Vincaria is a patent-pending extract derived from the bark of a vine found only in the Rainforest of Central & South America. It is commonly known as Uña de gato or literally “Cat’s Claw” because its claw-shaped thorns resemble the claws of a cat.

Uña de gato is a very large “vine” – woody like a tree - with a diameter of as much as 8-10 inches that grows to a height of 25 meters (82 feet). It is a very hearty plant and much like a weed, found throughout the rainforests.

It has a history of medical use in the jungle for a variety of conditions. The vine is harvested, the bark shredded and brewed as a tea. This tea is then consumed as a treatment for asthma, inflammation, rheumatism and arthritis, gastrointestinal problems – like ulcers and gastritis – as well as cancer, diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver – to name only a few applications.

There are actually two different species of Cat’s Claw: one is called tomentosa (toe-men-toe-sa) and the other guianensis (gee-a-nen-sis). Physically, they are very similar with the main exception being the shape of their thorns: tomentosa has a straight “claw” while in comparison, guianensis’ is markedly curved. However, both species are harvested and used interchangeably.

Uña de gato was the first Amazonian plant that we analyzed and we started by using tomentosa. Tomentosa is the form currently found and promoted in the West and encompasses most – if not all – of the scientific research. The reasons for this are unclear but in the 1970s when it was “discovered” by an Austrian journalist and subsequently analyzed – starting the modern study of the plant – the material used was tomentosa.

Almost as soon as research began (and primarily to this day), the focus was identifying novel chemicals in the plant that could be responsible for its variety of reported actions^1-8. Different chemicals were isolated - primarily concentrating on those known as alkaloids - and found to stimulate the immune system^9-11 but reduce inflammation^12-14, inhibit tumor growth¹⁵, have antiviral activity¹⁶, enhance DNA repair^17-18 and improve memory¹⁹. Branded forms of tomentosa began to be promoted with the highest concentration of certain alkaloids²⁰ and patents issued for methods to isolate these alkaloids and for their use to enhance the immune system^21-24.

To us, something did not sit right. Arthritis, bronchitis, allergies, and many other diseases are characterized by inflammation: it is an immune response. So in these conditions, as in many others, the immune system has “kicked in” – is “enhanced” and inflamed - overcompensating in some cases. The pharmacological treatment for these conditions is to suppress the immune system – for example, reduce the inflammation of arthritis, bronchial tubes or nasal passageways. Therefore, if as reported the alkaloids enhanced the immune system, they could not at the same time be the chemicals responsible for suppressing the immune system.

Also, the Amazonians strip the bark of Una de gato, boil it in water and drink it: this is a traditional method for making tea or a water (aka “aqueous”) extraction. In research, we also brew another form of tea, using alcohol (or another “organic” liquid) in place of water (an organic extraction). When you make a tea using water or alcohol, two totally different types of chemicals are extracted and found in the liquid. Most of the modern research involved a non-water extraction method – opposite of what the Amazonians had been using for generations.

As typical, we were more interested in how Uña de gato worked rather than what it was – what was the chemical or chemicals – that actually made it work. If you know how something works, you can apply its use to diseases that work in the same way.

Using a traditional water extraction of tomentosa, our first published study (and a major breakthrough) showed that it regulated a protein in the body known as nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB)²⁵. This was followed by a study in which we showed that it reduced the release of an inflammatory gene called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa)²⁶. NFkB acts as an “on-off” switch for releasing TNFa and TNFa causes inflammation. Thus, by turning NFkB “off,” tomentosa prevented the release of TNFa and inflammation. This is how Cat’s Claw works and we were the first to show it.

Next, we looked at the ethnomedical data. The Amazonians used tomentosa and guianensis interchangeably – no preference to one over the other. Compared to tomentosa, biochemically guianensis contains a significantly reduced amount of alkaloids. If both species are used interchangeably, both brewed as a traditional tea (an alcohol extraction concentrates the alkaloids), then the alkaloids could not be the “active” component in Uña de gato.

We identified 17 different chemicals in guianensis that were biologically active – all from a traditional water extraction. We then developed and applied for a patent for a method to concentrate these “ingredients” (aka Vincaria), used a single 100 milligrams per day as an effective stand-alone treatment for arthritis²⁷, showed that this anti-inflammatory effect had little to do with the alkaloids²⁸ and that it also had benefits in gastrointestinal disease: it protected the gut from damage caused by taking aspirin (or the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories: NSAIDS)²⁹.

