forms to choose is up to you and your doctor to decide. For preventive purposes, to strengthen the body's immune system and increase endurance, cat's claw is taken twice a day, 1 capsule. It is advisable to take the supplement with meals so that all the components contained in the cat's claw are better and more fully absorbed.

The daily dosage and duration of the treatment course are determined only by the treating specialist, taking into account the patient’s age, physiological characteristics and health status.

Important! People suffering from malignant diseases should pay special attention to taking cat's claw. But there is no need to self-medicate. To ensure that medications and other treatments are effective, strictly follow all instructions from your doctor.

Cat's claw: contraindications

Even ancient healers who lived on the banks of the Amazon discovered the amazing properties and healing power of a cat's claw. The inner bark of the vine, which is used today to prepare a dietary supplement, was regarded by many as an effective contraceptive.

In the modern world, no one has conducted such experiments, but during pregnancy it is strictly prohibited to take such a supplement. Experts who studied this dietary supplement came to the conclusion that it has a contracting effect on the reproductive organ, and therefore spontaneous abortion can occur during pregnancy.

It is not recommended to take cat's claw during breastfeeding. Do not forget that the product contains alkaloids, which are considered plant poisons. This dietary supplement should not be taken by children at an early age.

Experts also warn people who have undergone surgical interventions related to the use of donor organs. Of course, the side effects of cat's claw are not so dangerous, but if you have donor organs, you need to be careful not to provoke their rejection.

On a note! In some European countries, cat's claw is classified as a potent substance, so it is not available for free sale. For example, in Germany you will have to take a doctor's prescription to purchase the supplement.

Uncaria pilosa (cat's claw, una de gato, uncaria tomentosa) is a wild vine. Belongs to the madder family. It grows 30 meters or more in length, and the shape of its spines resembles a cat's paw with claws.

The plant is found in the highlands of the jungle of Peru at an altitude of 250 - 1250 meters above sea level. Tribes of the Amazon rainforest have long used the plant for more than 2000 years to treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, joints and various tumors. They mainly use the bark of the plant to make tea.

Thanks to these properties, the medicinal plant Uncaria pilosa has found application in anticancer therapy.

The bark of the plant is a powerful plant component due to the presence of glycosides of quinovinic and oleanolic acid, rutin, quercetin, tannin, catechin, and beta-sitosterol.

Acting at the level of cell immunity, the vine exhibits strong immunomodulatory properties.

About 60 species of vines of this family grow in nature. They all go by the name "cat's claw", but they all have slightly different healing properties. After a series of studies, it was found that these properties are most powerful in the cat's claw vine Uncaria Tomentosa.

The first scientist to discover the plant for official medicine was a doctor from Austria, Klaus Keplinger. He did this in 1974, when he and a group of scientists studied the effects of local herbs on the Ashanika Indians. As a result of their many years of work, they were able to scientifically substantiate the usefulness of using cat's claw in medicine.

Therefore, in 1989, Klaus Keplinger managed to obtain a US patent for 6 alkaloids he obtained from the bark of the cat's claw, which later became the main active ingredients of many drugs.

Alkalocids of the plant help to increase the activity of the human immune system, bringing it back to normal. Subsequently, the antioxidant properties of the plant were discovered, its ability to normalize lipid metabolism, protect against strokes and heart attacks, detoxifying effects, antispasmodic, antiseptic, hypotensive, diuretic and choleretic effects, as well as the ability to suppress the division of abnormal cells.

The plant Uncaria tomentosa cat's claw is also useful for bursitis, arthritis, thrombophlebitis, rheumatism, prostatitis, varicose veins, lung diseases, gynecological inflammations...

Due to the wide range of diseases covered, this plant has recently become one of the most famous in the world.

It’s just difficult to obtain the plant’s medicinal raw materials. But if you succeed, then you don’t need to make a decoction following the Peruvian Indians, because in this case up to 80% of its beneficial properties are lost!

It is better to prepare infusions and 10% tinctures with alcohol. And in view of the exotic nature of this plant for our country, it is perhaps still better to use the properties of cat’s claw in the form of a herbal preparation “Detox”.

