Devil's Claw
Harpagophytum procumbens
Also known as: Grapple Plant, Wood Spider, Harpago
Overview
A plant native to the Kalahari region of southern Africa, whose secondary tuberous roots contain harpagoside, an iridoid glycoside with anti-inflammatory activity. Devil's claw is one of the better-studied herbs for joint and lower back pain — several small human trials found it eased pain more than placebo. A few small head-to-head studies against anti-inflammatory drugs found no clear difference between them, but those trials were too small to establish that the two work equally well, and their own authors said so. Larger, higher-quality trials are still needed.
Proposed mechanism
In laboratory studies, harpagoside blocks NF-kB activation, which suppresses COX-2 and other inflammatory signals — indirect evidence that does not by itself establish clinical benefit. In people, small short-term trials suggest modest pain relief over placebo for chronic low back pain, rated low-quality evidence by Cochrane. Three small head-to-head trials have compared devil's claw with an active drug (rofecoxib for back pain; diacerein and meloxicam for osteoarthritis) and none found a significant difference — but each was small, short, and underpowered to prove equivalence. A 2026 review concluded that current evidence does not support devil's claw as a general replacement for NSAIDs, though it may be an option for people who cannot tolerate them.
Mechanisms describe how researchers think a compound may act, often from laboratory work — a proposed mechanism is not proof of a clinical effect in people.