{"entity":{"id":"pau-d-arco","kind":"technology","name":"Pau d'arco (lapacho, taheebo)","aka":[],"tldr":"Pau d'arco is a South American tree bark tea sold to treat infections and cancer. Its main ingredient, lapachol, had no effect in people with chronic myeloid leukaemia, and in animals large doses caused anaemia and harmed unborn young. It may add to blood thinners.","summary":"Pau d'arco comes from the inner bark of Tabebuia (Handroanthus) trees and is drunk as a tea or sold as tablets marketed for infections and cancer. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary lists antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant and anticancer effects in laboratory and animal work and says human studies are needed to validate them. Preliminary findings suggest it may help prevent oral mucositis during head and neck radiotherapy, but lapachol, an active constituent, had no clinical effect in patients with chronic myelocytic leukaemia. A clinical study reported nausea, vomiting and discoloured urine; in animals, large chronic doses of lapachol caused anaemia, reproductive and fetotoxic effects and chromosomal abnormalities. Pau d'arco may increase the activity of anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs.","status":"phase-2","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"MSK About Herbs: Pau d'arco (page last updated 13 April 2023)","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/pau-d-arco"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:insufficient"],"related":["cats-claw","noni-juice"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care","nutrition-lifestyle"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["unproven-diet-claims"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-misinformation"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Naphthoquinones such as lapachol and beta-lapachone are cytotoxic in cell culture and interfere with vitamin K-dependent clotting.","strengths":["Preliminary mucositis signal during radiotherapy"],"limitations":["Lapachol inactive in a leukaemia study","Anaemia and fetotoxicity in animals","Possible bleeding interaction"]},"route":"/technologies/pau-d-arco/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"cats-claw","kind":"technology","name":"Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa)","route":"/technologies/cats-claw/"},{"id":"dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions","kind":"technology","name":"Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms","route":"/technologies/dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"},{"id":"noni-juice","kind":"technology","name":"Noni juice (Morinda citrifolia)","route":"/technologies/noni-juice/"}],"section":[{"id":"nutrition-lifestyle","kind":"section","name":"Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle","route":"/fronts/nutrition-lifestyle/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"term":[{"id":"unproven-diet-claims","kind":"term","name":"Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets)","route":"/terms/unproven-diet-claims/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-misinformation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Misinformation and unproven therapies","route":"/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/"}]}}