Cat's claw (uña de gato) is a woody vine from the Amazon rainforest and other tropical parts of Central and South America. It is promoted for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, viral infections and other conditions.
Also known as: Uncaria tomentosa, Uncaria guianensis, una de gato, uña de gato.
There is no intake value, and NCCIH gives no standard amount. Most US products contain Uncaria tomentosa.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. NCCIH says there have been very few high-quality trials of cat's claw and no conclusive evidence from studies in people that it helps any condition, including COVID-19.
What studies show: in a small trial of 40 people with active rheumatoid arthritis who were also taking sulfasalazine or hydroxychloroquine, 24 weeks of a cat's claw extract reduced the number of painful joints more than placebo (by 53% versus 24%); the authors call it a small preliminary study showing a modest benefit (Mur 2002).
Safety, per NCCIH: cat's claw appears safe by mouth for up to 6 months. It might make the immune system more active and worsen autoimmune diseases. It may slow blood clotting and raise bleeding risk during surgery, and there are theoretical reasons it might interact with blood thinners, antiplatelet drugs and blood pressure drugs. Some studies suggest it is unsafe in pregnancy, and little is known about breastfeeding. Cat's claw is a different plant from devil's claw.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for cat's claw that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Plant and bee products are mixtures of many compounds, so no single figure would describe them.
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