Pau d’arco, a traditional South American herbal remedy, is known for addressing a variety of health issues in dogs, including pain, inflammation, yeast infections, and even cancer.
What is Pau D’arco? Pau d’arco is a tall, pink-blossomed South American tree from the Bignoniaceae family, with the botanical name Tabebuia, commonly avellanedae or impetiginosa. The Portuguese name pau d’arco translates to “stick of bow” or “bow stick,” referring to its historical use in making hunting bows. The supplement is derived from the inner lining of the tree’s bark, known as phloem, and is also called lapacho or taheebo.
Pau d’arco is a great remedy to consider for dogs with stubborn yeast issues. Its antimicrobial properties make it useful for other skin conditions, including staph infections and atopic dermatitis. Pau d’arco can also aid in wound healing by preventing infection and has antiviral properties that can stop warts when used topically.
Most chronic diseases stem from uncontrolled inflammation. Managing inflammation can help prevent and heal long-term health issues. Pau d’arco is an effective anti-inflammatory, as shown in a 2014 study that demonstrated its ability to activate Nrf2 inflammatory pathways. Nrf2 is a protein messenger in the body’s cells, known as the master regulator of the body’s protection system. It detects cellular damage and signals DNA to produce antioxidant enzymes and anti-inflammatory proteins, aiding in the body’s healing process. Additionally, the constituent beta-lapachone downregulates COX-2 inflammatory activity, which creates prostaglandins causing pain and inflammation. These actions make pau d’arco a powerful ally against chronic disease, managing conditions like arthritis and providing pain relief. Pau d’arco can have potent effects against intestinal bacteria, including H. pylori and other stubborn intestinal pathogens. These toxic bacteria can cause significant gut issues and be difficult to eliminate. Pau d’arco can help control bacterial infections, offering a safer antibacterial alternative to antibiotics for diarrhea or other gastrointestinal issues. It can even aid in healing gastric ulcers, as a study in rats showed that pau d’arco increases mucus content, reducing the acetic acid that contributes to ulcer formation. There is controversy surrounding the use of pau d’arco for cancer treatment. Studies suggest it may reduce tumors, trigger apoptosis (cancer cell death), and prevent metastasis (cancer spread). However, many experts, including the American Cancer Society, warn of the risks of using pau d’arco to manage cancer due to safety concerns. Most studies are in vitro and may not translate to real-life results. Dr. Demian Dressler, a well-known Dog Cancer Vet, cautions against using pau d’arco for cancer due to potential side effects at higher doses, including fertility concerns, vomiting, blood clotting problems, diarrhea, and the potentially toxic hydroquinone content in some pau d’arco products. He also points out the lack of standardization leading to varying lapachol content and the low quality of some pau d’arco products due to its popularity.But his point is that those are never done without medical supervision. So his main conclusion is that if you want to try using pau d’arco for your dog’s cancer, you must seek guidance from a qualified expert. Make sure you find an experienced holistic veterinarian or herbalist who really understands how to use the herb correctly and safely.
RELATED: Holistic approaches to cancer. When choosing a pau d’arco product, beware of imitators. Always buy from a reputable supplier. Because of the herb’s popularity, there are some poor quality products sold. Some of them may be from different species without pau d’arco’s benefits. So always look for Tabebuia avellanedae or impetiginosa. The inner bark (‘phloem’) is where the therapeutic value of pau d’arco is. Not the whole bark. So always make sure the product you buy contains just the inner bark. Verify the source. The key ingredient in pau d’arco, lapachol, varies from tree to tree. One study showed some supplements contained very little lapachol. And some pau d’arco supplements come from lumber mill sawdust! Be on the lookout for supplements that don’t have pau d’arco’s therapeutic compounds. If you choose standardized products, because of the variance in lapachol levels, some experts recommend products standardized to contain 2% to 7% lapachol. Holistic veterinarians may recommend standardized products because it’s easier to control the dosing. But it’s probably better to look for a product with 3% naphthoquinones. That’s because it’s made from whole bark rather than isolated lapachol. Most herbalists prefer whole herb formulations because of the synergistic healing benefits they offer. In this case, buy a dried herb or tincture from a reputable brand to be sure your supplement contains what it should. Side Effects And Cautions: The powdered herb may cause skin or respiratory irritation. Pau d’arco is an anticoagulant. So don’t use it in bleeding disorders or before surgeries. Avoid use in pregnant animals as it can be toxic to developing embryos. One study found reproductive toxicity in male rats with short-term treatment. Drug interactions include anticoagulant drugs and possibly vitamin K (disputed by some sources). Avoid combining with Pau D’arco to be safe. PRO TIP: Keep this in mind when you read the research. Some studies use the isolated compound, lapachol. And in some cases they use a synthesized version. The synthetic isolate almost certainly gets different