Harpagophytum procumbens  Devil's claw   Family: Pedaliaceae    
Harpagophtum means "hook plant” in Greek.
PART USED: Cut dried tuber
TASTE: Astringent ODORLESS
ACTIONS
GROUP: The Musculo-Skeletal System- Antirheumatics
1. Antirheumatic.[1,2,3] Analgesic.[3]
2. Antiinflammatory.[3]
3. Diuretic.
4. Sedative.[1,2,3]
INDICATIONS
1. Rheumatic disease including arthritis, fibrositis and lumbago. Gout. Myalgia.
2. Pleurodynia- i.e.  Bornholm Disease
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Due to oxytocic properties, Devils Claw should be avoided during pregnancy.[3]
COMBINATIONS
- Rheumatism, with Bogbean, Celery seed, Gaultheria and Dioscorea.
PREPARATIONS
Dried Tuber  0.10 - 0.25 g.[1,2,3] Powdered tuber 0.1-0.25 g.[3]
Fluid Extract  1:1 in 25% alcohol[4]  0.10-0.25 ml.
Tincture 1:5 in 25% alcohol 0.5-1 ml.[1,3]
         

     
ORIGIN: This herb is indigenous to Southern and Eastern Africa.
DESCRIPTION: It has a characteristic large, hooked, claw-like fruit. The tuber is up to about 6 cm in diameter, with a yellowish-brown longitudinally striated bark. In commerce it usually occurs cut, in circular or fan-shaped pieces. Fracture short, showing a light grey-brown concentric and radiate xylem in transverse section, with occasional cavities.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research
Methanolic extracts have shown in vivo antiinflammatory activity in the rat paw edema test.[1]
Analgesic effects comparable to that of phenylbutazone in rabbits, and antiphlogistic effects in a variety of tests,[2] however other tests have not confirmed these results.[3]
The extracts also cause a reduction in arterial blood pressure in rats, a decrease in heart rate in rabbits, and a protective effect against arrythmias caused by adrenalin and chloroform, and calcium chloride.[3]
Devil's claw is said to have oxytocic properties and should be avoided during pregnancy.[4]
References
[1] Erdos, A. et al. (1978) Planta Med. 34, 97
[2] Eichler, O. and Koch, C. (1970) Arzneim. Forsch. 20 (1), 107
[3] Circosta, C. et al. (1984) J. Ethnopharmacol. 11, 259
[4] Abramowitz, M. (1979) Med. Lett. 21, 30

Efficacy and tolerance of Harpagophytum procumbens versus diacerhein in treatment of osteoarthritis.
Chantre P, Cappelaere A, Leblan D, Guedon D, Vandermander J, Fournie B.
Abstract
In a double-blind, randomized, multicentre clinical study, the efficacy and tolerance of a herbal medicine product, Harpadol (6 capsules/day, each containing 435 mg of powdered cryoground powder Harpagophytum procumbens), was compared with diacerhein 100 mg/day in the treatment, for 4 months, of 122 patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. Assessments of pain and functional disability were made on a 10 cm horizontal visual analogue scale; severity of osteoarthritis was evaluated by Lequesne's index. Spontaneous pain showed a significant improvement during the course of the study and there was no difference in the efficacy of the two treatments. Similarly, there was a progressive and significant reduction in the Lequesne functional index and no statistical difference was found between Harpadol and diacerhein. At completion of the study, patients taking Harpadol were using significantly less NSAIDs and antalgic drugs. The frequency of adverse events was significantly lower in the Harpadol group. The most frequent event reported was diarrhea, occurring in 8.1% and 26.7% of Harpadol and diacerhein patients respectively. The global tolerance assessment by patients at the end of treatment favoured Harpadol. The results of this study demonstrate that Harpadol is comparable in efficacy and superior in safety to diacerhein.
PMID: 11185727 DOI: 10.1016/S0944-7113(00)80001-X  Phytomedicine. 2000 Jun;7(3):177-83. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Molecular targets of the antiinflammatory Harpagophytum procumbens (devil's claw): inhibition of TNFa and COX-2 gene expression by preventing activation of AP-1.
Fiebich BL, Muñoz E, Rose T, Weiss G, McGregor GP.
