2.11 Pau D'Arco

by Dennis McClain-Furmanski (dynasor.infi.net)
Pau D'Arco (Tabebuia impetiginosa), also known as Taheebo and Lapacho colorado, is a tree native to the Andes and nearby rain forests. The bark, and in particular the inner bark lining, is scraped and turned into a tea. It has been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples as an immunofortifier.
Recent pharmacologic studies have uncovered the anti-tumor agent lapachol, as well as the anti-candidas agent xylidione, and the consistent effects of both have gathered the interest of the global pharmacological community. Claims that the tea contains a large proportion of oxygen in solution have peaked the interest of the oxygen-therapy movement, and it is being considered for anti-AIDS/HIV testing.
The normal preparation is a small amount of scraped bark prepared as a normal tea. The taste is reported to be heady and pleasant.

From hrbmoore.rt66.com (Michael Moore), as a sidenote in a post on herbs and fibroids:
I, frankly, have no idea why you would want to use Pau D'Arco (Tabebuia spp.). It is a useful anti-oxidant and anti-fungal. I fail to see its implication with fibroids. Besides, it is a pocket-change byproduct of rain-forest timbering...don't let anyone fool you otherwise.

From Susan Marynowski (sumar.mail.ifas.ufl.edu):
Pau d'arco is a common street and park tree of central and southern Florida. It can easily be grown in a Florida backyard where it would be protected from freezing. Because of the value of this tree, I often encourage people to grow or collect their own in Florida instead of purchasing rainforest product.