Devil's Claw
Description
Devil’s Claw comprises two species, Harpagophytum procumbens and H. zeyheri.
Devil’s Claw is a geophyte with prostrate stems a taproot and secondary tubers that is indigenous to southern Africa, growing mainly in deep Kalahari sands.
The plant with creeping annual stems can reach up to 2 m long. The above-ground stems emerge after the first rain and die back during the winter or during droughts. A number of secondary tubers emanate from the primary tuber via fleshy roots. The secondary tubers can reach lengths of up to 40 cm long and 6 cm thick. The opposite leaves are blue-green and can be shallowly to deeply lobed. The tubular flowers are a deep mauve-pink with a yellow and white throat. They are open for one day and pollinated by bees.
Other common name for the plant include: grapple plant, wood spider, Teufelskralle, griffe du diable, Kamangu, and many more local names. The plant belongs to the Pedaliaceae family.
Distribution
Devil’s Claw occurs in areas with low annual rainfall (150-500mm/yr) on deep sandy soils of the Kalahari. It is more abundant in open, trampled and overgrazed areas.
H. procumbens is found in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, H. zeyheri occurs in these countries as well as in Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Traditional uses
The indigenous San and Khoi peoples of southern Africa have used Devil’s Claw medicinally for centuries, if not millennia. It has also adopted into the traditional knowledge system of in-migration Bantu-speakers who arrived in the area between 1500 and 500 years ago. Ethno-medicinal uses have been recorded for dyspepsia, fever, blood diseases, urinary tract complaints, post-partum pains, sprains, sores, ulcers and boils.
Known properties
Although the plant was first collected and described by European scientists in 1820, the medicinal properties of Devil’s Claw were only “discovered” in Namibia in 1907 by G.H. Mehnert, as a result of his access to the knowledge of the indigenous Khoi, San and Bantu people.
The tubers were found to have general anti-inflammatory and analgesic uses. In the 1960s, root extracts of H. procumbens were found to be pharmacologically active, and clinical studies have shown them to be effective in the treatment of degenerative rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and tendonitis, kidney inflammation, and heart disease. H. zeyheri is also commercially accepted in the pharmaceutical industry.
The plant’s major chemical constituents have been found in the secondary tubers. The primary tubers contain significantly lower levels, and flowers, stems, and fruits are essentially devoid of the compounds. The active ingredients include iridoids glycosides as harpagoside, procumbide and harpagid, phenols such as acetosid and isoacetoside, and other substances including hapagoquinones, amino acids, flavonoids, phytosterols and carbohydrates.
Recent research on Devil’s Claw has shown protection against joint cartilage degradation. Some research also indicated some effects on heartbeat arrhythmia and a lowering of blood pressure. Devil’s Claw products are increasingly being considered as an alternative to Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAD). Devil’s Claw products are generally registered as Herbal Medicine in France and Germany or as a Food Supplement in the UK, Netherlands, the USA and the Far East.
Devil’s Claw is listed in the European Pharmacopoeia (for the treatment of rheumatism and arthritic ailments), which describes common standards for the composition and preparation of substances used in the manufacture of medicines, with the aim of guaranteeing their quality. Devil’s Claw is also included in the monographs of the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP, 2003) and it is recommended by The German Commission E for the treatment of painful arthrosis, tendonitis, loss of appetite, dyspepsia, and as a supportive therapy for degenerative disorders of the locomotive system.
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