5 Benefits Of Pau D'Arco

Native to the Amazon rainforest, pau d’arco has years of healing power behind it—here are our top reasons to give this antimicrobial herb a try

- Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, RH, DC-N

Pau d’arco is an herb made from the inner bark of Tabebuia trees (Tabebuia impetiginosa and Tabebuia avellanedae), which grow in the Amazon rainforest. Known for their bright pink-purple flowers, Tabebuia trees can grow up to 125 feet tall. Also called taheebo or lapacho, pau d’arco is best known as a remedy for candida, but it has been long used by indigenous peoples as a treatment for stomach, skin, and inflammatory conditions. Here are five reasons to supplement with pau d’arco:

1. It Has Antibacterial Properties

Research suggests that pau d’arco bark has antibacterial and antifungal properties. While its exact mechanism of healing is unknown, pau d’arco is thought to inhibit the processes that bacteria and fungi need to produce energy. Several compounds found in the plant’s inner bark are thought responsible for its beneficial health effects. For example, a study in Phytomedicine found that betalapachone (a chemical in pau d’arco) helps inhibit and treat methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Pau d’arco was also shown to help slow the growth of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium associated with stomach ulcers. And another study published in Phytotherapy Research found that pau d’arco significantly accelerates healing of gastric ulcers in rats.