:: Uña De Gato :: Cat’s Claw ::
Latin: Uncaria tomentosa
Power Plant
Protection
Health, Clarity, Immunity, Willpower
Effects one’s entire sense of being
Jaguar Medicine
Spiritually:
Strengthens one’s will and being (mind, body and spirit), grounding, builds courage, helps awaken the purpose in life, can empower one towards the embodiment of their Shamanic self
Healing, Cleansing, Strengthening, Tonifying
Also known as the “opener of the way,” clearing our physical mental and spiritual body from the things that are not well
Physically: cleans all of our organs, boosts immunity, detoxifies the kidneys and the liver, cleans the lymphatic system, cleans the intestines and fights parasites
Origin: Peru – Amazonian rainforest – also grows in Central and South America
Parts Used: bark and root
Plant Morphology: named after its hook-like claws/thorns, Una de Gato/Cat’s Claw is a woody vine native to the Amazon Jungles of Peru.
Symbols: Jaguar, Lion, Tiger, the Big Cats
Energetics: bitter, cooling, drying, astringent
History: Cat’s Claw is used to balance digestive problems such as gastric or duodenal ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, inflammation, and leaky bowel syndrome. Cat’s Claw has demonstrated a capacity for flushing out pathogens from the gastro-intestinal tract. It strongly boosts one’s immunity, as 70%-80% of our immune system is in the gut.
Constituents: oxindole alkaloids: enhance white blood cells’ ability to engulf pathogens and destroy them. Pioneer in the study and promotion of Cat’s Claw, Klaus Keplinger, found the oxindole alkaloids in the early 1970s and described them as, “legendary magic bullets in bio-medicinal chemistry.”
From the Amazonian perspective, this plant is also known as the “Doctor of the Forest.” The Spirit of Uña de Gato hunts and kills anything inside the body that is not of wellness; hunting the poison and eradicating it from one’s body. It is said that one who diets Uña de Gato can then have the “eyes of the Amazon,” giving the person the ability to energetically see into someone’s body and identify the places of illness and imbalance. This Doctoring plant, once having the sight to identify the imbalance, also tells the Shaman that is working with the plant other plants that may be helpful for the person in Dieta / the person they are helping to heal.
“Oxindoles exhibit an extensive range of biological effects which include the antiviral, anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-proliferative, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, and anticonvulsant activities.”
Qualities: Adaptogen, Immune regulator, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, antiviral and antibacterial, anti-oxidant (helps the body eliminate particles known as free radicals that damage cells), anti-fungal, anti-tumor, diuretic
Actions: Shrinks cysts and tumors and inhibits cancer metastasis (some studies show that Cat’s Claw kills cancer cells in test tubes), Anti fungal, Aids candida, asthma, cancer, diabetes, irregularities of the menstrual cycle, fevers, dysentery, rheumatism, kidney cleanser, blood cleanser, contraceptive, HIV, AIDS, chronic fatigue, chronic inflammation, depression, environmental toxicity and poisoning, epstein-barr virus (EBV), hemorrhoids, lupus, parasites, PMS, viral infections and wounds, diverticulitis, ulcers & lymes disease.
Anti-inflammatory: According to Chinese Medicine, the precursor of all disease is inflammation. Una de Gato aids inflammatory imbalances, rheumatism and arthritis.
Classical signs of inflammation are: pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function. Cat’s claw eliminates inflammation by opening blockages, promoting flow, form and function.
Anti viral : aids in the treatment of herpes, Autoimmune disorders, HIV – Proven beneficial in the treatment of Lymes disease and Crohn’s disease
Cancer: Cat’s claw’s immune stimulating properties have been shown to enhance the function of white blood cells to attack and digest carcinogenic substances and harmful microorganisms that may inhibit the growth of cancer cells and tumors. Used as an adjunct treatment to chemotherapy and radiation, cat’s claw has diminished the side effects of hair loss, nausea , skin problems, infections, and weight loss.
Overview: Hippocrates, “father of medicine”, quotes that “disease begins in the gut.” Cat’s Claw’s natural inclination is to hunt disease and heal the body; aiding specifically in gastrointestinal imbalance and discord. It is in this way that it also works on the solar plexus, inner power, and will. In its cat-like manner, it pounces, powerfully, effortlessly, moving through the branches of one’s body with dexterity and prowess. It stalks and hunts disease, ripping through it with efficiency, for the jaguar knows when to rest and when to pounce. The more one drinks this medicine, the more they may feel it clawing, cleaning, clearing, and repairing.
As the plant cleanses these systems on a physical level, it strengthens one’s spirit and intuition and enhances one’s gut instinct — offering clarity to one’s life path. It is easier to follow your truth when you are grounded in your power with a clear sense of self. Hence; “the opener of the way”, a name given to the plant by Dr. Brent W Davis, for its ability to cleanse the entire intestinal tract. Further, this perspective is also connected to the plant’s reputation as “bodyguard”. Cat’s Claw “opens the way” because it strengthens the immune system so well, protects to such a degree, it seems nothing harmful gets near you; both physically and spiritually. It is also true that when our intestinal tract is clean, so too is our mind.
The highest order of Ashaninka shaman priests use the root bark of Uncaria tomentosa known as “saventaro” or “powerful plant,” to remove the main cause of disease in their society, a disturbance between the spirit and the body; a kind of anxiety.
Both South American Uncarian species are used by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon in similar ways. U. tomentosa has been used medicinally by the Aguaruna, Ashaninka, Cashinbo, Conibo, Shipibo tribes of Peru for at least 2000 years. The Ashaninka Indian tribe of central Peru has the longest recorded history of using Cat’s Claw. They are also the largest commercial source of Cat’s Claw from Peru today. The Asháninka and other Amazonian tribes use cat’s claw to treat asthma and inflammations of the urinary tract, urinary tract cancer in women, hemorrhages, diabetes, menstrual irregularity, to recover from childbirth, as a kidney cleanser, to cure deep wounds, for arthritis, rheumatism, gastritis, and bone pain, to control inflammation and gastric ulcers, and to balance the body. This is the plant that the healers will give to someone who is very sick. They will offer this plant for a number of weeks to months and allow many symptoms and imbalances to heal, in order to get deeper into the root cause of what is going on in the person’s body.
Reportedly, cat’s claw has also been used as a contraceptive by several tribes of Peru (but only in excessive dosages). Dr. Fernando Cabieses, M.D., a noted authority on Peruvian medicinal plants, explains in his book that the Asháninka boil 5 to 6 kilograms (about 12 pounds!) of the root in water until it is reduced to little more than 1 cup. This decoction is then taken 1 cup daily during the period of menstruation for three consecutive months, which supposedly causes sterility for three to four years.
Contraindications: Make sure your Cat’s Claw plant source is uncaria tomentosa and not uncaria guianensis. The latter is easier to find and harvest, but uncaria tomentosa is the better source.
Pregnant women are advised against using Cat’s Claw. It can cause a miscarriage. There are contraindications with blood thinning drugs or drugs that are meant to suppress the immune system.
Do not combine with hormonal drugs, insulin, or vaccines
It may also cause the immune system to reject foreign cells – people who have received an organ or tissue transplant should not use this herb.
Una de Gato has been reported to potentiate or intensify the effects of antihypertensives (medications given to control high blood pressure)
