Organic harpagophytum

Harpagophytum or devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens DC, Pedaliaceae family) is native to southern Africa. The plant is perennial and has a large network of tuberous roots that can extend as deep as 1 m (1-2). It is traditionally used for the good function of joints (3), in addition to contributing to support the digestion (4) and appetite (5).

Harpagophytum root helps to maintain joint health (3) and good mobility (7), in addition to help to maintain flexible joints and tendons (7). There are scientific publications, such as the systematic review conducted by Chrubasik et al., in which it can be observed that the majority of studies carried out on harpagophytum appear to indicate that the root has anti-inflammatory and analgesic action for use in cases of acute and subacute inflammation (8-9).

This research has led to studies of the composition of harpagophytum root in which multiple compounds have been identified, such as harpagosides, flavonoids, phytosterols and phenolic acids (6). Other studies conducted suggest that the anti-inflammatory action of the harpagophytum may be owed to interactions among these compounds in the plant (10).

Anastore offers an ecological extract which guarantees the absence of pesticides, formulated using only harpagophytum root, yielding a minimum content of 2.7% harpagoside. Each batch of our products is analyzed using HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography), offering the strictest guarantee of quality possible.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Berdonces (2009) Gran diccionario ilustrado de las Plantas Medicinales descripción y aplicaciones. Oceano Ambar.
2. http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/harpagophytum-procumbens-devils-claw
3. Extracted from the European Commission compilation list, under EFSA validation (ID 3770).
4. Extracted from the European Commission compilation list, under EFSA validation (ID 2264).
5. Extracted from the European Commission compilation list, under EFSA validation (ID 2276).
6. Crespo and Navarro (2012) La raíz de harpagofito en el tratamiento de afecciones reumáticas. Revista de Fitoterapia 12(1): 5-14.
7. Extracted from the European Commission compilation list, under EFSA validation (ID 3943).
8. Grant et al. (2007) A review of the biological and potential therapeutic actions of Harpagophytumprocumbens. Phytother Res 21(3):199-209. Included in the Consolidated list of Article 13 health claims List of references received by EFSA Part 4 IDs 3001 – 4705.
9. Chrubasik et al. (2007) Evidence of effectiveness of herbal antiinflammatory drugs in the treatment of painful osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain .Phytother Res 21(7):675-83. Included in the Consolidated list of Article 13 health claims List of references received by EFSA Part 4 IDs 3001 –4705.
10. Mahomed and Ojewole (2004) Analgesic, antiinflammatory and antidiabetic properties of Harpagophytum procumbens DC (Pedaliaceae) secondary root aqueous extract. Phytother Res 18(12):982-9. Included in the Consolidated list of Article 13 health claims List of references received by EFSA Part 4 IDs 3001 – 4705.