The fight against bad bacteria

Pau d’Arco or Botanical name: Tabebuia species; also known as lapacho.

Possible uses: Fungal infections (Candida) viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections; and cancer.
Origin: West Indies (Native)Central and South America; 100 known species.
Side effects: Unknown.

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The tree can grow 125 feet tall and has been well documented by scientists as an excellent hardwood. The wood is believed to contain between 2 and 7 percent of a compound called lapachol; possibly the most active ingredient, beta-lapachone and quercetin.
On microorganisms, lapachol acts as a respiratory poison, interfering with their oxygen and energy production. One theory holds that beta-lapachone inhibits certain enzymes that viruses require to spread and grow. If that’s the case, having more beta-lapachone in our bodies would be an effective way to block viruses, says Debra Gibson, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in Woodbury, Connecticut.

Candida albicans has an enemy, that enemy is pau d’arco. Candida is always present to a small degree in our bodies, but it can reproduce uncontrollably under some circumstances. If your immune system is weak, you have diabetes, or you are pregnant, candida is more likely to take every opportunity to spread. Relief is often found by drinking a tea made with pau d’arco bark, says Kathleen Head, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in Sandpoint, Idaho, and senior editor of Alternative Medicine Review. A supplement will work as well, she adds. "If you’re a woman who has recurring yeast infections, this would be a very good herb to try," she says.

Pau d’arco has many references to its cancer-fighting properties.
Some herbalists and naturopaths use pau d’arco as one of their cancer-fighting phytomedicines.

The active ingredients in pau d’arco seem to be most present in the bark, the part traditionally used by the South American Indians.
Pau d’arco is available as a tincture, in capsules, and as dried bark, from which you can make a tea. You can find lapachol in capsules and tincture. "It’s really quite safe. It would be pretty hard to do yourself harm with it," Dr. Gibson says.
Although some animal studies of long-term, high-dose consumption of lapachol have shown that it may cause —a reduction of red blood cells that can lead to extreme fatigue and other symptoms—Dr. Gibson says that is very unlikely if you take typical medicinal doses.

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