Latin name: Harpagophytum procumbens (Burch.) DC. ex
Meisn. [Pedaliaceae]
Plant part: Root
Devil’s claw is a native South African plant with large underground
tubers. The chopped and dried tubers have been used traditionally
for their tonic, antipyretic, and analgesic properties. Several
iridoid glycosides, notably harpagoside, are used to characterize the
plant (Schulz, Hänsel, and Tyler, 2001).
Harpadol® capsules, manufactured by Arkopharma Laboratoires
Pharmaceutiques in France, contain powdered root. A dose of six
(435 mg) capsules per day delivers 57 mg harpagoside. The capsules
are sold in the United States as Arkojoint™ by Arkopharma/Health
from the Sun in Newport, New Hampshire.
The extract WS 1531 is manufactured by Dr. Willmar Schwabe
GmbH & Co. in Germany. The extract has a ratio of 6 to 9:1, and a
dose of 600 or 1200 mg per day delivers 50 or 100 mg harpagoside,
respectively. This extract is not sold in the United States.
Ardeypharm GmbH in Germany produces an extract with a ratio of
2.5:1.Adose of 800 mg three times daily delivers 50 mg harpagoside.
This product is not available in the United States.
The plant rarely self-pollinates. It is pollinated by bees; species noted on the plant include Melissodes communis, Melissodes obliqua, Anthophora occidentalis, Augochlorella striata, Bombus fervidus, Bombus americanorum, and Lasioglossum species.[8]
The young green fruits are edible and can be pickled.[5] The seeds were used as food by Native Americans.[9]
Like those of other Proboscidea species,[8] the dry fruits were very useful in Native American basketry. The dry horns could be incorporated into the baskets to form patterns, or used as sewing implements. They provided a black dye, especially when mixed with ash.[9] Use of this species in basketry has been recorded among the Hopi, Apache, Havasupai,[8] and Kawaiisu.[8] The Tohono O'odham domesticated the species and used the dark dry fruit for the black-colored patterning in basketry designs.[8] Many other groups probably cultivated and used it, but records of use rarely distinguish between the particular Proboscidea species utilized.[8]
The plant is grown as an ornamental plant and a garden novelty, and it is used in floral arrangements. It is cultivated in a similar manner as okra.[5]
The dry, hooked fruits attach to animals,[7] and it has been suggested that the plant was introduced to South Africa by this means. The fruits are particularly suited for catching on "the fetlocks of ungulates".[8]
The plant can be weedy, easily taking hold in disturbed habitat types and displaying a "preference for waste places".[1] It occurs in pastures, cultivated fields, and feedlots.[1] It is a weed of cotton crops known to cause drastic loss of fiber yields.[10] Its strong essential oil appears to have an allelopathic effect on cotton plants, causing necrosis of the foliage.[3] The weed is resistant to many herbicides used in cotton, and control options include hoeing by hand.[10]
Devil’s claw root, consisting of the dried, secondary tubers, is approved
by the German Commission E and listed by the BHC and
ESCOP as being used for the treatment of loss of appetite and dyspepsia.
It is also indicated for supportive therapy of degenerative disorders
of the locomotor system, including painful arthrosis and
tendonitis (Blumenthal et al., 1998; Bradley, 1992; ESCOP, 1996).
Actions include choleretic (digestive stimulant), antiphlogistic (antiinflammatory),
and mildly analgesic (Blumenthal et al., 1998; Bradley,
1992).
Osteoarthritis
In a comparison study with 92 patients, Harpadol (Arkojoint) reduced
pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee and hip.Adose of six capsules
a day (2.6 g root powder) was compared with 100 mg of
diacerhein (an anthraquinone derivative) in this four-month study.
Diacerhein and Harpadol reduced pain to a similar extent, but by the
end of the study, the Harpadol group used significantly fewer analgesics
and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) (Chantre
et al., 2000). This was a well-designed and well-conducted study.
However, there was no placebo group, and diacerhein is a relatively
unproven remedy. The choice of a well-documented agent to serve as
the control would have strengthened the study.
Lower Back Pain
A study including 183 subjects with lower back pain compared
two doses of devil’s claw extract WS 1531 to placebo. Patients were
given either 600 or 1200 mg extract WS 1531 or placebo for one
month. As a result, there was a trend toward an increase in pain-free
days for the two devil’s claw groups during the last week of the study.
However, there was no significant difference from placebo (Chrubasik
et al., 1999).
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