Abstract
Harpagophytum procumbens (Hp) is often used in the supportive treatment of inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the skeletal system. Although the clinical efficacy in osteoarthritis has been demonstrated in clinical trials, the molecular target(s) of Hp are unclear. This study quantified the effects of the ethanol Hp extract (60% v/v ethanol, sole active ingredient of Pascoe®-Agil), on the expression and release of the major pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated human monocytes and the intracellular signalling pathways involved in inflammation. The Hp extract dose-dependently inhibited the release of TNFa as well as that of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The Hp prevented TNFa and IL-6 mRNA expression in human monocytes and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, the Hp extract inhibited LPS-stimulated AP-1-mediated gene transcription activity and binding to the AP-1 response elements. The extract had no effect on the LPS-induced binding of nuclear factor-?B in RAW 264.7 cells, on LPS-induced degradation of I?Ba or on LPS-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), p38MAPK and JNK in human monocytes. The data indicate that a standardized ethanol Hp extract inhibits induction of pro-inflammatory gene expression, possibly by blocking the AP-1 pathway. This is novel evidence of a possible mechanism of action of this antiinflammatory drug.
PMID: 22072539 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3636 Phytother Res. 2012 Jun;26(6):806-11. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3636. Epub 2011 Nov 10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Analgesic effect of Harpagophytum procumbens on postoperative and neuropathic pain in rats.
Lim DW, Kim JG, Han D, Kim YT.
Abstract
Harpagophytum procumbens, also known as Devil's Claw, has historically been used to treat a wide range of conditions, including pain and arthritis. The study was designed to investigate whether H. procumbens extracts exhibit analgesic effects in plantar incision and spared nerve injury (SNI) rats. The whole procedure was performed on male SD rats. To evaluate pain-related behavior, we performed the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) test measured by von Frey filaments. Pain-related behavior was also determined through analysis of ultrasonic vocalization (USVs). The results of experiments showed MWT values of the group that was treated with 300 mg/kg H. procumbens extract increased significantly; on the contrary, the number of 22-27 kHz USVs of the treated group was reduced at 6 h and 24 h after plantar incision operation. After 21 days of continuous treatment with H. procumbens extracts at 300 mg/kg, the treated group showed significantly alleviated SNI-induced hypersensitivity responses by MWT, compared with the control group. These results suggest that H. procumbens extracts have potential analgesic effects in the case of acute postoperative pain and chronic neuropathic pain in rats.
PMID: 24441655 DOI: 10.3390/molecules19011060 Molecules. 2014 Jan 16;19(1):1060-8. doi: 10.3390/molecules19011060. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Harpagophytum procumbens in the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Four-month results of a prospective, multicenter, double-blind trial versus diacerhein.
Leblan D, Chantre P, Fournié B.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Harpagophytum in the treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis comparatively with the slow-acting drug for osteoarthritis, diacerhein.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study was conducted in 122 patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis. Treatment duration was four months and the primary evaluation criterion was the pain score on a visual analog scale. Harpagophytum 2,610 mg per day was compared with diacerhein 100 mg per day.
RESULTS:
After four months, considerable improvements in osteoarthritis symptoms were seen in both groups, with no significant differences for pain, functional disability, or the Lequesne score. However, use of analgesic (acetaminophen-caffeine) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (diclofenac) medications was significantly reduced in the Harpagophytum group, which also had a significantly lower rate of adverse events.
CONCLUSION:
In this study, Harpagophytum was at least as effective as a reference drug (diacerhein) in the treatment of knee or hip osteoarthritis and reduced the need for analgesic and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy.
PMID: 11143915 Joint Bone Spine. 2000;67(5):462-7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens): An Anti-Inflammatory Herb with Therapeutic Potential
Gerard McGregorEmail authorBernd FiebichAndrea WartenbergSarah BrienGeorge LewithTankred Wegener
Abstract
Extracts of the secondary roots of the southern African plant, Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) provide a herbal drug with a variety of traditional indications. One area of its use that has become very popular in recent years is in the treatment of inflammatory disorders of the musculoskeletal system and of low back pain. There have been several clinical studies recently published that generally support its use in treating osteoarthritis although more studies are required in order to establish this drug as a definite therapeutic option. Here in this review, the pharmacological properties of Devil’s Claw are reviewed in detail and the clinical evidence is briefly summarised. There is good in vitro and in vivo pharmacological evidence of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of this drug, although some negative findings have also been reported. Generally, the pharmacological properties of Devil’s Claw is supportive of its therapeutic potential, but more evidence from clinically relevant models, as well as at the cellular and molecular level, should be sought. Such studies may provide evidence in support of additional indications, both traditional and novel. The clinical data on Devil’s Claw is also very promising.
Phytochemistry Reviews January 2005, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp 47–53 springer.com