Page "Tabebuia" Paragraph 12

The bark is dried, shredded, and then boiled making a bitter or sour-tasting brownish-colored tea.

Tea from the inner bark of Pink Ipê ( T. impetiginosa ) is known as pau d ' arco, Lapacho, or Taheebo.

Its main chemical principles are lapachol, quercetin, and other flavonoids.

It is also available in pill form.

Taheebo has been used for years in Central America and South America to treat a number of diseases including Eczema, Candidiasis, Fungal infections and even cancer.

The worth and use of Taheebo extract has been related to the importance of quinine, which is taken from the bark of the South American Cinchona tree and is a medicinally accepted treatment for malaria.

The herbal remedy is typically used during flu and cold season and for easing smoker's cough.

It apparently works as an expectorant, by promoting the lungs to cough up and free deeply embedded mucus and contaminants.

However, lapachol is rather toxic and therefore a more topical use e. g. as antibiotic or pesticide may be advisable.

Other species with significant folk medical use are T. alba and Yellow Lapacho ( T. serratifolia ).