Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) is well recognized as an herbal treatment for arthritic pain and there are several clinical trials which support its use for osteoarthritis and low back pain. (1) A recent clinical trial involving 63 patients found that the herb is also useful for muscular pain in patients with slight to moderate muscular tension or slight muscular pain of the back, shoulder and neck. (2) Patients received the equivalent of about 3 g of devil's claw per day over 4 weeks or a closely-matched placebo.
Devil's claw is also generating interest for veterinary applications. The treatment of degeneration of the proximal intertarsal, distal interdistal and tarso-metatarsal joints and of muscular disorders was investigated in ten race horses in comparison with a control group of ten horses treated with phenylbutazone over 60 days. (3) The horses were given 0.5 mg/kg of an approximately 3:1 extract of...