ABSTRACT
Devil's claw consists of the secondary storage roots of Harpagophytum procumbens DC, a South African plant belonging to the family Pedaliaceae. The common name is derived from the plant's peculiar fruits, which seem to be covered with miniature grappling hooks. Devil's claw, the name commonly used in the United States, is actually a translation of the German Teufelskralle; English synonyms include wood spider and grapple plant.1
