Cat’s Claw Usage and Diabetes
Answered by: Conrad Richter and Susan Eagles
Question from: Michael
Posted on: May 26, 1999

Thanks a lot for your quick reply to my letter. I am glad that you give so good service to your customers. I am so impressed. Thanks a lot keep it up. However I wish to ask for some urgent information on the Cat’s Claw herb which I bought from you. My enquiries are:

1. Please give me some information on how to use the Cat’s Claw. (The dosage on each of the diseases it cures (e.g HIV, Diabetes etc.).

Kenneth Jones has written an excellent book called "Cat’s Claw: Healing Vine of Peru" which is available from Richters. It has details on the usage of cat’s claw in the treatment of many diseases, and includes references to scientific and medical research.

According to Jones, the Ashaninka of Peru prepare a tea by boiling an ounce of fresh shreded bark (ca. 30 grams) in about a liter of water. The dry equivalent would be about 10 grams, although the Ashininka always use the fresh bark because it is readily available, and because they believe the curative properties diminish over time. There is no mention of different doses used for different diseases, except for contraception (see below).

The bark is boiled for one hour and is taken cold during the day. Jones does not say how much as taken each day, but if too much is taken the tea causes stools to be become loose. Much larger doses, up to 5-6 kilograms of bark boiled as tea down to one cup of liquid, can be tolerated because the Ashaninka women use it for contraceptive purposes this way.

2. Which drug (herb) you think is the best so far for diabetes? I need to know about a drug which is already prepared and ready for use like the Cat’s Claw which you just sent to me.

In diabetes, herbs which promote circulation such as Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) leaf and flower, Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacanthoides) berry and Ginkgo biloba leaf are used. Bilberries are used to prevent eye problems such as glaucoma.

Echinacea angustifolia root is useful as an immune stimulant to prevent infection.

In adult onset diabetes, liver herbs such as Dandelion root work well to stimulate the pancreas.

The roots and dried berries can be combined, and a teaspoon of the mix simmered in a cup of water for 15 minutes. The leaves and flowers can be combined and one teaspoon of the mix steeped in a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes. Each tea can be taken three times a day.

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