results from the whole, natural herb. And side effects are often more pronounced with a synthetic version. Pau D’arco Dosing: Veterinary Herbal Medicine by veterinarians Susan G Wynn DVM and Barbara J Fougere BSc BVMS (Hons) offers these dosing guidelines. But the ranges are quite wide, so it’s best to consult your holistic vet or herbalist for the correct dose for your dog’s individual condition. Dried herb 25 – 300 mg/kg daily, divided in 3 doses. Decoction 5 – 30g per cup of water. Give ¼ – ½ cup per 20 lbs daily, divided in 3 doses. Tincture 0.5 – 1.5 ml per 20 lbs daily, divided in 3 doses. Yeast Dosing: To control yeast in your dog, canine herbalist Rita Hogan recommends this dosing.Pau d’arco, a traditional herbal remedy, can be effectively utilized for dogs in various ways. The dried herb is administered twice daily with food, with dosages tailored to the size of the dog: 100 mg for extra small dogs, 200 mg for small dogs, 300 mg for medium dogs, 400 mg for large dogs, and 500 mg for extra large dogs. For topical use, particularly to eliminate warts on dogs, pau d’arco tincture should be diluted with water or vegetable oil. Apply this diluted solution directly to the wart daily. If irritation occurs around the wart, increase the dilution to alleviate the skin’s reaction. References: Pereyra CE et al. The diverse mechanisms and anticancer potential of naphthoquinones. Cancer Cell Int. 2019;19(207). Hussain H et al. Lapachol and lapachone analogs: a journey of two decades of patent research(1997-2016). Expert Opin Ther Pat. 2017 Oct;27(10):1111-1121. Portillo A et al. Antifungal activity of Paraguayan plants used in traditional medicine. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2001;76(1). Genet J. Remedios naturales para infecciones vaginales [Natural remedies for vaginal infections]. Sidahora. 1995 Winter;40(1). (Spanish.) Kumamoto CA. Inflammation and gastrointestinal Candida colonization. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2011;14(4):386-391. Binutu OA et al. Antimicrobial potentials of some plant species of the Bignoniaceae family. Afr J Med Med Sci. 1994 Sep;23(3):269-73. Dvorkin-Camiel L, Whelan JS. Tropical american plants in the treatment of infectious diseases. Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2008;5(4):349-372. Zhang J et al. Tabebuia impetiginosa: A comprehensive review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, and immunopharmacological properties. Molecules. 2020 Sep 18;25(18):4294. DC Moraes et al. β-lapachone and α-nor-lapachone modulate Candida albicans viability and virulence factors. Journal de Mycologie Médicale. 28(22018):314-319. Park JG et al. Tabetri (Tabebuia avellanedae ethanol extract) ameliorates atopic dermatitis symptoms in mice. Mediators Inflamm. 2018 Mar 15;(2018):9079527. Pereira EM et al. Tabebuia avellanedae naphthoquinones: activity against methicillin-resistant staphylococcal strains, cytotoxic activity and in vivo dermal irritability analysis. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2006 Mar 22;(5):5. Block JB et al. Early clinical studies with lapachol (NSC-11905). Cancer Chemother Rep 2. 1974 Dec;4(4):27-28. Park BS et al. Selective growth-inhibiting effects of compounds identified in Tabebuia impetiginosa inner bark on human intestinal bacteria. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Feb 23;53(4):1152-7. Park BS et al. Antibacterial activity of Tabebuia impetiginosa Martius ex DC (Taheebo) against Helicobacter pylori. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Apr 21;105(1-2):255-262. Lee JH et al. Down-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 and telomerase activity by beta-lapachone in human prostate carcinoma cells. Pharmacol Res. Jun 2005;51(6):553-560. Byeon SE et al. In vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of taheebo, a water extract from the inner bark of Tabebuia avellanedae. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Sep 2;119(1):145-152. Lee MH et al. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in animal models of an ethanolic extract of Taheebo, the inner bark of Tabebuia avellanedae.
Tabebuia avellanedae, also known as Lapacho or Pau d’arco, has been studied for its medicinal properties. A study published in Molecular Medicine Reports in October 2012 by Pereira IT et al. revealed the antiulcer effect of the bark extract, which activates cell proliferation in the gastric mucosa during the healing process.
Another study by de Cassia da Silveira ESR et al., published in Phytotherapy Research in July 2013, investigated the reproductive toxicity of lapachol in adult male Wistar rats subjected to short-term treatment. Awang et al. in their 1995 study published in the Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants, identified naphthoquinone constituents in commercial Lapacho/Pau d’arco/Taheebo products. The involvement of the NO/cGMP signaling pathway in the apoptotic and anti-angiogenic effects of beta-lapachone on endothelial cells in vitro was explored by Kung HN et al. in their 2007 study published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology. Kim SO et al. in their 2007 study published in the journal Biosci Biotechnol Biochem, found that the induction of Egr-1 is associated with the anti-metastatic and anti-invasive ability of beta-lapachone in human hepatocarcinoma cells. Lastly, Mukherjee B et al. demonstrated in their study that Taheebo, derived from the inner bark of the Tabebuia avellandae tree, inhibits the growth of estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cells.
