Lapacho or Taheebo

Taheebo is the common name for the inner bark of the Red or Purple Lapacho tree. This tree grows high in the Andes of the South American rainforest. The Red Lapacho's purple-colored inner bark was one of the main medicines used by the Incas and has been used for over 1,000 years by the Callawaya tribe, descendants of the Incas

According to "Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database," alternative medicine uses lapacho tea as a general health "tonic and blood builder." People also use the tea to help treat cancer, diabetes, allergies, gastritis, liver ailments, asthma, bronchitis, cystitis, hernias, chlorosis, fever, warts and smoker's cough. Lapacho is also used to help reduce pain and treat inflammatory disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, prostatitis and rheumatism. In addition, the tea is purported to promote the healing of boils, ulcers and other wounds. These uses are based largely on anecdotal reports and historical use however, and not on solid scientific evidence.

Due to its antimicrobial properties, lapacho tea is used in alternative medicine to treat a variety of infectious disorders including Candida yeast infections, infectious diarrhea, bladder infections, herpes simplex virus, parasitic infections such as schistomiasis and ringworm; gonorrhea, syphilis and brucellosis. In addition, people drink lapacho tea to help treat viral respiratory infections including the common cold, flu and swine flu. More research needs to be done to confirm the efficacy of lapacho tea for these purposes, however.