| Click on any of the
herbs below for more information.
A Promising Future...
Some claims have been made in the past that the root of the Cat's Claw plant is in
some way superior to the inner bark. There is no evidence of this from literature nor from
the indigenous peoples. Furthermore, harvesting of the root is not only illegal, but it
also jeopardizes future availability of cat's claw.
For many years there have been laws in Peru banning harvest of the roots. Yet
only recently has the government started enforcing these laws, because now the dramatic
increase in demand over the last few years has made the threat of extinction real. It has
been estimated that unless the laws against harvesting the root are enforced, cat's claw
could become extinct within the next five years.
Cat's claw is an herb that may have a bright future, contributing greatly to the
economic welfare of Peru. But to ensure its success, there must be a continued focus on
sustainable harvesting techniques and even possible commercial cultivation. This
emphasizes the importance of advocating the preservation of the rain forest and at the
same time promoting the use of sustainable agriculture methods. By creating an income
stream for medicinal herbs, an awareness is also developed of how rain forest is
tremendously more valuable alive than dead. |
Cat's Claw:
A Legendary Plant
For hundreds of years Indian tribes of Peru have harvested cat's claw and used the root
and inner bark for medicinal preparations. Jorge Cebreros Lizarraga, who coordinates
coffee growing and herb buying for Frontier in Peru, told us this ancient Ashaninka legend
about cat's claw.
"One night in the Peruvian jungle, under a full moon and under the watchful eye of
the "Kashiri" god, supreme being of the Ashaninkas, a hunter went out in search
of food for his family. After long hours of frustrated hunting, his strength already
exhausted, the hunter saw a fierce jaguar clawing a vine and drinking the water coming
from it. After drinking the water, the jaguar pounced on a monkey that happened to be
passing by.
Surprised by what he'd seen, the hunter approached the plant and drank the water from
the vine. Instantly his body was filled with vitality. He decided to continue his journey,
taking part of the plant with him. He noticed that the plant looked a lot like the claws
of the jaguar.
The next morning the hunter woke after a deep sleep, still full of strength. He
continued his journey and was successful in his hunt to find food for his family."
For the Ashaninkas, the strength and fierceness of the jaguar was not a coincidence.
They believe it was the result of the magic revitalizing and curative power of the cat's
claw - or samento, as it is called by the tribe. From the time this legend came into
being, the Ashaninkas tribe has used the vine for many medicines. Furthermore, they
respect the jaguar because the Kashiri god chose it to introduce cat's claw to the tribe.
They fear the jaguar but never hunt it, because the god would be upset and bring upon them
death from hunger and disease.
Today, the harvesting of cat's claw is done by the Shipibo people, as well as other
tribes native to this region. The Shipibo are actually part of a consortium of Indian
groups in the South Amazon Basin that includes approximately 25 native Indian groups.
The Shipibo harvest cat's claw by making a cut in the vine 45 centimeters long and then
scraping the debris from the carapa, or bark. Afterwards, the bark is peeled and carried
to a central location to be chipped and dried in the sun for approximately four days.
Cat's claw is one of the many medicinal plants that was respected by the ancestors of
the Shipibo and other tribes in the region. To mistreat this or other medicinal plants is
prohibited. But the Shipibo people don't rely only on government laws to ensure future
harvests of cat's claw. They have their own internal law, or code of ethics. For every
medicinal tree or plant that is harvested, two new vines are planted, assuring future
harvests and future forest protection.
For many years the peoples of this region were exploited by settlers invading their
land. The tribes were given one kilogram of sugar and soap in return for 50 kilograms of
cat's claw. Since the tribes had their own economic systems, they had no understanding of
world market economy. In fact, until the settlers began trading with them, the indigenous
peoples were not even aware of the plant's marketability. It didn't take long for the
settlers to start exploring the forests themselves in an effort to bypass having to deal
with the tribes - many times destroying whole areas of the forest in order to harvest the
cat's claw.
The Shipibo as well as the other peoples of this area have an intimate understanding of
their environment. The forest is their market as well as their hospital and their home. To
protect it, they learned about the market economy and how it impacts harvest of cat's
claw. For them, it is the only way to be self-supporting since their traditional
agriculture is not sufficient and other products have not been marketable.
Cat's claw is an important part of Shipibo culture. As with other tribes, the
information is passed orally from parent to child through many generations. For hundreds
of years many native Indian tribes have used this inner bark and root to prepare a
medicinal tea.
The botanical genus of cat's claw, Uncaria, is found throughout the tropics as well as
in Asia, Africa, and South America. The two species most desirable for its constituents
are Uncaria Tomentosa and Uncaria Cuianensis. Frontier sells Uncaria Tomentosa, certified
by the National University of San Marcos and The Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture. It is
difficult for the novice to tell the difference between the various species. The primary
difference is the shape of the flower and leaf. The leaves of Uncaria Tomentosa are
oviform and near the petiole, which is the leaf stalk. Its claw-like or hook-like thorns,
which look very much like the claws of a cat, are located right below the leaves. Hence,
its common name, cat's claw.
Uncaria Tomentosa (cat's claw) is a woody vine that grows to more than 100 feet in
length, winding itself upward through the trees in the highlands of the Peruvian rain
forests. The vines attach themselves as they wind their way through the trees. The best
growing areas for cat's claw is in the organic soils between 900 and 2900 feet above sea
level.
In addition to the Indians who market this product, there are some reputable companies
that harvest Uncaria Tomentosa. This is done by chopping the vine approximately three feet
above the ground in order to leave the root undisturbed. The vine can grow back and reach
maturity again in about four years. It can then be harvested again.
Frontier, the company who makes all of our herbal capsules, has been
working with the Shipibo people through Jorge Cebreros Lizarraga. They have developed an
excellent relationship of mutual respect with the people of Peru and their land. This
exchange contributes to a morally and ecologically balanced framework, supporting both
their need for economic development and our need for cat's claw. It also helps build trust
and respect between our cultures while sharing and preserving this treasure of the rain
forest.
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