We continue to get acquainted (beginning) with our green defenders, plants well studied by mankind with amazing, often simply incredible properties. This article introduces (Latin name Uncaria Tomentosa). Thousands of years of experience prove that in nature there is both poison and antidote; it depends on our choice what to use. Throughout his entire development, man has been searching for

I have successfully found salvation from diseases in nature, because it is natural components, unlike chemically synthesized drugs, that ideally interact with the cells and metabolic processes of the human body. By the way, artificial vitamins are also medicines in origin, more about this in the article

It grows in a single place on earth - in South America, in the dense humid Peruvian forests along the Amazon River and is a woody vine with sharp “claws” with which it clings to neighboring plants. Lianas can grow up to 40 meters and live up to 30 years. Residents of that area widely used decoctions of bark, roots and leaves, ointments and other medicines to strengthen the body (that is, to strengthen the immune system), for poisoning (and therefore to cleanse the body) and inflammatory processes (in other words, in the fight against diseases ).

Uncaria tomentosa was first described in the 18th century, and the first studies were carried out in 1952 in France. No important discoveries were made, but it was rediscovered in 1974 by a scientist from Austria (Klaus Kleppinger) while researching the life of the Peruvian Indians. He was amazed by the powerful healing properties of the vine; the oncoprotective effect of the cat's claw seemed especially important at that time (it was noted that the Indians did not suffer from cancer). Soon, in various European laboratories in Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Italy, research on the plant continued and real scientific discoveries were made. After the discovery of quinine (a natural cure for yellow fever and malaria) in the 17th century, the discovery of cat's claw was the second such significant event in herbal medicine.

It turned out that the cat's claw plant is superior in its properties to the well-known echinacea, ginseng, mushrooms (shiitake, maitake and reishi), astragalus, ant tree and can be used for neurodermatitis, duodenal and gastric ulcers, allergies, inflammation of the joints, genital herpes, shingles and other diseases. And in 1988, at an international congress, a report was read on the successful use of the cat's claw plant in the treatment of oncology in 700 patients over 4 years.

The scientific world was also amazed by the fact that, due to its strong antioxidant properties, this plant can affect the immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, especially if used in the early stages of the disease. The famous Dr. Brent W. Davis praised the properties of the cat's claw plant: "Uncaria Tomentosa is a world-class plant that has the ability to stop and reverse the development of deep-rooted pathologies, leading to a rapid return to health."

It has been established that the preparations of this amazing vine are able to activate the cells of our immune system, which are responsible for the destruction of tumor cells (malignant and benign), improve the condition of the blood (including reducing the risk of blood clots) and even block the reproduction of viruses in our cells and stop the chain reaction of formation without causing addiction or side effects.

To summarize: the cat's claw plant helps the body in many problems, reflects aggression in several directions at once, so it is indispensable not only in the treatment of already formed diseases, but also for competent prevention.

P.S.: Many of my readers ask where to buy a cat’s claw plant, which complexes from which manufacturer are best to choose, etc. Let me tell you what I know about this plant and where you can get it.

1. The cat's claw plant is not a grass, it is a woody vine. Usually, dried leaves or bark (external and internal) of this vine are used for medicinal purposes and it is not sold in its pure form, like ordinary herbs in our pharmacies. From the region of its growth (in finished dried form) it is supplied in industrial quantities in wholesale quantities to the world market of medicinal plants. Manufacturers of finished health products from around the world buy bark there. This plant is probably used by all companies that work in the field of herbal medicine. Various companies sell ready-made preparations with this plant; they are easy to find on the Internet.

2. On the world market, the cost of cat claw raw materials varies from 25 to 100 dollars (maybe more, these data are for 2009), naturally depending on its quality, which, in turn, directly determines the effectiveness. It’s the same as with tea or coffee – the higher the quality, the more expensive. In addition to normal raw materials, there are also technological wastes, which are also sold, naturally, very cheaply, but they also called tea, coffee, cat's claw etc. It’s very difficult for us – consumers – to find out what the actual quality of the raw materials is used in the finished product, don’t you agree? We can determine this only when we buy and try, or we can trust the reputation of bona fide manufacturers.

3. Since we do not have the opportunity, like the Peruvian Indians, to pick leaves or tear off a piece of cat’s claw bark, chew it and get all its healing power, we cannot buy bark powder and conjure it ourselves in order to extract valuable substances to the maximum, we are forced to use ready-made health products from different manufacturers. How to choose the highest quality complex? A few recommendations:

Try to determine whether a product is of high quality or not before purchasing it: analyze certificates (not only sanitary and hygienic, but production certificates), inquire about the company’s reputation, find out whether clinical trials have been conducted (self-respecting companies conduct them and publish the results), look for real reviews people about these products, etc.

