Una de gato: Fate and future of a Peruvian forest resource

Una de Gato, also known as Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis, is native to Central and South American countries, including Peru, where it has been used for centuries by local traditional healers for its medicinal properties. The plant's local use has been recorded among various indigenous groups, including the Ashaninka and Yanesha people in Peru, as well as the Boras and Ka'apor people in Brazil. Traditionally, Una de Gato is prepared as a decoction or macerated in an alcoholic beverage, resulting in a higher extraction of alkaloids compared to decoctions prepared with water. Several independent initiatives have investigated the origin of Una de Gato's healing potential, including expeditions by Arthur Brell and Dr. Eugene Withworth in the 1960s, and the discovery of active alkaloids by Klaus Keplinger in Austria. The recent Una de Gato boom has been attributed to the promotion of the species by Andres Garcia, a popular Mexican actor, who claimed to have been cured of prostate cancer in 1991. Research on the plant's compounds has identified various alkaloids, procyanidins, quinovic acid glycosides, and triterpenes with anti-viral and anti-tumor activity. The oldest literature source on the plant is a publication by Raymond Hamet from 1952, which established the presence of the alkaloid rynchophyllin. The Una de Gato industry has developed around the harvesting, trading, and manufacturing of derivatives, with the United States being the largest importer of the medicinal plant. The industry has created a substantial source of income for collectors, traders, and manufacturers, but also poses challenges related to sustainable harvesting, equitable sharing of benefits, and policy development. The Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales (INRENA) is concerned that Una de Gato exploitation is concordant with policies on Peru's natural resources, while the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is interested in Una de Gato as a case study for its research on the potentials and trends of forest resources in low-income groups. The three goals that should be met through any action or intervention in the current Una de Gato industry are: (1) the resource base is harvested sustainably, (2) Una de Gato continues to benefit local collectors, and (3) the Una de Gato industry in Peru continues or increases its current size, contributing to the national economy through sales to international and domestic markets. To address these issues, this report will review the most important and available information on Una de Gato, including its pharmaceutical and ecological properties, the prospects of the industry, actions taken to sustain the resource base, and policy and legal issues. The report will also assess the several issues formulated above, including the compatibility of increasing incomes for local collectors with expanding the production of the manufacturing industry, and the potential for larger companies to take over harvesting and production, eliminating opportunities for small-scale collectors or producers to obtain income from Una de Gato.