Pau d’arco (or Lapacho) is an herb found in the rainforests of the Amazon and in South and Latin America. Pau d’arco bark has been used by indigenous Latin populations for centuries to address a spectrum of health problems and today its strong resistance to harmful organisms is still appreciated. Pau d’arco is commonly used to support indications of allergies, liver problems, and candida and yeast infections.
Benefits
Pau d’arco is considered to be analgesic, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, antiviral, astringent, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and laxative. It is thought to have anticancerous properties.
Pau d’arco extract is typically touted as a natural remedy for the following health problems:
- arthritis
- asthma
- bronchitis
- colds
- diabetes
- heart disease
- hemorrhoids
- high blood pressure
- inflammation
- lupus
- pain
- Parkinson’s disease
- psoriasis
- yeast infections
In addition, some proponents claim that pau d’arco can prevent and treat certain types of cancer, improve digestive health, boost the immune system, and promote detox.
Pau D’Arco’s effects are two-fold when it comes to Candida. Firstly the herb helps to loosen the bowels. Not enough to cause diarrhea, but enough to wash out old fecal matter (see our cleansing page) and expose the Candida yeast.
Secondly, Pau D’Arco acts as a powerful antifungal agent. It contains several classes of compounds, lapachol, xyloidone and various napthaquinones. The most important of these is lapachol, which has been shown to inhibit the growth of Candida.
