Tabebuia

October 23rd, 2008

Botanical Name:Tabebuia impertiginosa, various species

Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Tabebuia
Species: impetiginosa
Synonyms: Tabebuia avellanedae, T. ipe, T. nicaraguensis, T. schunkeuigoi, T. serratifolia, T. altissima, T. palmeri, Gelseminum avellanedae, Handroanthus avellanedae, H. impetiginosus, Tecoma adenophylla, Tecoma avellanedae, Tecoma eximia, Tecoma impetiginosa, Tecoma integra, Tecoma ipe
Common Names: Pau d’arco, ipê, ipê roxo, lapacho, tahuari, taheebo, trumpet tree, ipê-contra-sarna, tabebuia ipê, tajy
Part Used: Bark, wood
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Lamiales
Tribe: Tecomeae
Genus: Tabebuia
Habitat :Northern Mexico and the Antilles south to northern Argentina and central Venezuela, including the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti)

Description:
Tabebuia is a neotropical genus of about 100 species in the tribe Tecomeae.They are large shrubs and trees growing to 5 to 50 m (16 to 160 ft) tall depending on the species; many species are dry-season deciduous but some are evergreen. The leaves are opposite pairs, complex or palmately compound with 3-7 leaflets.
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The Tabebuia evergreen tree grows in the warm parts of Central and South America. Most pau d’arco comes from a tree in the Amazon rain forest called Tabebuia avellanedae . It is a broad-leaf evergreen and is distinguished by pink to violet colored flowers. Its extremely hard wood makes it resistant to disease and decay. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing demand for pau d’arco and, as a result, the trees are in danger of becoming extinct.

Tabebuia is a notable flowering tree. The flowers are 3 to 11 cm (1 to 4 in) wide and are produced in dense clusters. They present a cupular calyx campanulate to tubular, truncate, bilabiate or 5-lobed. Corolla colors vary between species ranging from white, light pink, yellow, lavender, magenta, or red. The outside texture of the flower tube is either glabrous or pubescent.

The fruit is a dehiscent pod, 10 to 50 cm (4 to 20 in) long, containing numerous – in some species winged – seeds. These pods often remain on the tree through dry season until the beginning of the rainy season.

General Uses:
Species in this genus are important as timber trees. The wood is used for furniture, decking, and other outdoor uses. It has a fire rating of A1 (the highest possible, the same as concrete), and is denser than water (it sinks). It is increasingly popular as a decking material due to its insect resistance and durability. By 2007, FSC-certified ipê wood had become readily available on the market, although certificates are occasionally forged.

Tabebuia is widely used as ornamental tree in the tropics in landscaping gardens, public squares and boulevards due to its impressive and colorful flowering. Many flowers appear on still leafless stems at the end of the dry season, making the floral display more conspicuous. They are useful as honey plants for bees, and are popular with certain hummingbirds.Naturalist Madhaviah Krishnan on the other hand once famously took offense at ipé grown in India, where it is not native.

Constituents: lapachol, lapachone, and isolapachone, tannins

Medicinal Uses:

Common Uses: Cancer Prevention * Candida/Yeast Infection * Liver *
Properties: Antifungal* AntiViral* Hepatic* Tonic*
Parts Used: Inner bark

The bark of several species has medical properties. The bark is dried, shredded and then boiled making a bitter or sour-tasting brownish-colored tea. Tea from the inner bark of Pink Ipê (T. impetiginosa) is known as Lapacho or Taheebo. Its main active principles are lapachol, quercetin and other flavonoids. It is also available in pill form. The herbal remedy is typically used during flu and cold season and for easing smoker’s cough. It apparently works as expectorant, by promoting the lungs to cough up and free deeply embedded mucus and contaminants. However, lapachol is rather toxic and therefore a more topical use e.g. as antibiotic or pesticide may be advisable. Other species with significant folk medical use are T. alba and Yellow Lapacho (T. serratifolia).

Tabebuia heteropoda, T. incana and other species are occasionally used as an additive to the entheogenic drink Ayahuasca.

Mycosphaerella tabebuiae, a plant pathogenic sac fungus, was first discovered on an ipê tree.

The inner bark of the Tabebuia(Called Pau d’arco) avellanedae tree, is native to Brazil, where it is used traditionally to treat a wide range of conditions including pain, arthritis, inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis), fever, dysentery, boils and ulcers, and various cancers. Preliminary laboratory research examining the properties of pau d’arco is beginning to suggest that the traditional uses may have scientific merit. Such laboratory studies have shown that pau d’arco has pain killing, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, anti-psoriatic, and anti-cancer abilities. Taking this early data, combined with information collected about traditional uses, herbalists may recommend pau d’arco to treat or prevent a number of conditions, including candidiasis (a yeast infection of the vaginal or oral areas), herpes simplex virus, influenza, parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis, bacterial infections such as brucellosis, and inflammation of the cervix (cervicitis) or the vagina (vaginitis). Pau d’arco may also reduce inflammation of the joints associated with arthritis.
Most of the chemical research on pau d’arco has been done on the wood and not the bark of Tabebuia tree, although it is in fact the inner bark that has been used traditionally for medicinal purposes. In addition, there are a variety of Tabebuia species that have been tested for anti-infectious and anti-cancer properties, not only avellanedae . Therefore, it is difficult to know at this point what findings apply specifically to pau d’arco and which apply to other species of this plant. The heartwood of Tabebuia avellanedae contains chemical compounds called naphthoquinones such as lapachol, as well as significant amounts of the antioxidant quercetin.

Available Forms of Pau d’arco:
Pau d’arco is sold as dried bark tea, alcohol extract, and nonalcohol (usually glycerin) extract. Most of paud’arco products are not standardized, however, therefore, it is not possible to determine whether or not they contain a consistent or appropriate amount of these active substances.

Some herbal teas that are labeled with pau d’arco are not actually made from Tabebuia trees. It is important to carefully read the label to make sure that the product actually contains Tabebuia avellanedae as an ingredient.

How to Take It
Pediatric
There are no known scientific reports on the pediatric use of pau d’arco. Therefore, this herb is not currently recommended for children.

Adult
Decoction (tea): Using 1 tsp of pau d’arco loose dried bark per 1 cup water, boil for 5 to 15 minutes. Drink 1 cup of this tea two to eight times a day.
Extract: Follow the directions on the product label.
Tincture (1:5): Solution made from herb and alcohol, or herb, alcohol, and water—take 20 to 30 drops, two to three times per day.
Capsules: 1,000 mg three times per day.

Precautions:
The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, contain active substances that can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, herbs should be taken with care, under the supervision of a practitioner knowledgeable in the field of botanical medicine.

It is generally safe to drink pau d’arco tea and take pau d’arco extract at the recommended dosages. Too much, however, may cause nausea.

Possible Interactions:
There are no reports in the scientific literature to suggest that pau d’arco interacts with any conventional medications.

You may click to see also:->

PAU D’ARCO HERBAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS

Pau d’Arco tea IS A CURE FOR CANCER!

Facts on Pau d’Arco

Pau d’Arco – A Cure For Cancer?

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/pau-darco-000268.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabebuia

http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail289.php