Is Devil’s Claw the best at fighting chronic joint pain: UMKC researchers want to know

A collaborative group of Missouri and Kansas researchers have gotten a $412,000 federal grant to explore the effectiveness of the dietary supplement Devil’s Claw for treating early-stage joint osteoarthritis.

Researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City are working with researchers from the University of Missouri in Columbia and the International Clinical Research Institute in Overland Park on the two-year grant study. And if the results are positive, additional support will be provided for further studies.

Osteoarthritis is sometimes called degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis and is the most common chronic condition of the joints, affecting approximately 27 million Americans.

Botanical products containing Devil’s Claw, a plant found in southern Africa, have been sold and used as a remedy for arthritis, muscle pains and other various ailments for centuries.

Many studies have indicated that some of of these botanical products do reduce pain and improve the physical function. But “data that indicates the active ingredient and verifies the effectiveness and safety in reducing inflammation are currently lacking,” researchers said in a statement released Thursday by UMKC.

Mary Gerkovich, an associate professor of biomedical and health informatics at the UMKC School of Medicine, and Bill Folk, professor of biochemistry at MU, are leading the effort.

These researchers will be gathering scientific data to support further testing and development of Devil’s Claw products as a reliable treatment for osteoarthritis.

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Is Devil’s Claw the best at fighting chronic joint pain: UMKC researchers want to know."