Malcolm,
That is interesting my only encounters with Cat's Claw have inflicted pain not relieved it. I guess I need to try drinking it instead of rolling through it.
Scott

: Down here we have a vine called cat's claw. You can boil it in
: water and make a tea which you drink and it will alleviate pain.
: My friend Trinidad Charlie, local legend who makes Trinidad
: Charlie's Hot Sauce, told me about it. I have a few friends that
: swear by it, and they're not wierdos or anything- just normal
: guys who swear it helped their back and joint pain. I am not
: suggesting using it all the time, but for the guy in the article
: who was out on a 500 mile trip and had pain develop, if he were
: in a tropical region and could find some cat's claw he could
: make some tea and help it.

: Normally I am against using pain killers because I believe pain is
: part of the healing process. Pain tells your body where the
: problem is. However, I have done some 200 mile kayak paddles,
: hiked the Camino de Santiago and numerous other long treks, and
: there are times I would have appreciated some cat's claw tea!
: It's something to add to your storehouse of useless knowledge
: and then if you are ever in a plane crash in a tropical jungle
: you will at least know how to aleviate the pain!

: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncaria_tomentosa