[Surferboy]

Hi folks,

A gentleman at my work recommended Devils Claw as a great herbal alternative to Ibuprofen and other anti inflamataries.

Has anyone heard of this medication? Or even tried it? It's available from Holland & Barratts.

 

[x_claire_x]

Hi, yes I have seen it and heard of it, think it has a relative called cats claw as well, both are considered to be anti inflammatory and used alot in arthritis, however I brought some for my god mother who has chronic arthritis and she tried it to no avail... so I guess it may be good for some and not others like most things! It might be a good idea to check there is no contraindication to you trying it, depending on your current medication and diagnosis. If not then hope it helps..

 

[Katharine]

Hello,

Yes, I did try it BEFORE diagnosis in an effort to find some relief from the terrible pain I had. It was mildly effective but in reality I had to take the higher doses which made it pretty expensive.

Even if it is herbal, I would still check with your doctor that you can take it. The only warning I could find was for people with duodenal ulcers but even so, it is best to check as some of the herbal remedies can have a "draining" action (aimed at detoxifying our system) which can give extra work to kidneys and therefore not recommended.

It is also called Harpagophytum (for those not in an English speaking country).

Katharine

 

[Lily]

Hi Surferboy,

Here's some more information on Devils Claw with interactions and possible side effects. No studies have been done beyond 3 months ingestion of it just to note.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-devilsclaw.html

love
Lily