Devil's Claw Makes Work Possible for Idle Hands
by Alison Cullen

HEALTHY WAY MAGAZINE WEBISSUE 45 ARTICLE 5

As many as 1 in 10 adults in the UK suffer from some form of rheumatic ailment. What's more, these conditions can be extremely painful, ranging from twinges through stiffness to raging inflammatory joint pain.

Conventionally, there are few appealing options, as most of the anti-inflammatory medications on offer carry unpleasant side effects with them, as those of you experiencing digestive discomfort or worrying about cardiovascular problems will know.

Nature, on the other hand, presents a safe and effective remedy that can benefit everyone without worrying about side effects.

What the Devil is this wonderful remedy?

Devil's Claw is a peculiar name, I grant you, but it derives from the seedpod of the plant, which is extremely tough, and shaped like a gnarled claw. Due to the barbed spikes on the claw, it will hook itself onto the hoof or muzzle of grazing animals, and thus ensure its dispersion over a wider area, as the animal will involuntarily carry it for some distance before being able to shake it off. It is also known as Grapple Hook plant, due to this particularly cunning and effective transportation scheme.

What does it do? I don't need any more spikes in my body...

Fortunately, it's not the spiky bit that we use, but the water-storing tuber of the Devil's Claw, which is dug up from under the desert sands, and made into an extract that has been used in Africa for centuries, and throughout Europe for many years.

This extract of Devil's Claw - now known as A.Vogel Atrosan Devil's Claw - has an anti-inflammatory effect all around the body, not just in one particular spot, so it's good if you have general aches and pains, as well as if you suffer in one area.

The best news is that there are no side effects at all. The anti-inflammatory action doesn't block any of the body's natural processes, as some conventional medications do, so there is no danger of harming the stomach lining, the kidneys, or of causing any circulatory or vascular problems.

What is Atrosan?

A.Vogel Atrosan was up until recently known simply as A.Vogel Devil's Claw tablets. The tablets are made with the our tincture of Devil's Claw that we've always used, but the product has been licensed for for the relief of backache, rheumatic or muscular pain and general aches and pains in the muscles and joints under the Traditional Herbal Medicines Directive

The format is the same as the original tincture tablets, but with the licence it is permitted to give the tablets an individual name, Atrosan. The licence also means that the packaging can carry an indication as to what the product can be used for. This makes it easier for consumers to select the right product for them. A licence also underlines the quality and safety of the product.

Can you prove Devil's Claw works?

Yes, trials prove its effectiveness and safety. In an open clinical study 259 patients, who had at least a joint or a body part giving slight to moderate rheumatic problems, were treated with two A.Vogel Devil's Claw tablets over a period of 8 weeks.

Once the treatment was complete, 26% of the patients who took painkillers for their rheumatic conditions were able to stop taking this medication completely and an additional 45% were able to reduce the dose. For each painful joint or each body part, the severity of the pain was recorded by means of a Visual Analogue Scale on a scale of 0 (no problems) to 10 (very severe problems). A significant improvement was shown in all conditions. General pain levels sunk from 4.9 to 3.3, and general stiffness decreased from 5.1 to 3.1. In individual joints, pain significantly decreased by between 36 to 58%, and back pain was reduced significantly by about 37%.

Effectiveness was assessed by doctors and patients as being very good and the tolerability was rated by 87% as good. 74.3% of the participants said that they would take the tablets again. The study showed that A.Vogel Devil's Claw tablets are a very effective and tolerable basic therapy for patients with mild to moderate rheumatic problems.

Can you use Atrosan alongside Atrogel Arnica Gel?

Yes, the two go very well together, as Atrogel gives immediate, topical pain relief, and Atrosan works internally to deliver an anti-inflammatory effect to the whole body. They can be used together for specific areas of pain, such as arthritic knees or painful fingers, or Atrosan can be used alone if the areas of pain are very diverse and topical applications aren't appropriate.

Can you use it alongside glucosamine sulphate?

Yes, it reduces inflammatory pain whilst the glucosamine sulphate works at rebuilding cartilage and ligament in affected joints.

Can you use it long term?

Yes, it is perfectly safe to use long term and, as its effect is cumulative, it will work better the longer you take it.

Why is it good for porcupines?

In the desert, porcupines like to eat the tubers of Devil's Claw plants. At the moment the natural wild sources of Devil's Claw are threatened by wild harvesting, with no replanting undertaken. This threatens the eco-balance of the area, as well as removing a source of food for hungry porcupines. We grow our own Devil's Claw plants on specially established farms that give work to local people and ensure that we are adding to the wealth of the area, both ecologically and economically, as well as creating healthy Devil's Claw plants to make our tincture and Atrosan Devil's Claw tincture tablets.