Pau d'arco (Not applicable to Ayurveda)
Pau d'arco, derived from the inner bark of Handroanthus impetiginosus, is a tree native to the Amazon rainforest and other parts of Central and South America. It has a long history of traditional use by indigenous cultures for various ailments includin...
Botanical name: Handroanthus impetiginosus.
Classical attributes
- Virya: []
- Vipaka: []
Dosha effects
- vata: Unknown
- kapha: Unknown
- pitta: Unknown
Clinical evidence
For standard well-researched herbs, meta-analyses of up to 15 RCTs and databases tracking 20+ RCTs show various benefits. However, for Pau d'arco, robust human clinical trials on whole bark extracts are very limited. Most scientific evidence comes from in vitro (cell culture) and in vivo (animal) studies, particularly concerning its isolated active compounds, lapachol and beta-lapachone. Early clinical trials investigating lapachol as an anticancer agent were largely discontinued due to significant toxicity. More recently, beta-lapachone has undergone preclinical and some early phase I/II clinical trials for various cancers, often as a potential chemotherapeutic agent in combination with other therapies. While some promising results have been observed for these isolated compounds, toxicity remains a concern, and the whole herb has not been subject to the same rigorous human trials for cancer treatment or other traditional uses like fungal infections, inflammation, or pain.