Nutrazon contains more than a physiological dose of Vincaria.

Work Cited:

Vincaria®
1. J Pharm Pharmaco, 26: 113, 1974. Alkaloids from South American species of Uncaria (Rubiaceae).
2. Il. Farmaco. Ed. Sc, 31: 527-35, 1976.Alkaloids and procyanidins of an Uncaria sp. from Peru.
3. Nat Prod, 53:559-64, 1990.New polyhydroxylated triterpenes from Uncaria tomentosa.
4. Phytochemistry, 30:1635-7, 1991. Quinovic acid glycosides from Uncaria guianensis.
5. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo), 48):1410-2, 2000. A new gluco indole alkaloid, 3, 4-dehydro-5-carboxystrictosidine, from Peruvian Una de Gato (Uncaria tomentosa).
6. Acta Crystallogr: 57:480-2, 2001. Two stereoisomeric pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids from Uncaria tomentosa: uncarine C and uncarine E.
7. J Nat Prod, 66:320-3, 2003.Two new nor-triterpene glycosides from peruvian "Una de Gato" (Uncaria tomentosa).
8. Planta Med, 65:759-60, 1999. Bioactive indole alkaloids from the bark of Uncaria guianensis.
9. Planta Med, 5:419-23, 1985. The alkaloids of Uncaria tomentosa and their phagocytosis-stimulating action
10. J Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper, 65517-20, 1989. [Phytochemical and biological study of Uncaria tomentosa].
11. Treatmentupdate, 11:1-2, 1999. English, French. Cat's claw scratching away at the immune system?
12. J Nat Prod, 54:453-9, 1991. Plant metabolites. New compounds and anti-inflammatory activity of Uncaria tomentosa.
13. J Rheumatol, 29:678-81, 2002. Randomized double blind trial of an extract from the pentacyclic alkaloid-chemotype of uncaria tomentosa for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
14. J Ethnopharmacol, 81:271-6, 2002. Anti-inflammatory activity of two different extracts of Uncaria tomentosa (Rubiaceae).
15. Anticancer Res, 18:3363-8, 1998. Induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation in human tumor cells treated with extracts of Uncaria tomentosa.
16. J Nat Prod, 52:679-85, 1998. Plant metabolites. Structure and in vitro antiviral activity of quinovic acid glycosides from Uncaria tomentosa and Guettarda platypoda.
17. Phytomedicine, 8:275-82, 2001. DNA repair enhancement of aqueous extracts of Uncaria tomentosa in a human volunteer study.
18. J Ethnopharmacol, 64:23-34, 1999. Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC.--ethnomedicinal use and new pharmacological, toxicological and botanical results.
19. J Pharm Pharmacol, 52:1553-61, 2000. Effects of Uncaria tomentosa total alkaloid and its components on experimental amnesia in mice: elucidation using the passive avoidance test.
20. J Altern Complement Med, 5:143-51, 1999. Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) D.C.: cat's claw, una de gato, or saventaro.
21. USPTO No. 4,844,901: Oxindole alkaloids having properties stimulating the immunologic system and preparation containing the same. 1989.
22. USPTO No.4,940,725: Oxindole alkaloids having properties stimulating the immunologic system and preparation containing the same. 1990.
23. USPTO No. 5,302,611: Oxindole alkaloids having properties stimulating the immunologic system and preparation containing same. 1994.
24. USPTO No. 5,723,625: Process for the production of specific isomer mixtures from oxindole alkaloids. 1998.
25. Aliment Pharm Ther 12: 1279-1289, 1998. Anti-inflammatory actions of cat's claw: the role of NF-?B.
26. Free Radic Biol Med, 29:71-8, 2000.Cat's claw inhibits TNFalpha production and scavenges free radicals: role in cytoprotection.
27. Inflamm Res, 50:442-8, 2001. Efficacy and safety of freeze-dried cat's claw in osteoarthritis of the knee: mechanisms of action of the species Uncaria guianensis.
28. Phytomedicine, 9:325-37, 2002.Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis) are independent of their alkaloid content.
29. BMC Complement Altern Med, 1:11, 2001. Dietary antioxidants protect gut epithelial cells from oxidant-induced apoptosis