What is Pau d'Arco (Taheebo) Tea?
Taheebo, also called Pau d’Arco or Lapacho, is the inner bark of a large tree native to the Amazon rainforest and other tropical parts of South America. For hundreds of years it has been simmered into a mild, earthy tea, traditionally used to support the immune system, digestion, circulation, and everyday strength and vitality. Our Taheebo Wellness Tea is that inner bark and nothing else.
Is Taheebo tea right for you?
It may be a good fit if you
- want a caffeine-free, sugar-free tea made from one ingredient
- don’t mind a little time in the kitchen, since a batch simmers for about 25 to 30 minutes
- are drawn to a tea traditionally used to support the immune system, digestive comfort and gut balance, a healthy inflammatory response, joint comfort, healthy circulation, or everyday strength and vitality
It may not be for you if you would rather have a quick tea bag. And because most of the research to date is lab and animal based, and human research remains limited, we describe everything here as traditional use.
Check with your healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding (we don’t recommend it), take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder or liver or kidney disease, are scheduled for surgery, or are giving it to someone under 18.
What to expect. It tastes mild, earthy and slightly woody, and many people enjoy it as it is, or with honey or lemon. Most customers drink one to two cups a day, and we suggest starting with one. One pouch makes about 100 cups, roughly $0.39 a cup with free shipping on two or more pouches, or $0.44 a cup with shipping on a single pouch. We have a 30-day return policy for unopened tea; see our refund policy for the details.
Not sure which grind to choose? Compare Fine Grind and Coarse Cut, see how to brew it, or read our frequently asked questions.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Taheebo/Pau d’Arco tea is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Also Known as Lapacho
In much of Latin America and Europe, this same inner bark tea goes by the name Lapacho rather than Taheebo or Pau d'Arco. It's the same tree — Tabebuia impetiginosa — and the same traditional use, just a regional name difference you may come across if you're researching outside North America. For a plain-English guide to the names and what to look for on a label, see Taheebo, Pau d'Arco, Lapacho: What's the Difference?
Taheebo/Pau d’Arco is a large canopy tree native to the Amazon rainforest and other tropical parts of South America. It grows to 30 meters high and the base of the tree can be 2-3 meters in diameter.
The common names taheebo, pau d’arco, ipê roxo and lapacho are used for several different species of Tabebuia trees that are used interchangeably in herbal medicine systems. Tabebuia impetiginosa is the preferred species employed in herbal medicine, however, it is often referred to by its other botanical name, Tabebuia avellanedae. Both refer to the same tree.
Taheebo Tea, or Pau d’Arco Tea, is derived from the inner bark of the Tabebuia impetiginosa or Tabebuia avellanedae tree. Because the bark is dense, it is prepared as a decoction rather than steeped: it is simmered for about 25 minutes (30 for Coarse Cut).
The tea has a long traditional history among the indigenous peoples of South America, with reports that predate the Incas. Tribes living thousands of miles apart have used it for hundreds of years as an everyday tea and tonic. The fuller history, including the specific uses recorded by region, is on our research partner site: The Secret of the Incas and Pau d'Arco Through the Ages.
The plant compounds most often studied in the bark include lapachol, beta-lapachone and quercetin. The full breakdown is on our research partner site, in Lapachol and Beta-Lapachone.
Further Reading
For a deeper, evidence-tiered look at the tree, its compounds, and its traditional history, see our research partner site:
- Why the Inner Bark Is Important — tree anatomy and why inner bark (phloem) concentrates the active compounds.
- Lapachol and Beta-Lapachone — the two primary naphthoquinone compounds and their studied mechanisms.
- The Secret of the Incas — the traditional history of the Kallawaya healers who first used this bark.
- Pau d'Arco Through the Ages — the full historical arc from indigenous medicine to today.
Botanical details
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Tabebuia
Species: impetiginosa
Synonyms: Tabebuia avellanedae, Handroanthus avellanedae, H. impetiginosus
Common Names: taheebo, pau d’arco, ipê, ipê roxo, lapacho
What the Research Says
Most of the research to date is lab and animal based, and human research remains limited. We keep the studies, and how much weight each one deserves, on our research partner site, pau-darco.com, where every article labels its evidence as traditional use, lab, animal or human.
Start with what scientific research says about Pau d’Arco, or search PubMed directly. Another excellent resource is the Tropical Plant Database at Rain-Tree.com.
Taheebo Tea Folklore & Worldwide Use
The native Indians of South American countries have used Taheebo/Pau d’Arco for thousands of years. The Guarani and Tupi-Nambo tribes, in particular, used great quantities of Taheebo Tea.
Several South American tribes have used Taheebo wood for centuries to make their hunting bows. The tribes called the Taheebo tree Tajy, meaning to have strength and vigour, or simply, The Divine Tree. They drank the bark as a tea or tonic, valuing the same strength and vigour it gave their bows.
Traditions differ from region to region. Across South and Central America the bark has been prepared as a decoction and drunk as an everyday tonic, and the specific regional uses are collected on our research partner site.
Taheebo is traditionally prepared as a decoction: the bark is simmered rather than steeped, for about 25 minutes (30 for Coarse Cut). See our recommended brewing method.
Our Taheebo Wellness Tea
Our Taheebo Wellness Tea is pure inner bark of the Tabebuia impetiginosa/avellanedae species of the Taheebo tree (aka Pau d’Arco tree) from Brazil. We offer our Taheebo Tea in Coarse Cut as well as Fine Grind, not commonly found on the market today. When brewed properly, our Fine Grind tea results in a more concentrated tea. Fine Grind needs a fine mesh filter, while Coarse Cut works with any filter.
Our partner is one of the top botanical companies in Brazil, approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health, regarding both sources of supply and industrial processing. The Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, IBAMA, also inspects and certifies authenticity of our tea. Upon arrival in the USA, the tea is inspected once again by US Customs and the FDA.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
