Devil’s claw is most commonly used for relieving back pain and pain from arthritis.
This flowering plant has been used for arthritis, muscle pain, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, heart burn, fever migraines and more.
The reality is there are many active ingredients in Devil’s claw.
However, the one’s that have received the most interest is iridoid glycosides.
What is in Devil’s claw?
The main compounds of devil’s claw are iridoid glycosides, such as harpagoside, harpagide, and procumbide (Figure 1), which are present in the plant tubers and have been described as the most promising therapeutic constituents. Other chemical constituents, such as sugars (mainly the tetrasaccharide stachyose), triterpenoids (oleanolic and ursolic acid), phytosterols (primarily β‐sitosterol), aromatic acids (caffeic, cinnamic, and chlorogenic acids), and flavonoids (luteolin and kaempferol) can be also found in the plant.
What compound in the plant is believed to be the most “active”?
Therapeutic effects of devil’s claw result from multiple mechanisms and are dependent upon the relative amount of each constituents; however, harpagoside is the most responsible for therapeutic activity of the plant; therefore, its content is used as reference standard.
How does Devil’s claw reduce inflammation?
These compounds appear to have anti-inflammatory properties and inhibit the cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2).
Reference:
Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum Procumbens) and Chronic Inflammatory Diseases: A Concise Overview on Preclinical and Clinical Data. Phytotherapy Research. 2019 Sep;33(9):2152-2162. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6395.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Arthritis, Inflammation, Plant Medicine
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