Devil’s claw is one of the best herbs for pain management and inflammation reduction. With thousands of years of historical usage and 70 years of clinical research, devil’s claw is a noteworthy botanical.
In this article, we will look at the benefits, dosage, and safety of devil’s claw.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Devil’s Claw
Below are the top researched-backed devil’s claw benefits for health.
1. May Reduce Pain
Clinical studies indicate that devil claw may be one of the best herbs for reducing pain.
A variety of human clinical trials have been conducted that have looked at the pain-dampening benefits of devil’s claw. This research can be broken up into the 3 broad categories of low back, arthritis, and general musculoskeletal pain.
A. Low Back Pain
A trial was conducted in 2001 with 130 individuals suffering from 6+ months of chronic low back pain. They took a dose of 960mg of devil’s claw daily. After 8 weeks, the majority of the individuals noted a significant reduction in pain (as recorded on a pain index). The researchers also noted that devil’s claw is well tolerated, with no major adverse events or interactions listed.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 118 patients with radiating low back pain showed that devil’s claw works to reduce overall pain scores. It should be noted that the dosage of devil’s claw was quite large, with a dose of 4500mg/day (standardized to contain 50mg harpagosides). The devil’s claw was well tolerated by the trial participants from a safety standpoint.
In 2002, a comparative study with 102 patients showed that 4500mg of devil’s claw had similar efficacy as a standard NSAID protocol when it came to reducing low back pain. Another comparative study in 2003 showed that devil’s claw had similar benefits as Vioxx®, a COX-2 inhibiting drug (also known as rofecoxib). It was noted in both of these studies that devil’s claw had a safety profile similar to, if not better than, the drug therapies.
B. Arthritis (hip and knee) Pain
Various studies have shown that devil’s claw can be beneficial for individuals struggling with arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis of the hip or knee.
One study showed that devil’s claw helped to decrease pain and increase mobility in patients with articular arthritis.
Another study showed that devil’s claw extract was able to help individuals suffering from arthritis reduce their dependence on ibuprofen. This is due to the fact that devil’s claw has pain-dampening benefits that are similar to ibuprofen.
A comparative study found that devil’s claw had similar pain benefits as phenylbutazone (known as “bute”), a common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat short-term pain.
Another comparative study found that devil’s claw had similar benefits as diacerein (a slow-acting analgesic/cartilage protective drug). It was noted that the devil’s claw recipients used significantly less rescue medication, in the form of NSAIDs and analgesic drugs than their diacerein counterparts. In terms of safety, a significantly greater number of adverse events were reported in the diacerein group than in the devil’s claw group.
C. General Musculoskeletal Pain
In addition to helping with pain in the low back, knees, and hips, devil’s claw also has benefits for general pain and inflammation throughout the body.
A large open trial comprising 630 patients with general aches and pains was performed. Following 6 months of treatment with a devil’s claw preparation (3000–9000mg/day aqueous dry extract containing 2.5% iridoid glycosides), 42% to 85% of patients experienced significant alleviation in pain and other complaints, particularly those suffering from arthritis of the large joints or spinal column. Mild GI disturbances were the only side effect reported at the highest dose administered.
Summary:
Many studies have shown that devil’s claw may help with managing pain associated with the low back, arthritis, and the general musculoskeleton.
2. May Reduces Inflammation and Arthritis
A variety of trials have shown that devil’s claw helps to reduce the pain and inflammatory effects of osteoarthritis.
In vitro studies have shown that devil’s claw possesses the ability to inhibit inflammatory cytokines. devil’s claw has also been shown to reduce arachidonic acid metabolism, which leads to COX-2 inhibition, thus reducing inflammation.
An open trial with a subject size of 250 patients; 104 with low back pain; 85 with osteoarthritic knee pain; and 61 with hip pain demonstrated significant efficacious results following 8 weeks of treatment with a proprietary Hp preparation (Doloteffin® providing 60mg harpagosides/day). In all groups, both generic and disease-specific outcome measures improved by week 4 and further by week 8. Benefits were greater in patients with hip arthrosis, followed by those with knee arthrosis, with the least amount of relief experienced by those suffering from back pain.
Summary:
Research shows that devil’s claw may help reduce inflammation and arthritis.
3. May Increase Mobility
Significant improvements in symptoms, mobility, and morning stiffness were also experienced by 43 subjects with OA and RA who had been given a daily dose of 750 mg powdered secondary Hp roots for 30 days. No adverse events were reported by any of the participants.
Devil’s claw has also been shown to increase mobility in patients with articular arthritis.
Summary:
Devil’s claw may increase mobility. More clinical research is required to confirm this finding.
4. May Improve Osteoporosis
Although human clinical trials are needed to confirm these experimental findings, in vitro and in vivo research show that the harpagide and harpagoside can help to reduce bone loss, especially bone loss in postmenopausal women, and in inflammation-induced bone loss.
Summary:
Research shows that devil’s claw may reduce bone loss, however, more human trials are needed for verification.
5. May Benefit Symptoms of IBS
Due to the anti-inflammatory effects of devil’s claw, it has been used in a variety of different inflammation-based disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome. IBS is characterized by abnormal bowel movements combined with abdominal pain, approximately ~9% of the world population suffers from this disorder.
An animal study found that devil’s claw is effective in blunting multiple inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, including prostanoid, cytokine, and serotonin colon levels, thus supporting potential applications of the extract in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
Summary:
Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, devil’s claw may help treat irritable bowl syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings.
6. May Benefit Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by insulin deficiency