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Samento aka Saventaro is also know as Cat's Claw,
Uña de Gato or Uncaria tomentosa (latin name). This is a special
edition summary in response to activities on
CFSFMExperimental.
 There is no
documented gain from using this supplement. There appears to be potential risk
with interactions. CFIDS is an autoimmune disease and herbalists recommend it
should not be used by people with this type of disease.
In terms of marketing hype, it is described as
- "is a very rare form of the Peruvian medicinal
plant called Cat’s Claw," - rarity does not mean better for treatment.
- "is over 100 times more effective than regular cat's
claw" - no studies provided to support this claim.
In terms of web-lore, it is alleged to be better than
antibiotics (and much more alternative-politically correct -- no published
studies, including in alternative medicine, supports this). It is widely used in
Mexico .
Active chemicals:
- pentacyclic oxindole alkaloid (POA)
- tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOA)
- quinovic acid glycosides
- pyroquinovic acid glycosides
- Sterols: "beta-sitosterol (60%), stigmasterol, and campesterol".
Medline Studies (as of 2004-06-27)
Most of the studies were focused on Cancer and Aids.
- for "Saventaro" - one records found
- for "Samento" - no records found
- for "Una de Gato" - 14 records
- A review in Alternative Medicine is available
- possible conflict of interest as it was produced by Thorne
Research, a supplement manufacturer, cites:
- "There are no randomized controlled trials on human subjects
utilizing uña de gato;"
- "Uña de gato has broad therapeutic potential," - that is
NOT DEMOSTRATED, hoped for.
- "longterm use should be avoided in patients with autoimmune
disorders"
- "uña de gato have antihypertensive effects, it may potentiate
the action of antihypertensive drugs and their concurrent use should
be avoided."
- WARNING:
many CFIDers are on antihypertensive drugs.
- "Recent studies have shown that the tetracyclic alkaloids exert
antagonistic effects on the action of the pentacyclic alkaloids.
Mixtures of these 2 types of drugs are therefore unsuitable for
medicinal uses."
-- translation: raw Cat's Claw should not be used (since it has
both POA and TOA)
- "is an effective anti-inflammatory agent"
- for "Uncaria tomentosa" - 41 records found
- "both species of cat's claw provide effective antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory activities, Uncaria guianensis is
more potent... the presence of oxindole or pentacyclic alkaloids did
not influence the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of
cat's claw."
- for "Cat's Claw" - 32 records found
Warnings:
- "Use caution if you
are taking lovastatin (Mevacor), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox),
fexofenadine (Allegra), and triazolam (Halcion). "
- "Some, but not all, herbalists recommend against using the herb in any
condition which may be adversely affected by an overstimulating the immune
system. These might include autoimmune disorders, such as lupus or multiple
sclerosis."
Sources
- "C-Med 100" appears to be the most predictable for content and cited in
many studies.
- "Two species of cat's claw are harvested for medicinal purposes,
Uncaria guianensis, used mainly in Europe, and Uncaria
tomentosa, commonly imported into the United States... In Germany
and Austria, the standardized extract of cat's claw is available only by
physician's prescription, and it is used almost solely to stimulate a
patient's immune system. "
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