Harpagophytum procumbens Seeds | Devil’s Claw
LATIN NAME: Harpagophytum procumbens
COMMON NAME: Devil’s Claw
Plant Profile
Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) grows as a herb in the sesame family, native to over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen which can cause liver and stomach problems. The devil’s claw is a low, strange herb of dry south, with hooked fruits that catch passing foot. Low, spreading, perennial plant carries grey-green, lobed leaves and large, pinkish-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers through summer, to be followed by woody, deeply hooked fruits. Thick, tuberous roots have a very long record in old practice of south, and plant is a fine, curious presence of dry garden and study border. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Devil’s claw is standardised on the iridoid glycoside harpagoside, and the European monographs base dosing on 50–100 mg of harpagoside per day. At that level the evidence is among the better in herbal rheumatology: randomised trials in non-specific low back pain found standardised extracts superior to placebo and, in one study, comparable to rofecoxib 12.5 mg daily, while a four-month double-blind trial of 122 patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis found the extract at least as effective as diacerein, with significantly less rescue NSAID use. Evidence for inflammatory arthritis, by contrast, is negative. The herb is contraindicated in gastric and duodenal ulcers.
As part of the sesame family, Harpagophytum procumbens contributes to research on plant classification and adaptation, while nurseries and gardeners continue to trial it for cultivation. The devil’s claw is a curious, careful subject of plant science, studied for hooked fruits and thick, tuberous roots. The practical point for growers is that this plant has been observed in gardens for so long that its behaviour holds few surprises.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Devil’s Claw earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. The devil’s claw is a curious, useful plant of dry garden, with a very long record in old practice. Large, pinkish-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers open through summer, and woody, deeply hooked fruits follow, catching passing foot and carrying seeds across dry ground. Thick, tuberous roots have a very long record in old practice of south, and they remain a steady figure of traditional remedies and modern study of the root. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
Devil’s claw root is one of the best-documented herbal medicines for back and joint discomfort, with European clinical trials and official monographs supporting its use; its harpagoside iridoids drive the research.
Growing from Seed
Raising Devil’s Claw from seed is straightforward. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. Move strong seedlings into individual pots, keep them in good light, and set them out when the weather and their size agree.
Our Take
Given the right start, Devil’s Claw is a long-term garden companion. Devil’s Claw has real presence in the garden without demanding much in return. The only critical period is germination, when the compost must stay evenly moist.
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