Harpagophytum procumbens

Botanical Description

Harpagophytum procumbens is a prostrate, sprawling plant with a stout, perennial rootstock that has a group of secondary storage tubers arising from it[ 295 Title PlantZAfrica.com Publication Author Website http://www.plantzafrica.com Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants. ]. It produces annual stems[ 295 Title PlantZAfrica.com Publication Author Website http://www.plantzafrica.com Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants. ]. Devil's claw has long been a traditional medicine of the people in southern Africa, more recently it has gained acceptance in the West where it is widely available in pharmacies and health food stores[ 254 Title The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Publication Author Chevallier. A. Publisher Dorling Kindersley. London Year 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148 Description An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world. ]. Many tons of dried tubers are exported each year from S. Africa, mainly to Europe. Most of this is harvested in the wild so there has been much concern about over-harvesting[ 295 Title PlantZAfrica.com Publication Author Website http://www.plantzafrica.com Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants. ]. The plant is protected in all the regions in which it grows, and can only be collected with a permit[ 295 Title PlantZAfrica.com Publication Author Website http://www.plantzafrica.com Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants. ]. Efforts to get the plant into cultivation have not yet led to much success.[ 295 Title PlantZAfrica.com Publication Author Website http://www.plantzafrica.com Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants. ].