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Take
Uņa de Gato for
All-Around Immunity
Now
let's turn due south and head to the Peruvian rainforest, where
shamans of the Ashanica Indians have for generations been using
the healing powers of a remarkable plant, Uncaria tomentosa,
commonly called Uņa de gato (cat's claw).
This woody vine, which grows up into the trees, gets its
common name from two curved thorns at the base of each leaf.
Its bark is boiled into a healing tea.
Una
de gato may have first been used outside the indigenous Amazon
culture in 1972. At
that time Don Luis, a 78-year-old Peruvian plantation owner, was
diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and was sent home by his
doctor to die. One of the ~ sons asked an old Indian medicine woman for
help, and she told him to give his father Una de gato tea. Don Luis drank the tea several times a day, and in six months
he was not only alive, but robust with no sign of lung cancer.
He died of old age at 90.
As
late as 1993, Uņa de Gato was not mentioned in any of the herbal
or naturopathic reference books.
Yet studies in Austria, Germany, England, Hungary and
Italy were suggesting that the bark of this plant could be
helpful in curing cancer, AIDS, and a host of other ailments,
including arthritis and intestinal disorders.
An
Austrian scientist, Klaus Keplinger, was issued two U.S. patents
on the isolation process of six oxindole alkaloids found in the
plant. Note that he
could not patent the natural substances found in the plant.
Mother Nature has that patent-and has just given them to
us.
It
Boosts Your White Blood Cell Protection
There
are unique alkaloids in Uņa de Gato which seem to enhance your
immune system in a general way.
These alkaloids have a pronounced effect on the ability
of the white blood cells to engulf and digest harmful
micro-organisms or foreign matter. One alkaloid known as
rynchophylline has the ability to reduce platelet aggregation,
which reduces clot formation, and would help prevent strokes and
heart attacks.
...And
Benefits Your Intestinal Tract
Dr.
Brent Davis, who has been working with this herb since 1988,
described how Una de gato beneficially affects every aspect of
your gastrointestinal system, and would likely be helpful for
treating ulcers, gastritis, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis,
irritable bowel syndrome, and ulcers.
A close friend of mine was recently admitted to the
hospital with a severe bout of diverticulitis.
He was in the hospital for five days, and was told that
he would need surgery and likely have a colostomy. loaded him up
on Green Magma, beta-carotene, fiber, a lot of nutrients, and
Uņa de Gato. He's
only had a few minor pains since, and is now about ten miles
away from surgery and still pulling away.
Why
We Haven't Heard of Uņa de Gato Before
The
real question is, if the herb is so powerful, why haven't we
heard about it? The answer:
because it has only recently been "discovered."
The
Amazon rainforest, the people who live in it, what they do, and
how they do it are a mystery to the Western world.
It is not on any trade routes, there is no communication
network linking it with the rest of the world.
It is totally isolated and dangerous.
We needed adventurers with the spirit of Columbus, who
discovered the New World, to go into the rainforest and come out
with discoveries. There
are two such people who have done just that-with Uņa de Gato.
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John Easterling, founder of Rainforest Bio-Energetics [now Amazon
Herb Co., ed], has made 120 separate trips to the rainforest
in his 40-year life.
Originally he was an "Indiana Jones" style
treasure hunter, looking for lost Inca treasure.
He named his company "Raiders of the Lost Art,"
and he even looks like Harrison Ford!
John traveled up and down the Amazon trading in
artifacts, but never found the Inca treasure.
The
Rainforest Is a Medicinal Treasure Trove
A
few years ago John had both hepatitis and Rocky Mountain spotted
fever back to back, and was having trouble recuperating.
He was told by a rainforest shaman to drink Una de gato
tea, and in ten days he felt stronger than he could ever
remember. He still
did not see the value of the rainforest plants, and he continued
to hack away in his search for "real treasure."
It
wasn't until he met Nicole Maxwell, author of the book Witch-Doctor's
Apprentice:
Hunting for Medicinal Plants in the Amazon
that he finally understood.
The rainforest is the treasure!
Nicole had spent 40 years in this botanical treasure
house. She
understood that bounty just grew there, naturally.
There
are over 200,000 plants there in a stable, self-perpetuating
ecosystem. We have
knowledge of only about two percent (4,000) of them, but that
two percent is the basis of about 40% of our pharmaceuticals.
The plant life in the Amazon is a treasure beyond our
comprehension, literally. And
we are in there chopping it down so we can raise cattle for more
fast-food sandwiches.
As
John points out, we will surely destroy the rainforest unless we
realize that it is more valuable to us alive than dead.
We need to recognize its value and preserve
it.
With Una de gato, John has a tribe of Indians harvesting
the plant in what is simply a large pruning operation that
doesn't destroy the plants.
She
Cured Her Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Five Days
Tim
Eaton, another rainforest pioneer, was a bush pilot for a branch
of the South American Mission in the Peruvian rainforest.
He kept hearing about Una de gato from the natives,
investigated it and, like John, brought it out of the jungle.
His
partner's wife, Candace Abdella, had suffered with irritable
bowel syndrome for over ten years.
She had frequent bouts of pain and diarrhea, and had been
put through all the usual tests, upper and lower GIs.
Ten years ago, when the doctors said that they did not
know what to do but wanted to do more tests, she said,
"Thanks, but no thanks.
I will just live with it."
And she did.
She
started taking Una de gato about a year ago, and within five
days, all her symptoms were gone.
She was not a "pill taker," so she stopped
taking the herb, and in two days her symptoms returned.
She started taking it again, and has not had a single
problem since.
Recommendations
For
an acute or chronic illness, take three to six capsules or droppersful
[now 1 to 3 capsules or 1 - 2 teaspoons, ed] of the liquid extract daily.
For general health maintenance, take two or three
capsules or droppersful [now 1 tcapsule or 1 teaspoon, ed] per day.
An easy way to make tea is to add the liquid to a
cup of hot water. Capsules
might be better for intestinal tract problems, as that form of
the herb stays there longer.
Rainforest Bio-Energetics [now Amazon Herb Company,
ed.]
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Dr. Julian Whitaker
