Uncaria
Encyclopedia
Uncaria is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...

. It has about 40 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

. Their distribution
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...

 is pantropical
Pantropical
In biogeography, a pantropical distribution one which covers tropical regions of all of the major continents, i.e. in Africa, in Asia and in the Americas. Examples include the plant genera Acacia and Bacopa....

, with most species native
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...

 to tropical Asia
Tropical Asia
Through a crop-based biodiversity, natural resources and animals , Tropical Asia is economically and physiogeographically rich. There are 16 countries of Tropical Asia ranging in size from around 610 km² to 3,000,000 km²...

, three from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...

 and two from the neotropics. They are known colloquially
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...

 as Gambier, Cat's Claw or Uña de Gato. The latter two names are shared with several other plants. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 for the genus is Uncaria guianensis
Uncaria guianensis
Uncaria guianensis, the cat's claw, is a plant species in the genus Uncaria found in Guyana. Other names for the plant include Garabato, Garabato Amarillo, Garabato Colorado, Hawk's Claw, Life-giving vine of Peru, Paraguayo, Samento, Saventaro, Tambor huasca, Una de Gato, and Una de Gavilan.U...

.

Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n Gambier (U. gambir
Uncaria gambir
Uncaria gambir, the gambier or gambir, is a species in the genus Uncaria found in Indonesia.Gambier is used in Indonesia for chewing with areca and betel, for tanning, and for dyeing. It contains many flavan-3-ols which are known to have many medicinal properties and are components of Chinese...

) is a large tropical vine with leaves typical of the genus, being opposite
Phyllotaxis
In botany, phyllotaxis or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem .- Pattern structure :...

 and about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The South American U. tomentosa is called Uña de Gato. Uncaria sinensis is common in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

Uncaria was named
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...

 in 1789 by Johann von Schreber
Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber
Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber , often styled I.C.D. von Schreber, was a German naturalist.-Career:He was elected Professor of Materia medica at the University of Erlangen in 1769....

 in his Genera Plantarum edition 8[a] (not to be confused with books of the same title by Linnaeus, Jussieu
Jussieu
Jussieu can refer to:* Antoine Laurent de Jussieu , French botanist* Antoine de Jussieu , French naturalist, uncle of A. L. de Jussieu.* Bernard de Jussieu , French naturalist, uncle of A. L. de Jussieu....

, and others). The genus name is derived
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...

 from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 word uncus, meaning "a hook". It refers to the hooks, formed from reduced branches, that Uncaria vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...

s use to cling to other vegetation.

Uncaria is a member of the tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...

 Nauclea
Nauclea
Nauclea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. The species are evergreen trees or shrubs that are native to the paleotropics. The terminal vegetative buds are usually strongly flattened. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek words naus, meaning "ship" and kleio,...

, but its position
Phylogenetic tree
A phylogenetic tree or evolutionary tree is a branching diagram or "tree" showing the inferred evolutionary relationships among various biological species or other entities based upon similarities and differences in their physical and/or genetic characteristics...

 within that tribe remains unresolved.

Description

Woody lianas; climbing by hooks formed from reduced, modified branches. Stipules entire or bifid. Inflorescence a compact head, terminal, at the ends of plagiotropic branches and their very reduced branches. Corolla lobes without appendages. Seeds with a long wing at each end, the lower wing deeply bifid.

Species

The following species list may be incomplete or contain synonyms
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...

.
  • Uncaria elliptica R.Br. & G. Don (Malaysia)
  • Uncaria gambir
    Uncaria gambir
    Uncaria gambir, the gambier or gambir, is a species in the genus Uncaria found in Indonesia.Gambier is used in Indonesia for chewing with areca and betel, for tanning, and for dyeing. It contains many flavan-3-ols which are known to have many medicinal properties and are components of Chinese...

     Roxb. - Gambier or Gambir (Indonesia)  
  • Uncaria guianensis
    Uncaria guianensis
    Uncaria guianensis, the cat's claw, is a plant species in the genus Uncaria found in Guyana. Other names for the plant include Garabato, Garabato Amarillo, Garabato Colorado, Hawk's Claw, Life-giving vine of Peru, Paraguayo, Samento, Saventaro, Tambor huasca, Una de Gato, and Una de Gavilan.U...

