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Wellness Tea / Medicinal Tea: Lapacho / Taheebo

Last Updated: Mar. 26, 2010

Lapacho
from Upton Tea

Lapacho or Taheebo, is an herbal tea made from the inner bark of the Tabebuia impetiginosa tree, native to the Amazon rainforest and other areas of South America.[1] "Lapacho" refers to both the tree and the tea, whereas "Taheebo" refers only to the tea. Lapacho is sometimes sold under the name Pau d'arco, which can be misleading because that name also refers to different trees of the same genus.

Health Effects & Medicinal Use:

Although it is sometimes sold as a beverage, lapacho has mainly been used as a medicinal plant, and has been used to treat diabetes, gastric ulcers, and as a pain killer[2], as well as to treat cancer, tumors, and bacterial infections.[1] One of the active ingredients, lapachol, was found to have anti-cancer properties, but was abandoned as a treatment for cancer because of toxic side-effects from a large enough dosage to fight cancer. Lapacho should be used in moderation due to this toxicity. There is evidence of reproductive toxicity in rats.[3]

References:

1. J. Rubén Gómez Castellanos, José M. Prieto, Michael Heinrich, Red Lapacho (Tabebuia impetiginosa)—A global ethnopharmacological commodity?, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Vol. 121, No. 1, Jan. 12, 2009, pp. 1-13.

2. Arvores medicinais - Pau D'arco, University of São Paulo, Retrieved Jan. 21, 2009 (in Portugese)

3. Rita de Cássia da Silveira, Martha de Oliveira Guerra, Reproductive toxicity of lapachol in adult male Wistar rats submitted to short-term treatment, Phytotherapy Research, Vol. 21, No. 7, pp. 658-662.

Listings of this style of tea: (2 including sub-styles - hide sub-styles)

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