Lapacho or taheebo is

herbal tea Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term ...

made from the inner bark of the pau d'arco tree ''

Handroanthus impetiginosus ''Handroanthus impetiginosus'', the pink ipê, pink lapacho or pink trumpet tree, is a tree in the family Bignoniaceae, distributed throughout North, Central and South America, from northern Mexico south to northern Argentina. It is the national ...

''. Lapacho is used in the herbal medicine of several South and Central American indigenous peoples to treat a number of ailments including infection, fever and stomach complaints. The active ingredients such as lapachol have been found to possess significant abortifacient and

reproductive toxicity Reproductive toxicity refers to the potential risk from a given chemical, physical or biologic agent to adversely affect both male and female fertility as well as offspring development. Reproductive toxicants may adversely affect sexual function ...

effects for rats. Taheebo is the common name for the inner bark of the red or purple lapacho tree. This tree grows high in the Andes of the South American rainforest. The red lapacho's purple-colored inner bark was one of the main medicines used by the Incas and has been used for over 1,000 years by the

Kallawaya The Kallawaya are an indigenous group living in the Andes of Bolivia. They live in the Bautista Saavedra Province and Muñecas Province of the La Paz Department but are best known for being an itinerant group of traditional healers that t ...

. Lapacho is traditionally promoted by herbalists as a treatment for a number of human ailments, including

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. According to the American Cancer Society, "available evidence from well-designed, controlled studies does not support this substance as an effective treatment for cancer in humans", and using it risks harmful side-effects.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Herbal tea Fetotoxins Abortifacients Alternative cancer treatments

See also

References