Pay attention to the content of cat's claw in 1 capsule or tablet, whether there are other components and how many of them are in % or absolute quantity. Here, too, it is not always fair: there are complexes with scanty content, but with a price at the average level and even higher. I have seen on the Internet preparations consisting of both pure cat’s claw and a mixture of different plants with VERY different amounts of cat’s claw and approximately the same considerable price. It is clear that you can mix different plants, including quite common ones, in one complex, but you need to take an adequate approach to their cost, and not take advantage of the bait - the cat's claw.

Manufacturers are sometimes cunning, adding a tiny amount of the famous vine and supplementing it with other well-known herbs. For example, this composition: 1 capsule: Patented mixture: - 446 mg, Cat's claw (Uncaria tormentosa), Echinacea purpurea L., Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) - and how much of each is not indicated. Relying on an inattentive or inexperienced user, on the fact that the cat's claw plant is in high demand.

It is also important for what period of use the complex is designed - for 10 days, 2 weeks or a month. This is important when calculating the cost of the entire course of application. It happens that the package is only for 10-15 days, but the price is the same as for a monthly course and in the end it turns out to be unreasonably expensive.

There is a difference in what form this plant is used - in tablets or capsules. In tablets, most likely, the bark is roughly crushed and pressed, and this is an additional burden on digestion, because like any other dried and crushed bark, cat’s claw bark is difficult to digest in our gastrointestinal tract. It is not easy to destroy strong molecular bonds and extract those very active substances from the bark, especially if there are problems with the gastrointestinal tract or enzyme system, in which case the result may be weak and will not appear soon.

It is better in capsules because it is more likely to be thoroughly crushed. In addition, the capsule protects against oxidation in air, so the activity of the medicinal principle lasts longer. It is advisable to find out about the quality of the capsule itself: it is preferable that the capsules are made not from animal gelatin (it is difficult to dissolve and can cause allergies), but from plant gelatin.

I don’t consider the cat’s claw plant in liquid forms, because it is either an alcohol solution (alcohol definitely does not improve health, and there is no point in trying to treat one and cripple the other), or, if aqueous, it is saturated with chemical preservatives (which is harmful to health, “ there is enough chemistry in food).

Basically everything. There are quite a lot of companies on the Internet, there is plenty to choose from. I hope my recommendations will help avoid unscrupulous manufacturers who simply exploit the glory of the unique properties of this vine without bothering to create a truly effective product. After all, packaging crumbs (or powder) of cat’s claw bark purchased in bulk into capsules or compressing into tablets is not a tricky business, but creating a high-quality health product based on it is a completely different attitude towards consumers.

I advise you to look for ready-made products made using the best modern technologies; they exist (unfortunately, not everyone knows about them).

If you have any questions, ask in the comments. I reply to everyone at the email address you provide. If I don’t answer right away, I’m sorry, but there will definitely be an answer, albeit later. Just in case, check your SPAM folder, now mail services indiscriminately send letters with active links there.

Do you have experience using complexes with the cat's claw plant? Share, judging by the number of comments, many people are interested in this plant.

P.S.: For everyone interested in cat's claw, I want to explain the difference between immunostimulating agents and immunomodulating agents.

The former can really deplete the body's resources, especially if they are weakened, which is what usually happens and is what stimulants are used to solve. Such intervention can be compared to hitting a tired horse with a whip - the rider stimulates it to run faster. We know what happens - a horse can really run faster, but it ends in death.

Therefore, you need to be careful in choosing stimulants and especially in the timing of their use.

Immunomodulators work completely differently. The unique liana Uncaria Tomentosa contains a number of alkaloids with high biological activity. Back in 1989, the Austrian scientist Klaus Keplinger received a US patent (No. 4844901), in which six specific alkaloids isolated from this plant were patented.

The essence of the proven action of four of these alkaloids is a sufficiently strong modulation (which means improving or strengthening) the immune system and, above all, the cells of the phagocytic system.

Thus, the active substances of cat's claw enhance the work of the most important cells of the immune system - phagocytes. They are called killer cells. They are responsible for the destruction of foreign elements, including their own “crazy” cells (for example, those that have begun an uncontrolled division process in tumor diseases). If the phagocytic link of our immunity copes with its functions, we are not afraid of any cold or flu, micro-enemies will be destroyed.

