African devil’s claw is native to the Kalahari regions of southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia). Experimental cultivations have been started, but the commercial product is still imported almost exclusively from wild collections.
Medicinally, the dried and sliced secondary roots of the plant (Harpagophyti radix) are used.
Devil’s claw: characteristics of the plant.
Devil’s claw is a perennial, prostrate plant with shoots up to 1.5 m long that spread flat on the ground. The plant has a thick primary root and several tuberous secondary roots.
The leaves are gray-green and irregularly lobed, and devil’s claw bears large yellow or purple funnel flowers in the leaf axils. The woody fruits are up to 15 cm in size and resemble a claw with their hooked protuberances sticking out on all sides (hence the name).
Devil’s claw root as a medicine.
The drug, still uncut, consists of the secondary roots weighing up to 500 g, which are surrounded by a yellowish-brown layer. The whole drug is sliced and dried immediately after harvest. The cut surfaces are smooth and light gray to whitish.
In herbal medicine, people often use the root cut into very small pieces or finely powdered.
What does devil’s claw smell and taste like?
The African devil’s claw or its root does not spread a particularly characteristic odor. The taste of the root is very bitter.
