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Cat's claw

Cat's claw is a woody vine from the Amazon rainforest, and its bark has long been made into teas and extracts that are thought to influence how immune cells behave. People mostly look at it for immune health, and in the one small study reviewed here, white blood cell counts went up, though the evidence is limited. That study involved only four participants and tested a specific extract, so it can't tell us whether the finding would hold for other people or other products.

Sources: PMID 10687868

Best evidence
Grade C
Conditions studied
2
Outcomes
2
Graded outcomes
0010

Evidence by condition

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

2 conditions

Immune Health: outcomes studied for Cat's claw
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
White Blood Cell Count

Small Increase

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect1 study4 people
Metabolic Health: outcomes studied for Cat's claw
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
White Blood Cell CountImproves (the measure goes up)1 study4 people

Key findings

  • White Blood Cell CountImmune HealthImproves (the measure goes up)

Studies cited

1 study from PubMed

  1. Enhanced DNA repair, immune function and reduced toxicity of C-MED-100, a novel aqueous extract from Uncaria tomentosaJ Ethnopharmacol · PMID 10687868