Uncaria Tomentosa (Cat's Claw) 101

Uncaria tomentosa, commonly called Cat's Claw for the small hooked thorns along its vine, is a woody climbing plant native to the Amazon basin. It's one of the more established botanicals in South American traditional herbal medicine, and it's shown up increasingly in U.S. wellness products over the past decade.

Where it's grown and harvested

Cat's Claw is harvested primarily from the bark and root of the vine, most commonly sourced from Peru and other Amazon basin countries where it grows wild in tropical forest.

What it's used for

Traditionally, Cat's Claw bark was prepared as a tea or decoction for general wellness. Today it's more commonly sold as a standardized extract in capsule, tab, or tincture form, generally marketed for immune and joint-comfort support as part of a regular wellness routine.

What to look for when buying it

Because Cat's Claw's active compound levels vary a lot depending on harvest and extraction method, third-party lab verification matters more here than with a lot of other botanicals — it's the only way to know you're actually getting a standardized, consistent product batch to batch.

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