Cat’s Claw Provides Relief From Rheumatoid Arthritis

There’s an interesting debate heating up among supporters of the herb Cat’s Claw. On the one hand, its track record of providing centuries of relief for a wide range of conditions from asthma to ulcers speaks for itself. On the other, a group of scientists have isolated its individual properties – and it is these findings that are causing the controversy.

Just to provide you with a bit of background information first. Back in the 1970s scientists began investigating Cat’s Claw and identified several components thought to contribute to its therapeutic powers. They catalogued at least six types of alkaloids, called oxidole alkaloids, which they found to have specific benefits for boosting immunity. In dozens of clinical studies since then, Cat’s Claw’s oxindole alkaloids have demonstrated their ability to stimulate the immune system and increase white blood cell production, as well as relieve inflammation.

Then a few years ago, a group of Austrian scientists probed a little deeper… and that’s where the trouble started. They classified Cat’s Claw’s oxidole alkaloids into two distinct groups: pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs) and tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs). Their research showed that the POAs alone were responsible for Cat’s Claw’s immune-enhancing effects – and that the TOAs actually inhibited the positive effects of the POAs.

Yet these studies were funded or performed by a company selling a TOA-free Cat’s Claw product, which makes you wonder whether there is a vested interest.

The idea that one of the constituents ‘does all the work’ doesn’t sit well with many medical experts, who point to decades of Cat’s Claw research that demonstrates the plant’s power without specifying TOA and POA content, and to the synergistic effects of the many other active phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals) in Cat’s Claw.

Arthritis – Cat’s Claw: Can science really outsmart nature?

One expert who is sceptical about the validity of the findings against TOA is US HSI panellist and herbal researcher Leslie Taylor. In a report titled, ‘The Cat’s Claw TOA/POA Controversy’, she wrote: ‘I’ve seen too many times where nature has provided us with a great beneficial and biologically-active medicinal plant – and a rich indigenous history of effective use – but some have a compelling need to alter its chemical composition.

‘The number of compounds present in such plants is staggering, and their interactions are subtle; science can only hope to understand most of them. I don’t believe that science can state, at this point, that Cat’s Claw’s ‘active constituents’ are its alkaloids (or just one group of alkaloids), extract them, and expect them to work as efficiently as the natural form,’ she says.

Arthritis – Cat’s Claw: Effective relief from painful joints

While the jury may still be out on TOA-free Cat’s Claw, a recent study at Austria’s Innsbruck University Hospital demonstrated the effectiveness of it in this form against rheumatoid arthritis.

In this clinical trial, 40 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were recruited. In the first phase of the study (lasting 24 weeks), participants were divided into two groups and received either a capsule containing 60mg of TOA-free Cat’s Claw extract or a placebo three times a day. In the second phase (lasting 28 weeks), all participants received the Cat’s Claw extract capsules.

Surely, if the doctors were so confident that TOA-free Cat’s Claw is superior, wouldn’t it have made sense to have a three-way trial – one that tested standard Cat’s Claw vs. the TOA-free variety vs. a placebo? That would have allowed them to measure any true impact the TOA was having – negative or positive.

At the beginning of phase one, all the RA patients’ symptoms were assessed in a number of ways: by the number of tender and swollen joints; by the Ritchie index, a widely accepted tool for assessing RA symptoms; and by the duration of stiffness each morning. Participants were also asked to use a visual analog scale (VAS), which is essentially a long line they mark to reflect the severity of their pain. At the end of the first 24 weeks, the Cat’s Claw-treated patients’ scores had been cut in half in several significant areas.

Their number of tender joints fell from 7.7 to 3.8, and their Ritchie index scores declined from 5.5 to 2.9. (In comparison, the placebo group went from 8.3 to 6.3 respectively, and their Ritchie Index scores moved from 4.8 to 4.2.) During phase two, the phase one placebo group began taking TOA-free Cat’s Claw, and soon they began reaping the benefits as well. After beginning Cat’s Claw therapy, the former placebo group lowered its number of tender joints to 2.7, and saw its Ritchie Index score plummet to 1.8. Even better, the original treated group continued to see additional gains in phase two; its number of tender joints was reduced to 2.5, and Ritchie Index fell to 2.4.

98% of patients improved; more energy, better mental clarity, and more
Another recent study, published in the British Naturopathic Journal, supports these findings on RA and reports on TOA-free Cat’s Claw’s efficacy against a wide range of other health concerns. In this clinical review, Dr John Kule of the East Aiken Health Center, South Carolina in the US, discussed his treatment of 60 patients with the new formulation.

Overall, Dr Kule says that 98 per cent of his patients have shown clinical improvement after treatment. Specifically, he highlights seven case studies showing that TOA-free Cat’s Claw increases energy, improves mental clarity, decreases inflammation, lowers blood pressure and reduces blood sugar.7

Arthritis – Cat’s Claw: What to take for best results

As the debate between the Cat’s Claw camps continues, you should be aware that TOA-free Cat’s Claw is slightly more expensive than regular Cat’s Claw. Its proponents justify the price jump as necessary to cover the additional expenses of harvesting and verifying the plant’s alkaloid content.

Critics say the additional testing is unnecessary and consumers can obtain the same benefits with regular Cat’s Claw. They point out that it’s been used for at least 2,000 years to relieve pain and treat rheumatism, arthritis, swelling and infections.

However, since the two have never been tested against each other, our advice would be to let your pain and your wallet decide. Whichever one you choose you can rest assured that there are no side effects attached to either. Just bear in mind that, as with all natural remedies, Cat’s Claw may take up to three months before significant improvements are experienced.

On a related note, read the product’s label carefully and make sure you are getting Uncaria tomentosa and not one of the other varieties of Cat’s Claw out there. As Cat’s Claw has become more popular, Uncaria tomentosa has become harder to find, and some suppliers are now substituting another Cat’s Claw species called Uncaria guianensis, which isn’t the real thing. See the individual product’s label for dosage details.

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