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Pau'darco(Tabebuia_impetiginosa)
Pink Lapacho; Handroanthus impetiginosus
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: Pau d’ arco;[3] tajibo;[3] taheebo;[3] tajy pyta;[3] pink ipê;[3] pink trumpet tree;[3] tajibo morado;[3] ipê roxo;[3] pink lapacho;[3]
Classification: Non-psychoactive medicinal tree, and a honey-plant.[1] Honeybees usually collect nectar, pollen, or both from "honey plants" like Paudarco.[1]
Plant Family: Bignoniaceae;[1] Genus: Tabebuia(or Handroanthus);[1] Species: T. and / or H. impetiginosus;[1]
Ethnobotany: It is the inner bark of the Paudarco tree that herbalist and indigenos cultures sought after for medicinal purposes. Pink lapacho(T./H. impetiginosa) is prized by the Spanish and Portuguese Americans, who use the bark to treat variou conditions, including: as an abortifacient, anti-anemic, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antifungal, to promote wound healing, against diverse parasites (including Leishmania, Schistosoma, Trypanosoma, and Toxocara), as an antipyretric (drugs that lower fever), to treat stomach ulcers, and for diarrhea, as well as to relieve flatulence."[3] Pink Lapacho(Paudarco) is native to the Amazon rainforest and other parts of Latin America.[7] There, it is believed by the indigenous culture to be useful in treating fever, malaria, bacterial and fungal infections, and skin diseases.[7] It's thanks to ethnobotanist, that phytochemist know which ethnobotanicals to study in the lab.[9][10] These scholars(ethnobotanist) are responsbile for the future discovery of drugs and medicines, and eventually new pharmceuticals.[9][10] It's all thanks to the ethnobotanical specimens that this is made possible, and the ethnobotanist who document their use.[9][10] On that note, I want to add that the ethnobotanical industry has a lot of sabotage, corruption, and organized crime attached to it, so beware who you buy from.
OG Observations (My experiences with Paudarco): It has a rather bitter taste, but remarkable healing abilities. I group it in with Echinacea, and Goldenseal, as well as related herbs. It's something I used to take when I was addicted to brand named Tobacco, and when the poisons would build up in my system I would drink Pau'darco tea to combat it. I could feel the results of the Paudarco tea cleansing the toxcitity out of my body. I've also noticed results drinking the tea when feeling sick(flu,cold, etc). I used to do affiliate marketing for Bouncing Bear Botanicals too, so I know what I'm talking about. I've gotten to try insane amounts of really cool herbal remedies used by the Native Americans, shamans of Peru, and other cultures across the globe.
Natural Habitat: Central and South America;[1][2] It's found throughout Latin America and the West indies.[3] The bark is boiled in water to make a tea or decoction, and used topically as a wash.[3] It can be made into DIY homemade soaps and other herbal products(like the kind people sell on ETSY)
Mixes well with: I have a ton of experience with Paudarco(Pink Lapacho), and it is one of my favorites, as well as something I always keep in my herbal stash. Because of my experience with it, I can tell you that it vibes well with: (and you can combine all fo these together to make tea with) Echinacea, Mullein, Goldenseal, Coltsfoot, Yucca, Yarrow, and Chamomile. Combine all of these into a potent tea, and you'll feel tons better. I swear by it. The recipe that I just shared I use for detox.
What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemistry is the study of pharmacological chemical components produced by plants.[8] This is how we know how these plants work as medicine, and that they DO in fact work. The studies always yield results that indicate the miraculous healing potential of these ethnobotanicals, and that God truly is the author of all medicine. Ecclesiastes 3:1
Phytochemicals: β lapachone;[3] β lapachone is a topoisomerase inhibitor;[3] It can be used as an anticancer drug.[3] Methyl palmitate, methyl linoleate, methyl oleate, and methyl stearate also are produced by the Paudarco tree.[5] These chemicals each have a wide range of pharmacological activities(medicinal properties). Something to note for foragers: "Lapachol and related naphthoquinones have been reported as constituents of most Tabebuia species so far studied."[6] Other phytochemical constituents of Pink lapacho(Paudarco) include: quinones, flavonoids, naphthoquinones, and benzoic acids.[7]
Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties: β-lapachone, an active component of Paudarco, has anti-proliferative properties against various cancers, including pancreatic, pulmonary, breast, and prostate cancers.[3] Beta-lapachone has a cytotoxic effect and the loss of telomerase activity in leukemia cells in vitro.[4] One scholarly study concludes: "The Tabebuia genus is extremely important in traditional medicine, and possesses considerable bioprospecting potential, supporting further studies and strengthening the development of herbal medicines."[11] Wikipedia defines "bioprospecting" as: "Bioprospecting (also known as biodiversity prospecting) is the exploration of natural sources for small molecules, macromolecules and biochemical and genetic information that could be developed into commercially valuable products for the agricultural, aquaculture, bioremediation, cosmetics, nanotechnology, or pharmaceutical"
Related Ethnobotanicals: Echinacea, Mullein, Goldenseal, Coltsfoot, Yucca, Yarrow, and Chamomile
Buy Pink Lapacho Bark Here
Academic citations:
[3] https://www.utep.edu/herbal-safety/herbal-facts/herbal%20facts%20sheet/lapacho.html
[4] Moon, DO; Kang, CH; Kim, MO; Jeon, YJ; Lee, JD; Choi, YH; Kim, GY (2010). "Beta-lapachone (LAPA) decreases cell viability and telomerase activity in leukemia cells: Suppression of telomerase activity by LAPA". Journal of Medicinal Food. 13 (3): 481–8. doi:10.1089/jmf.2008.1219. PMID 20438329.
[5] Santos, Luana Cristina Diniz, et al. "Chemical characterization, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxicity of fatty acids methyl esters from Handroanthus impetiginosus (Mart. ex DC.) Mattos (Bignoniaceae) seeds." Natural Product Research 38.4 (2024): 619-623.
[6] Awang, Dennis VC, et al. "Naphthoquinone constituents of commercial lapacho/pau d'arco/taheebo products." Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants 2.4 (1995): 27-43.
[7] Zhang, Jianmei, et al. "Tabebuia impetiginosa: a comprehensive review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, and immunopharmacological properties." Molecules 25.18 (2020): 4294.
[8] Burrell, R. C. "Phytochemistry. What it is and how it has developed." Journal of Chemical Education 14.11 (1937): 520.
[11] Brito, Maria Cristiane Aranha, et al. "Anti-inflammatory and cicatrizing properties of the Tabebuia genus: A review." Research, Society and Development 10.9 (2021): e27510918072-e27510918072.
Book Sources:
[9] Balick, Michael J., and Paul Alan Cox. Plants, people, and culture: the science of ethnobotany. Garland Science, 2020.
[10] Swerdlow, Joel L. Nature’s Medicine : Plants That Heal. Washington, D.C., National Geographic Society, 2000.
Encyclopedia Sources:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handroanthus_impetiginosus
[2] Plants For A Future Archive
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov