Devil's Claw - Harpagophytum procumbens

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="04afd5a3.jpg"> <bR> <div> <B>The Botanical Source</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="04bd2063.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Botanical Source"><U><B><IMG SRC="107b8d140.png" border=0 width="141" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop"><U><IMG SRC="11958d140.png" border=0 width="141" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Seed Catalogue :"><U><IMG SRC="11948d140.png" border=0 width="141" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop/index.php?cPath=28&osCsid=5d55fa2bee3df7b388a151625a1e9916" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop/i"><U><IMG SRC="11938d140.png" border=0 width="141" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles about African indigenous healin"><U><IMG SRC="10828d140.png" border=0 width="141" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><IMG SRC="11928d140.png" border=0 width="141" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery"><U><IMG SRC="11918d140.png" border=0 width="141" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div>   <script type="text/javascript" src="http://edge.quantserve.com/quant.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">_qacct="p-41ZhKYiACxjoQ";quantserve();</script> <noscript> <a href="http://www.quantcast.com/p-41ZhKYiACxjoQ" target="_blank"><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-41ZhKYiACxjoQ.gif" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="Quantcast"/></a> </noscript>   </div> <div>  <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3741917-2"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); </script>  </div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="04c03043.jpg"> <div> <B>Devil's Claw - Harpagophytum procumbens</B></div> <div>  <script language=JavaScript>  </script>  </div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="bcb96cc0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="204" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Medicinal Uses</U></B><B> :</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Devil's claw is a veritable cure-all, and has long been known as a medicinal plant, with the San of the Kalahari having used it first.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The root or "tuber" is considered medicinal and is preferred by herbalists because of its high concentration of the beneficial component harpagoside.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Recent studies show very good results with devil's claw as an analgesic (pain-reliever).</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The plant is commonly used to treat rheumatism and arthritis, and as a general health tonic. Infusions of the dried root are used as a cure for digestive disorders and as a tonic in lack of appetite. It is also taken as an analgesic, especially during pregnancy, and the treatment continued after labour. An ointment is made from the root material which is applied to sores, ulcers and boils.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Also used for cleaning the body from waste and toxic by-products of the metabolism.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>In its local areas, and increasingly elsewhere, it has also been used for fever, blood diseases, blood purification, lower back pain and pain in pregnant women, coughs, diarrhoea, diabetes, bleeding gums, syphilis, gonorrhoea, gout and lumbago. It also helps with diseases of the liver, gall bladder, kidneys, pancreas, digestive system (heartburn, peptic ulcers, constipation and lack of appetite) and small joints, as well as hypertension, high cholestrol and tuberculosis. Externally it helps heal ulcers, boils, skin lesions and wounds.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The most important components of devil's claw root are iridoid glycosides (mainly harpagoside, harpagide and procumbide). Some of its properties are listed: analgesic, anti-arrhythmic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, diuretic, hypotensive, laxative, purgative, sedative, uterocontractant and a febrifuge, cholelogue and bitter tonic. In western medicine it is mainly used for arthritis and rheumatism.</B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=65" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop/p"><U><B>Click here to buy Devil's Claw</B></U></A><B>.</B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="bd4a3710.gif" border=0 width="163" height="113" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Derivation of name and historical aspects</U></B><B> :</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The plant's common name is attributed to its peculiar claw-like seedpods which are covered with small hook-like protuberances.</B></div> <div> <B>William Burchell gave this plant the name procumbens, meaning prostrate or lying down, in 1822. He placed it in the genus Uncaria and thought it was related to Martynia that also has a spiny fruit. In 1840, Meisner published De Candolle's name, Harpagophytum, for devil's claw. This name is a direct translation of 'grapple plant' into Greek.</B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="bcd96d20.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="210" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Botanical Description</U></B><B> :</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Devil's claw is a prostrate, sprawling plant with a stout, perennial rootstock that has a group of secondary storage tubers arising from it. Trailing annual stems bear opposite leaves. These are irregularly 3-5-lobed and greyish green because they are covered in tiny whitish mucilage cells. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="bcf96d20.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="210" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The flowers are trumpet-shaped and range in colour from dark velvety red or purple to pink while the tube base and mouth are yellowish; they can be all yellow, all purple or white. The very distinctive spiny fruits, from which many of the common names are derived, are woody, oval and flattened capsules armed with 2 central spines and 2 lateral rows of 12 - 16 horny arms bearing hooked spines.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="bd1e6bf0.jpg" border=0 width="230" height="191" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="bd3e6a30.jpg" border=0 width="230" height="163" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Contra-indications</U></B><B> :</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>There are some warnings in the literature. Devil's claw can be allergenic and is contra-indicated for diabetics and people with duodenal and gastric ulcers. Very high doses may act against blood pressure and cardiac therapy. High doses may also cause abortion. </B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="f1c2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=65" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop/p"><U><B>Click here to buy Devil's Claw</B></U></A><B>.</B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>  Subscribe to The Botanical Source free newsletter:<br><br> <form action="http://freeautobot.com/cgi-bin/autores/autores.cgi" target="_blank"> <input type=hidden name="do" value="add_lead_external"> <input type=hidden name="Username" value="botanical"> <input type=hidden name="Stop_Status" value="Active"> <input type=hidden name="Cycle_Number" value="0"> <input type=hidden name="Success_URL" value="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/id310.htm"> <input type=hidden name="Failure_URL" value="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/id309.htm"> <input type=hidden name="Notes" value="Added from opt-in form"> Email : <input type=text name="Email" value=""><br> <input type=submit value="Submit"> </form>   </B></div> <div> <B>[ Opens a new window. ]</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Privacy Policy</U></B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> :</B></FONT></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700a000000000.png" HEIGHT="11" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">We do not publish or share your email address with anyone.</B></div> <div> <B>____________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/shop"><U><B>Return to Herbal Products</B></U></A><B>.</B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>