Hypertension, seizures treated with TCM Cat Claw herb

What is Cat’s Claw herb(Gou Teng)?
TCM wise it refers no Uncaria tomentosa but the dried stems and thorns of Uncaria rhyunchophylla (Miq.) Jacks., Uncaria macrophylla Wall., Uncaria hirsuta Havil., Uncaria sinensis (Oliv.) Havil., or Uncaria sessilifructus Roxb., vine plants that belong to the family rubiaceae. It is named so simply because it has hook-like horns. And this herb has a few different common names, including Gambir Vine, Ramulus cum uncis Uncariae, Gambir, Uncaria rhynchophylla, stems of gambir vine, gambir, uncaria vine, and so on. Medicinally it is primarily produced from the south of the Yangtze River to Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and other provinces. Usually it is harvested during autumn and winter. The medicinal part is the young twigs with hooks. After the harvest, remove the leaves, cut into sections, and dry in the sun.

Uncaria rhynchophylla is an evergreen woody vine. And the Cat’s Claw bush can grow to up to 10 meter. Branchlets are quadrangular, brown, clean and hairless. Leaf axils have binate or solitary hook, which bents down, 1.7 to 2cm long, and with pointed tip. Leaves are opposite and petiolate. Leaf blade is ovate, ovate-oblong or elliptic, 5 to 12cm long, and 3 to 7cm wide. Inflorescence is solitary, axillary capitulum or apical raceme, in the diameter of 2 to 2.5cm. Peduncle is slender and 2 to 5cm long. Flowers are yellow and corolla is connate. Capsule is obovate or oval, sparsely pubescent, and with persistent calyx. And both ends of seeds are winged.

Cats Claw benefits
As explained above, it has been an increasingly popular herb due to so many health benefits available. As a result, the consumption of Cat Claw is relatively easier today since there are so many ready-made products you can choose from, such as cats claw tea, extract, supplement, bark powder, capsules, ointment, pills, tincture, and so on. And if you are still skeptical about its efficacy, its pharmacology may be the testimonials and reassurance you are looking for.

Modern pharmacological actions of Cat’s Claws
1. This herb itself, Rhynchophylla total alkaloids, and rhynchophylline can bring down various animals’ normal blood pressure and hypertension;
2. Its decoction can significantly calm the mice;
3. Its ethanol extract can stop the seizures of experimental epilepsy in guinea pig. And it also resists pentetrazole-induced convulsion to some extent;
4. Its intravenous injection in rats can antagonize arrhythmias induced by aconitine, barium chloride, and calcium chloride;
5. It can inhibit platelet aggregation and has a certain hypolipidemic capacity and antithrombotic effect.