Plants of the genus owe their common name "devil's claw" to the peculiar appearance of their hooked fruit.

[4] Preparations of the plant or its extracts, such as harpagoside,[5] are presumed to have uses in folk medicine and phytotherapy as an anti-inflammatory herbal drug or dietary supplement.

[1] Although there is no accepted clinical evidence of its efficacy and bioavailability, limited effects were noted for treating lower back pain and osteoarthritis.

[1] A 2016 Cochrane review of clinical research noted that devil's claw seems to reduce low back pain more than placebo, although evidence was of moderate quality at best.

[1] Harpagophytum procumbens inhabits deep, sandy soils, and occurs in areas with low annual rainfall (150–300 mm/year).

However, the range states have implemented measures to manage the trade sustainably and the proposal to protect the species by CITES was withdrawn.

Stewart and Cole (2005)[16] examined the complex economic, social, and cultural factors involved in the harvest of the species.