Cat's Claw

This treatment modality is used in place of conventional therapies to treat cancer. Seek advice from a qualified physician before replacing standard cancer therapy with cat’s claw treatment.

What does cat's claw treatment involve?

Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is a plant most often imported from the rainforests of Peru. Its inner bark is used for a variety of medicinal purposes including cancer and tumors. Cat's claw can be taken as a liquid, capsule or tea.

How is cat's claw thought to treat cancer?

Cat's claw contains a group of alkaloids that are thought to possess anti-cancer and antitumor activity and stimulate the immune system.

What has been proven about the benefit of cat's claw?

Cat's claw's role in improving the immune system in cancer patients has been recently reported. Many of the alkaloids in cat's claw have demonstrated immunostimulant properties in the laboratory. The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center performed a human studies literature review of cat's claw and found three studies relevant to cancer.  The evidence for the efficacy of cat's claw was inconclusive due to the small study population.

What is the potential risk or harm of cat's claw?

Though little published data exists, no serious side effects have been reported, and cat's claw is considered low in toxicity.  However cat’s claw may block platelets from forming clots, so concurrent use with other blood thinning drugs, such as aspirin, is not recommended.

How much does cat's claw cost?

The cost of cat's claw varies with the product formulation. Prices begin at $6.00 for capsules and $6.00 per ounce for liquids.

For additional information:

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Boulevard
Houston, TX  77030
Telephone:  (800) 392-1611
Web site:  www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/

Note: Information about therapies is intended to help you make informed choices, not to endorse any particular therapy. The information is courtesy of "Integrating Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Cancer Patients," a handbook written as an independent study project by Heather Morein. For more information, see the full text of the handbook (PDF), including all references and appendices.