Harpagophytum procumbens seed
LATIN NAME: Harpagophytum procumbens
COMMON NAME: Devil’s Claw
The devil’s claw is the low, strange herb of the dry south, with the hooked fruits that catch the passing foot. The low, spreading, perennial plant carries the grey-green, lobed leaves and the large, pinkish-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers through the summer, to be followed by the woody, deeply hooked fruits. The thick, tuberous roots have a very long record in the old practice of the south, and the plant is a fine, curious presence of the dry garden and the study border. It is a plant of the open, sunny, very well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The devil’s claw is a curious, careful subject of the plant science, studied for the hooked fruits and the thick, tuberous roots. The chemistry of the roots, which have a very long record in the old practice of the south, has been studied closely, and it keeps showing up in the work on the medicinal roots, the dry-land plants and the members of the sesame family. The pinkish-purple flowers and the low, spreading habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and the devil’s claw is a regular subject of the studies of the strange, useful plants of the dry world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The devil’s claw is a curious, useful plant of the dry garden, with a very long record in the old practice. The large, pinkish-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers open through the summer, and the woody, deeply hooked fruits follow, catching the passing foot and carrying the seeds across the dry ground. The thick, tuberous roots have a very long record in the old practice of the south, and they remain a steady figure of the traditional remedies and the modern study of the root. It has been written about in the botanical and the herbal papers for the hooked fruits and the very long record of the roots, and it is a fine, curious plant of the open, sunny, very well-drained garden.
The devil’s claw is one of the strange, useful plants of the dry south, and the woody, deeply hooked fruits catch the passing foot and carry the seeds across the dry ground. The thick, tuberous roots have a very long record in the old practice.
To grow the devil’s claw from seed, sow the seeds a few millimetres down in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep the pots in a warm, bright spot and water gently. The seedlings thread up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun, the warmth and the very well-drained ground, the trumpet flowers will open through the summer.
Devils Claw (Harpagophytum Procumbens) has been a popular anti-inflammatory since it was first discovered in South Africa by European colonists in the 18th century. A natural alternative to over-the-counter pain medications such as Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen which can cause liver and stomach problems. It’s a healthier approach to easing joint pain. This herb may also be of interest to people suffering with loss of appetite, digestive disorders and degenerative disorders of the locomotor system (helping to ease pain and inflammation in the joints).