Devil's claw

Research corpus coverage

Chemistry notes

• CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include harpagoside; iridoid glycosides; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.

Traditional / historical use

Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.

• TRADITIONAL: Devil's claw has been used for back pain; osteoarthritis; dyspepsia; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.

  MODERATE · regulatory monograph · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants

Modern evidence

• EVIDENCE: For the major use set (back pain; osteoarthritis; dyspepsia), the evidence assessment is limited/mixed: Limited/moderate trials for low-back and osteoarthritis pain; extract-specific evidence.

  MODERATE · randomized controlled trial · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants

  Mixed findings, product heterogeneity, or indirect evidence are preserved in the detailed profile.

Forms used traditionally

A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.

Cats & dogs

• High risk

  Devil’s claw has been associated with gastrointestinal bleeding, acute pancreatitis, gastric discomfort, or ulcers and may alter drugs metabolized by CYP enzymes or transported by P-glycoprotein.

  Interaction · OTHER · herbal devil’s-claw product · MODERATE · veterinary_manual · Herbal Medicine in Veterinary Patients - Therapeutics

Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)

Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.

• SAFETY: Major issues include GI upset; possible BP/glucose effects. Contraindications/cautions include Peptic ulcer; gallstones caution.

  MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

• SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Potential anticoagulant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive and antiarrhythmic interactions.

  MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

  Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.

• SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Avoid in pregnancy; lactation data insufficient.

  MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants

  Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.

• Devil’s claw has been associated with gastrointestinal bleeding, acute pancreatitis, gastric discomfort, or ulcers and may alter drugs metabolized by CYP enzymes or transported by P-glycoprotein.

  MODERATE · veterinary_manual · Herbal Medicine in Veterinary Patients - Therapeutics

  Species and route were not specified.

Taxonomic identity note

• Devil's claw is treated here as Harpagophytum procumbens (Burch.) DC. ex Meisn. in the family Pedaliaceae; recorded older names include Uncaria procumbens Burch..