Description
Devils Claw is a phytochemical-rich plant found in the extremely harsh Kalahari environment.
Discovered only in Southern Africa, this herb which owes its ominous name to its strange fruit, which bears several small, hook-like projections has been utilised by the first dwellers of the area, The San Bushman, or ‘Khoisan’ people, who have inhabited the desert for at least 20,000 years.
This hardy plant has learnt how to survive in very harsh conditions by storing many nutrients and moisture in its roots which makes them fat and extraordinarily photochemically rich. Devil’s Claw has been used for centuries, if not millennia, by dwellers of the Kalahari region to treat illnesses such as fevers, diseases of the digestive tract, skin problems, and various aches and pains.
With modern science, we can see that the secondary root tubers of devil’s claw contains a vast array of chemicals mainly iridoid glycosides, harpagoside, procumbide, harpagoquinone, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, triterpenes and more
This versatile plant is mainly used to treat rheumatism and arthritis, it is also used for pain management and as a general health tonic as well.
It is thought that devils claw’s main medicinal action is due to its high iridoid glycoside content, especially harpagoside, which helps suppress the body’s natural inflammatory response. Iridoid glycosides and phenylpropanoid glycosides have been the focus of many phytochemical investigations and they have now been proven to be as effective as modern osteoarthritis medication with no side effects.
Due to its anti-inflammatory effects and ability to reduce pain, devil’s claw is also a viable alternative treatment for those with gout
For hundreds of years, devil’s claw has been harvested according to traditional methods and practices. The relatively recent spike in demand for this herb has left reserves depleted or on the brink of collapse-due to unethical over harvesting.
Our devils claw is ethically grown to ensure that wild specimens are left untouched, and we only sell powdered secondary tubers which are taken to allow this wonderful herb to continue to live
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