Pau D’arco Herb Wound Healing, weight loss, skin and digestive health. Tabebuia impetiginosa syn. Tabebuia avellanedae. Plant Family: Bignoniaceae. Other Names: Trumpet Tree, Bow Tree. Pau d’arco is an evergreen tree in warm climates and deciduous in cold climates, native to South America which reaches a height of between 25-30 metres. The leaves are elliptically lanceolate, opposite and palmately compound with finely toothed edges. Dark to olive green in colour and 5-10cm in length. The flowers are tubular, with pink or magenta corolla and approximately 5-8cm in length.
It has been used for centuries by South America Indians, as well as the ancient Incas and Aztecs to treat external wounds. The Guarani tribe revered the wood of the tree for making the bows they used to hunt; they called the tree Tajy which means ‘vigour’, a property that they hoped would transfer to the wielder of the bow when hunting. Extracts are added to ointments and salves to treat external wounds. An infusion of pau d’arco bark can be used as an insecticidal spray in the garden. The wood is naturally repellent to insects.
Pau d’arco is a dietary supplement made from the inner bark of several species of Tabebuia trees that grow in Central and South America. Also known as taheebo or lapacho, pau d’arco has long been used to treat a range of ailments. As a supplement, it’s marketed to reduce inflammation and promote weight loss. Can be used in a de-tox tea and in a de-tox bath soak.
Its incredibly dense and rot-resistant wood is used by native peoples to make hunting bows. What’s more, tribes have long used its inner bark as a treatment for stomach, skin, and inflammatory conditions. Research suggests that pau d’arco extract has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. While the exact mechanism remains unknown, pau d’arco is thought to inhibit the processes bacteria and fungi need to produce oxygen and energy. Pau d’arco extract is believed to inhibit inflammation — your body’s natural response to injury. While low levels of inflammation are beneficial, chronic inflammation is thought to lead to diseases, such as cancer, obesity, and heart disease, and may help treat inflammatory conditions like osteoarthritis, which causes swelling, pain, and stiffness in your joints. Pau d’arco may aid weight loss by inhibiting dietary fat absorption. However, this may come with a number of side effects — and human research is needed. Traditionally, 2–3 teaspoons (10–15 grams) of the bark is simmered in water for 15 minutes and consumed as a tea 3 times per day. But the beneficial compounds believed to give pau d’arco its effects are poorly extracted in water.
Due to a lack of human studies, the overall safety of pau d’arco is largely unknown. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are taking prescribed drugs particularly blood thinning drugs, have a chat to your healthcare provider first.
Put 2 teaspoons of bark into 4 cups of boiling water. Let the bark sit in the boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the bark cool for at least 1 hour. Strain the water. Drink tea in small portions throughout the day, or use tea water for external use and vaginal thrush.