Ever heard of cat’s claw? A lot of people haven’t, and that’s a bit of a shame. Cat’s claw is one of the most potent antiviral herbs you can buy these days, and its benefits remain unknown to a huge portion of the population.
Fortunately, cat’s claw is easily obtained. You can buy it in supplement form at health food stores and probably in the vitamin aisle at your local grocery store. It’s widely available – it’s just that a lot of people don’t know about it.
What does cat’s claw do?
Cat’s claw has a number of significant benefits, and adding it to your diet can keep you healthy and on your feet for much longer than you would be otherwise.
- Cat`s claw is a potent antiviral herb and can stave off viruses.
- It’s also a potent anti-inflammatory agent and can be used to help heal inflammation-related conditions. Since a huge number of common health problems are at least partly caused by inflammation, and there are many inflammation-related conditions that can negatively affect the brain, it’s important to get a lot of anti-inflammatories into your diet.
- It’s an antimutagen. That means it prevents mutations. Why is that good? Well, one of the most common diseases caused by mutation is cancer, and antimutagens can help fight off those mutations before they become a problem.
- It’s also got a high number of antioxidants in it. Antioxidants disarm free radicals, which are another part of the path to cancer. It’s good to get a healthy amount of them in your diet. Free radicals also contribute to the degeneration of the brain and the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Cat’s claw has been studied for its benefits to the brain.
What are the benefits of cat’s claw?
- Cat’s claw can boost your memory – Cat’s claw has been studied for its effects on memory improvement. It’s been shown to improve results in studies of patients with induced amnesia. This is probably because some of the nutrients in cat’s claw affect your brain’s cholinergic system, which is responsible for the production and modulation of acetylcholine, the main neurotransmitter responsible for memory and thought processes. Cat’s claw was also used in a study on rats. The study induced strokes in the rats and compared the group taking cat’s claw to the group that didn’t. Memory loss was significantly reduced in the group taking cat’s claw, and it was also suggested that cat’s claw could be used for long-term potentiation (increasing the function of the brain).
- Cat’s claw clears some nasty stuff out of your brain – Ever heard of alpha-synuclein proteins? (We won’t blame you if you haven’t.) These proteins are associated with the degradation of your brain, and can speed up the onset of conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. One of the main phytonutrients present in cat’s claw has been shown to reduce the concentration of these destructive proteins. This is positively associated with a reduced risk of the aforementioned conditions.
- Cat’s claw is a powerful neuroprotectant – Cat’s claw can be considered a neuroprotectant – a substance that helps protect your brain from damage or from natural deterioration due to age. Its ability as a neuroprotectant is due to a number of factors.
- Since it’s an anti-inflammatory, it can reduce brain-related inflammation. Inflammation in the brain can speed up the process of degeneration and make it more difficult for your brain to build new connections.
- Its ability to clear out the alpha-synuclein proteins we just mentioned are a huge factor in its ability as a neuroprotectant.
- Since it boosts choline, you gain added benefits from having a more functional choline system. Choline is also highly regarded as a great neuroprotective and is actually used to prevent the onset of mental diseases.
- Cat’s claw can improve the speed of DNA repair in the brain. If you receive damage to your DNA and don’t heal it, it can begin spreading the mutation to new cells as they’re created. Those new cells will continue to spread the mutated DNA. This is one of the causes of cancer.
How can I take cat’s claw?
Cat’s claw is most often taken in supplement form, though the raw herb can be purchased, usually dried. You can also grind the roots or bark of cat’s claw into a powder and make tea, or get an alcohol-extracted tincture.
The recommended dosages for cat’s claw, for cognitive benefit, are between 250 and 350 mg per day. (These dosages are calculated for those taking cat’s claw supplements, though remember that different supplements have different strengths. You may need to adjust your dose depending on your supplement, and if you’re dealing with pure cat’s claw you’ll probably need less.)
Some combined brain boosting supplements contain Cat’s claw – Noocube is one of them.
Are there any concerns?
Cat’s claw is generally regarded as being extremely safe, and there aren’t any recorded interactions between specific drugs. However, you should not take cat’s claw if you’re taking medication that either raises or lowers your blood pressure. Cat’s claw itself lowers blood pressure, so if yours is naturally low, you could end up in a bad situation. Likewise, don’t take it if you’re already on meds that raise your blood pressure.
Cat’s claw can cause side effects in people who have the following conditions:
- autoimmune disorders
- skin grafts
- tuberculosis
It increases the risk and frequency of bleeding, which is why those with skin grafts shouldn’t take it. It’s also recommended that you don’t take it if you’re on blood thinners or if you have a bleeding condition like hemophilia.
In conclusion
Cat’s claw is a great supplement that has a wide range of medical uses. One of the most significant uses of the herb is to improve the function of your brain!
It does this through a number of different mechanisms. The end result is a smooth, general improvement of your memory, verbal fluidity, and general cognitive function. It also has a lot of benefits for your health, such as reducing joint pain and inflammation, that we haven’t mentioned here.
Cat’s claw is generally safe and is readily available, so if you haven’t tried it before, we hope that you find it useful and have taken something from this article.
