Devil's Claw - an age-old remedy for arthritis

Monday, 07 September 2009

The traditional herbal remedy Devil's Claw has long been known to assist with joint pain and inflammation. Native to Southern Africa this medicinal plant has been used for thousands of years to help with joint pain and inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis and skin conditions as well as problems with gall bladder, pancreas, stomach and kidneys. It is now available in capsule, tincture, liquid and powder forms. Devil's Claw is also known as Devil's Claw Root, Grapple Plant or Wood Spider. In fact it is so named due to the small hooks on its fruit.

Devil's Claw is chiefly obtained from Namibia but is also available from South Africa and Botswana.

The active agent in Devil's Claw, found in the secondary roots are iridoid glycosides called harpagosides which said to help against joint inflammation and pain.

It is best to take Devil's Claw between meals as according to some studies too much stomach acid can counter it. Usually for inflammation and pain it's best to take this medicine in capsule form. According to the research you need at least 50 harpagosides a day and levels of harpagosides should be indicated on the bottle.

Devil's Claw is also said to help reduce uric acid levels in gout and is great as a tea, made from the powdered root, to help aid digestion and stimulate appetite. Steep one teaspoonful of the powdered or chopped root in two cups of boiling water for twenty minutes or more, then strain and leave to cool.

Significant results showing the effectiveness of Devil's Claw were obtained from a study conducted in 2002 and published by Phytomedicine. The research focused on 227 people who had treated non-specific lower back pain or arthritis of the knee or hip with Devil's Claw extract. The results were promising with less pain and greater flexibility in knee, hip and joints reported in 50 to 70 per cent of respondents.

As with all herbal and alternative remedies do take care and check with your doctor. Devil's Claw must be avoided by anyone who is pregnant, has gallstones or ulcers, or taking antacids, blood thinners or diabetes medication.

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