Cat's claw has other properties that are important for immunity, for example, normalizing the level of secretion (production) of immune mediators, which affect almost all cells of the body, ensuring intercellular cooperation and control of the internal environment.

Immune mediators perform the function of an immunological language for cells to communicate with each other, helping them learn to understand each other in order to ensure the coordinated work of individual parts of the immune system and the body as a whole.

Consequently, the immunomodulatory properties of cat's claw are due to both direct (through improving the activity of the phagocytic component of immunity) and indirect (through the synthesis of endogenous mediators) its effect on various cells of the body involved in the development of the immune response. Therefore, cat's claw normalizes the characteristics of immunity in individuals with both low and high immune status.

I hope the difference between stimulation and modeling is now clearer? The uniqueness of the cat's claw lies in the fact that it has the ability to bring immunity back to normal in case of various deviations in its parameters and can be effectively used both for immunosuppression and immunoaggression.

Immunologists say: before you think about using stimulant drugs, feed your immune system, give the cells of the immune system proper nutrition and support, then synthetic drugs will not be needed.

I will consider further the instructions for using cat’s claw, reviews, indications and contraindications for the drug, especially for readers of “Popular About Health” to familiarize themselves with this remedy.

Composition of cat's claw and release form

The medicine is available in tablet form, with the tablets placed in plastic bottles of 45 pieces and 100 pieces. The container comes with instructions for using this product, which you can read in detail. In addition, the pharmaceutical product is produced in blister packs of 10 pieces.

Another dosage form is capsules, they are packed in foil and polyvinyl chloride blisters. Instructions for their use are included. On the packaging you can see the expiration date, which is three years from the date of pharmaceutical release of the drug, after which it should be disposed of. In addition, the pharmaceutical should be kept away from children.

The active component of the Cat's Claw product is a dry extract of the lyophilized bark of Uncaria tomentosa, in terms of mitraphiline - 20.0 mg. There are excipients: corn starch, sodium benzoate, sodium carboxymethyl starch, and silicon dioxide. As for the shell, it contains hypromellose, in addition, propylene glycol, and deionized water is also present.

Cat's claw capsules contain the following substances: 4-0-B-d-galactopyranosyl-B-glucose monohydrate, as well as silicon dioxide, magnesium silicate, and magnesium octadecanoate. In addition, there is pharmaceutical gelatin type A or B, D&C blue dye, D&C yellow dye, and titanium dioxide.

The tablets are round in shape, their color is interspersed, it varies from light brown to brown. The product emits a weak and specific odor. The capsules are hard, gelatinous, cylindrical in shape, the body is painted white, and the cap is green. Inside the capsules there is a fine powder from pink-grayish to light brown in color with a specific odor.

Pharmacological action of cat's claw

The product Cat's Claw is of plant origin; it has an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic effect on the human body, and also has an antioxidant effect.

Indications for use of cat's claw

The remedy Cat's Claw is indicated for use in certain diseases associated with metabolic disorders, for example, the drug is effective for arthritis, for diagnosed arthrosis, and it is also effective for rheumatoid arthritis.

In addition, the remedy Cat's Claw is used for pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, for colitis, in addition, for gastritis and other diseases. In addition, the drug is effective for diseases of the genitourinary system, in particular cystitis and pyelonephritis.

Contraindications to the use of cat's claw

There are a number of conditions when Cat's Claw is contraindicated for use, I will list these conditions: hypersensitivity to various components of the pharmaceutical drug, do not use it during pregnancy, in addition, during breastfeeding, and also do not use it until the age of eighteen.

Application and dosage of cat's claw

The remedy Cat's Claw is taken orally as a tablet or one capsule approximately thirty minutes before a meal, and the drug is washed down with water in the required amount. The duration of use of the pharmaceutical product is approximately three months. After consultation with the treating doctor, it is worth increasing the duration of therapeutic measures.

Side effects of cat's claw

Sometimes taking Cat's Claw can cause allergic reactions. If a person experiences any other side effects that are not listed in the instructions, then he should consult a doctor for a consultation; symptomatic treatment may be required.

Overdose from cat's claw

Currently, there is no information about an overdose of the pharmaceutical drug Cat's Claw. If such a situation does arise, then it is worth performing a gastric lavage, and then it is recommended to take several tablets of activated carbon; if necessary, you should consult a specialist. No interactions with other medications have been identified.