The Herb Lady

Cat’s claw (Una de Gato) is a woody vine which is found in the jungles of Central and South America. It gets this perfect name because of its claw-shaped thorns. I have seen this interesting and very beneficial plant grow ing in a fellow herbalist’s garden. It seemed to be very much at home growing in an apparently rotting log.

A cousin called me from Goshen. He had attended the wake of a deceased acquaintance. There he saw and chatted with another former schoolmate. This friend was singing the praises of cat’s claw. She had begun to take it for her arthritis. It had provided much relief for her aches and pains.

My research has revealed that at least one laboratory test has determined that it is beneficial in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis as well as osteoarthritis. For a period of 24 weeks, the patients were given the herb and their condition was monitored closely. There was a marked improvement in their morning stiffness and the number of aching joints.

Soon after talking with my cousin, my son and daughter-in-law dropped in. I told them the story. Lynn (my daughter-in-law) replied, “That’s what John Day (John R. M. Day, MD) told me to take while I was taking chemotherapy. He said it would prevent my white blood count from dropping which would have prevented treatments for a period. It worked.”

Cat’s claw is considered a world-class herb. It has the ability to boost the immune system at the same time it is relieving aches and pains.

I have mentioned John Day before and here is more about him. He is the son of my longtime employer, Jane M. Day, MD. John was 3 years old when I became his mother’s office nurse. Long ago, I began to consider him “one of my children.”

John and I share a strong interest in the use of herbs and other alternatives. He retired from a 20- year practice of general, vascular and trauma surgery in 2001. He now has a holistic medicine consultation practice in Crestone, Colorado.

Nadine Johnson For Information on herbs or to order Nature’s Sunshine Products: P.O. Box 7425 Spanish Fort, AL 35677 or njherbal@gmail.com Accepts Checks and Money Orders