Lapacho is the colloquial name of the lapacho tree found in South America. It belongs to the trumpet tree family (Bignoniaceae). Its bark is rich in valuable ingredients and is used to make medicinal and health teas.
Occurrence and cultivation of lapacho
The Incas made medicinal teas from the bark of the lapacho tree centuries ago. The Lapacho tree (Tabebuia impetiginosa) is characterized by its hard and heavy wood of high quality. Furthermore, it is famous for its smooth bark, which is used to make teas with a particularly healing effect. The tree can reach an age of 700 years and grow up to 20 meters in height during this time. It forms red or purple trumpet-shaped flowers. Its leaves are palmately divided. The Lapacho tree sheds its foliage and blooms from May to August. Its distribution areas are the virgin forests of South and Central America. There it has a long tradition, because the Incas already knew about the healing effect of its bark. They made medicinal teas from its bark centuries ago. The lapacho tree was also called the tree of life by them because of its healing powers.
Effect and application
The bark of Lapacho contains many valuable ingredients that have a positive effect on health. Therefore, the Incas already used the aqueous extracts of the bark for the production of medicinal and enjoyable teas. The Indians of Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru later adopted this tradition. Among other things, the bark contains many minerals, such as calcium, potassium and iron, and trace elements, such as iodine, boron, barium or strontium. Furthermore, it contains the active ingredients lapachol and lapachone from the group of naphthoquinone compounds, which have an antibiotic effect. Benzofurans, anthraquinones, flavonoids, coumarins, saponins or iridoid glycosides are found as further ingredients. Due to the combination of naphthoquinone compounds with other ingredients of Lapacho, it has a strong antibacterial effect. Thus, its action against the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus pneumoniae or Klebsiella has been demonstrated. The same applies to its antifungal effect against the fungi Candida albicans or Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans. Lapachone can also inhibit inflammatory reactions in the body. Several other naphthoquinone compounds from lapacho also prevent the growth of parasites. Lapachone also has antiviral activity against herpes viruses and various carcinogenic retroviruses. All these active ingredients are present in the medicinal tea obtained from the bark of Lapacho. Due to its ingredients, the tea has an earthy, slightly sweet taste with a vanilla note. In addition to the medicinal tea, there are several dosage forms for Lapacho. Thus, it is also offered in the form of capsules, drops or ampoules of various concentrations. It is also used in creams and body lotions. There are also preparations containing the powdered bark in capsules. To make the tea, two teaspoons of bark are boiled in a liter of water for five minutes and then left to steep for a quarter of an hour. In this process, the tea should not be stored in aluminum containers, because the slightly low pH can dissolve a little aluminum in the tea. Up to one liter of tea can be drunk a day. After six weeks, a break of about four weeks is recommended before the tea can be enjoyed again. Lapacho tea can also be used externally in the form of washes, baths, or tea-soaked compresses. There are no time limits for these applications. However, care should be taken not to apply the tea to wounds that are too large. Storage of all products made from Lapacho should be dry, away from heat sources and protected from light.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
For the Incas, lapacho was a universal remedy. Even today, many natives of South America use it to ward off many diseases. In North America, it has even become a fashionable remedy. However, lapacho is largely unknown in Europe. Opinions differ on the effects of lapacho. Some call it a true miracle cure. The tea is even said to cure cancer. Others consider the effect as a pure placebo. The effect of many ingredients of Lapacho is scientifically proven.However, it depends on how high the concentration is. The ingredient lapachol has been proven to attack carcinogenic retroviruses. However, to have an effect, 1.5 grams of this substance would be necessary. In lapacho, its concentration is much lower. Moreover, use at this high concentration would be out of the question due to negative side effects. However, it is undisputed that Lapacho otherwise has a broad spectrum of action. It possesses antibiotic activity against bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, its effectiveness against parasites has been proven. Thus, it is also used in folk medicine against malaria. It is also believed that Lapacho inhibits the development of the pathogens that cause sleeping sickness and schistosomiasis. It is also known that the active ingredient lapachol is effective against herpes viruses and various animal viruses. In addition, lapachone has an anti-inflammatory effect. Due to the healing effect of many ingredients of Lapacho, it is used, among other things, for colds, malaria, digestive problems, herpes, psoriasis, shingles or for wound healing. In addition to its antibiotic effect, it has anti-inflammatory, tonic, analgesic, antihypertensive, diuretic, diaphoretic and sedative effects. With moderate use of Lapacho, it may well contribute to a preventive effect against various diseases due to the strengthening of the immune system.
