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Devil's claw
Devil's claw — what the European monograph actually supports, what it is not for, the form and how long it is meant to be used, side effects, and the 3 medicine interactions documented for it.
This is a reference page, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. Herbal products are real pharmacology: they have effects, side effects and interactions with medicines. Tell your doctor and your pharmacist everything you take, including teas and supplements, and never stop or change a prescribed medicine because of anything you read here.
What it is
Harpagophytum procumbens DC. ex Meisn. — secondary root tuber (Harpagophyti radix)
Grouped here under Joints, urinary tract and hormones. Regulatory position: EU herbal monograph — traditional use.
What the evidence supports
The registered indication: Relief of minor joint pain, and of mild digestive complaints such as bloating and loss of appetite.
A southern African plant whose secondary root tubers are dug for the European joint-pain market. The registered indication is deliberately modest — minor joint pain — and that modesty is doing real work: trials of standardised extracts in low back pain and osteoarthritis exist, but they are mostly small, short and of moderate quality, and systematic reviewers have generally called the evidence promising but insufficient. The clinical detail that separates it from the rest of the joint-supplement shelf is its contraindication in peptic ulcer disease: devil's claw increases gastric acid secretion, so monograph texts contraindicate it with active stomach or duodenal ulcers. It is also wild-harvested, and pressure on wild populations in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa has been a long-running concern.
C — Traditional use only Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it.
What it is not for
Inflammatory arthritis, a hot swollen joint, joint pain with fever, or back pain with leg weakness, numbness in the saddle area or loss of bladder control — the last of those is an emergency.
Form, strength and how long
Dried secondary tuber as tea, and standardised dry extracts in tablets, usually standardised to harpagoside content.
Duration. Traditional-use texts direct people to seek advice if joint pain persists beyond a few weeks of use.
No gram figure appears on this page on purpose. The plant part, the extraction solvent and the drug-to-extract ratio together define a preparation, and a number taken from one does not describe another. The reasoning is set out on the hub; the amount that applies to you is the one printed on the pack you are holding, and a pharmacist will read it with you.
Side effects
Digestive upset and diarrhoea are the common ones, alongside headache and dizziness. Allergic reactions occur.
Who should avoid it
Contraindicated with active stomach or duodenal ulcer. Caution with gallstones. Not in pregnancy; adults only.
Interactions with medicines
| Medicine or substance | What is described |
|---|---|
| Anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs) | It is often taken to reduce the need for anti-inflammatory painkillers, and the two share a gastric-irritation profile — which is exactly the combination the ulcer contraindication is about. |
| Anticoagulants and antiplatelets (warfarin, DOACs, aspirin, clopidogrel) | Case reports of altered warfarin control exist. With any anticoagulant, tell the prescriber before starting. |
| Diabetes medicines and insulin | Blood-glucose lowering has been reported; monitor if you take glucose-lowering medicines. |
The reverse view — start from the medicine rather than the plant — is in the medicine, food and alcohol interactions reference, and summarised for every herb on this site.
Sources: European Medicines Agency — Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), European Union herbal monographs · NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — herb fact sheets · checked 2026-09-06
Frequently asked questions
What is devil's claw used for?
Relief of minor joint pain, and of mild digestive complaints such as bloating and loss of appetite. A southern African plant whose secondary root tubers are dug for the European joint-pain market. The registered indication is deliberately modest — minor joint pain — and that modesty is doing real work: trials of standardised extracts in low back pain and osteoarthritis exist, but they are mostly small, short and of moderate quality, and systematic reviewers have generally called the evidence promising but insufficient. The clinical detail that separates it from the rest of the joint-supplement shelf is its contraindication in peptic ulcer disease: devil's claw increases gastric acid secretion, so monograph texts contraindicate it with active stomach or duodenal ulcers. It is also wild-harvested, and pressure on wild populations in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa has been a long-running concern.
Does devil's claw work?
Graded C here: Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it. Inflammatory arthritis, a hot swollen joint, joint pain with fever, or back pain with leg weakness, numbness in the saddle area or loss of bladder control — the last of those is an emergency.
How much devil's claw should I take?
This reference does not print gram figures, because they do not transfer between preparations of different extract strength. What can be said honestly is the form and the duration: Dried secondary tuber as tea, and standardised dry extracts in tablets, usually standardised to harpagoside content. Traditional-use texts direct people to seek advice if joint pain persists beyond a few weeks of use.
What are the side effects of devil's claw?
Digestive upset and diarrhoea are the common ones, alongside headache and dizziness. Allergic reactions occur.
Does devil's claw interact with medicines?
Yes — documented for NSAIDs, Anticoagulants, warfarin, Diabetes medicines. Each one is described on this page, with a link to the medicine-side reference where one exists.
Others in joints, urinary tract and hormones
Nettle
Leaf: to increase the amount of urine and so flush the urinary tract in minor complaints, and for minor joint pain. Root: lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign enlargement of the prostate.
Saw palmetto
Relief of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia, after a doctor has excluded serious conditions.
Cranberry
Reducing the chance of repeat urinary tract infections in some groups — not treating an infection that is already present.
Black cohosh
Relief of menopausal complaints such as hot flushes and profuse sweating.
Feverfew
Prophylaxis of migraine headaches, after serious conditions have been excluded by a doctor.
Keep the whole list in one place
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