      J.F.Gmel. (Guyana)
  • Uncaria hirsuta Havil.
  • Uncaria homomalla Miq. (East India, Malaysia)
  • Uncaria macrophylla Wall. (SE Asia)
  • Uncaria rhynchophylla
    Uncaria rhynchophylla
    Uncaria rhynchophylla or the cat's claw herb is a plant species used in traditional Chinese medicine.-Catechin and -epicatechin are found in the plant as well as the alkaloid rhynchophylline....

     (Miq.) Jacks. (China)
  • Uncaria scandens (Sm.) Hutch.
  • Uncaria sessilifructus Roxb.
  • Uncaria setiloba Benth.
  • Uncaria sinensis (Oliv.) Havil. (syn. Nauclea
    Nauclea
    Nauclea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. The species are evergreen trees or shrubs that are native to the paleotropics. The terminal vegetative buds are usually strongly flattened. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek words naus, meaning "ship" and kleio,...

     sinensis)
  • Uncaria tomentosa
    Uncaria tomentosa
    Uncaria tomentosa is a woody vine found in the tropical jungles of South and Central America, which derives its name from its claw-shaped thorns...

     DC - Cat's Claw (South America)
  • Uncaria wangii How

  • Uses

    Cat's claw (U. tomentosa) and the Chinese species are used medicinally. The glycosidic
    Glycoside
    In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...

     compounds have recognized anti-inflammatory
    Anti-inflammatory
    Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system....

     properties, while the alkaloid
    Alkaloid
    Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...

    s increase the reactivity of lymphocyte
    Lymphocyte
    A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system.Under the microscope, lymphocytes can be divided into large lymphocytes and small lymphocytes. Large granular lymphocytes include natural killer cells...

    s, granting higher response to viral
    Virus
    A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...

     infection. Cat's claw has two varieties depending on whether the alkaloid
    Alkaloid
    Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...

    s have four rings or five. The five-ring alkaloid variety is medicinal and is called "savéntaro" by the Asháninka
    Asháninka
    The Asháninka or Asháninca are an indigenous people living in the rainforests of Peru and in the State of Acre Brazil....

    .

    Gambier (U. gambir) is used in Indonesia for chewing with areca
    Areca
    Areca is a genus of about 50 species of single-stemmed palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from Malaysia to the Solomon Islands. The generic name Areca is derived from a name used locally on the Malabar Coast of India....

     and betel
    Betel
    The Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties...

    , for tanning
    Tanning
    Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...

    , and for dye
    Dye
    A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....

    ing. It contains many flavan-3-ol
    Flavan-3-ol
    Flavan-3-ols are a class of flavonoids that use the 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-3-ol skeleton. These compounds include the catechins and the catechin gallates....

    s (catechins) which are known to have many medicinal properties and are components of Chinese herbal remedies and certain modern medicines. To make gambier, the leaves are first boiled in water. They absorb it and turn brownish in color. The leaves are then pressed mechanically to squeeze and extract liquid. This liquid is then dried into a semi-solid paste and molded into cubes, which are dried in the sun. Gambier is generally packed in 50 kilogram multilayered packing (PP Bags inside and gunny bags outside).

    U. rhynchophylla has also been shown to be a powerful MAO-B
    Monoamine oxidase B
    Monoamine oxidase B, also known as MAOB, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MAOB gene.The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the flavin monoamine oxidase family. It is an enzyme located in the mitochondrial outer membrane...

     inhibitor.

    Research has shown that rhamnose
    Rhamnose
    Rhamnose is a naturally occurring deoxy sugar. It can be classified as either a methyl-pentose or a 6-deoxy-hexose. Rhamnose occurs in nature in its L-form as L-rhamnose . This is unusual, since most of the naturally occurring sugars are in D-form...

    , a chemical extracted from uncaria plants, can actively regenerate skin, making it feel plumper and more elastic.

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