The Amazing Benefits of Cat's Claw

This South American superstar herb can quell inflammation and boost immunity—and it may even help stave offcognitive decline.

- KARTA PURKH SINGH KHALSA, DN-C, RH

Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is a general tonic and anti-inflammatory herb from South America. It burst onto the scene in North America about 30 years ago, and quickly grew from obscurity to become one of the 10 best-selling herbs in the U.S. as scientific research tried to catch up. With almost nothing previously published on cat’s claw before 1998, over 240 new studies have appeared in the scientific literature since then.

Cat’s claw is the Swiss Army knife of herbs in South America, where it is prized for its anti-inflammatory, antiviral, diuretic, and immunomodulating properties, and is employed clinically for cancer prevention and treatment, AIDS, systemic candidiasis, inflammatory diseases (leaky gut, colitis, arthritis), herpes, ulcers, PMS, asthma, and fibromyalgia. It’s also used to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, relax blood vessel walls, inhibit sympathetic nervous system activity, and lower heart rate.

Inflammation

Many of these uses center on the herb’s ability to reduce inflammation, which was confirmed by a study published in the