Get to Know Pau d’Arco

What Is Pau d’arco – General Information on the Plant and Its Practical Benefits

Medicinal herbs are increasingly popular today, as more and more people find naturopathic medicine more helpful and safe than synthetic drugs. The use of traditional herbs has always been a time-honored approach in treating different forms of illness and alleviating various symptoms. One powerful herb today is Tabebuia avellanedae, more commonly known as pau d’arco. Are you wondering what is pau d’arco? It would be understandable: for all its popularity in certain societies, it is a virtual unknown in others.

Pau d’arco is an evergreen tea commonly found in South and Central America. It has broad leaves and reaches 125 feet. It has extremely hard wood, making it resistant to decay or disease. Pau d’arco is also known as Lapacho, with tribal names as Taheebo and Ipe Roxo (typically misspelled as “epay”). Pau d’arco owes its medicinal properties to its tree bark, particularly the inner bark referred to as phloem.

Pau d’arco has been an integral part of traditional medicine in most South American countries. The native Indian tribes in Northern Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and other South American countries have taken pau d’arco for thousands of years. Even prior to the arrival of Spanish, the Tupi-Nambo and Guarani tribes used a huge amount of lapacho tea. Still, the use of pau d’arco may not be limited to Southern America. According to a Yugoslavian scientist, there is evidence of the plant being used by the Russians and Vikings. Also, he claims that a toothpaste containing pau d’arco was manufactured during the late 1800’s and may have been effective in tooth decay prevention. [Continue reading]