Devil’s Shoestring whole

The old reasoning is plain: a root that snakes and loops across the ground is a root the Devil will catch his foot on.

Origin & Traditional Use

Devil’s shoestring is the long, thin root of shrubs in the Viburnum genus, found across eastern North America and Europe. In country life these shrubs were known as hobblebush and cramp bark, and their bark was traditionally used in North American folk herbalism.

Uses by Tradition

Hoodoo & Rootwork

• Gambling: a piece is soaked in whiskey, dried and carried in the pocket as a lucky charm at cards and dice.
• Job work: carried to an interview or kept on you at work to tie down the job and keep it.
• Protection: pieces laid across the doorway or under the mat so that enemies, and the Devil, trip before they get in.
• Hobbling: tied in knots while naming an enemy and laid in their path to trip up their plans against you.

A Simple Working

• Cut a piece of devil’s shoestring about the length of your finger.
• Soak it overnight in a small glass of whiskey.
• Let it dry, then place it in a green flannel bag with a pinch of five finger grass.
• Tie the bag shut, breathe on it and name the game you mean to win.
• Carry it in your pocket when you play.
• Feed it a few drops of whiskey every week to keep it working.

Pairs Well With

• Five finger grass for gambling and money hands.
• High John the Conqueror root for mastery and strength.
• Lodestone to draw luck to the bag.
• Whiskey to dress and feed the root.

Lore & History

Rootworkers interviewed in the American South in the 1930s and 1940s described carrying devil’s shoestring for luck in gambling, for keeping a job and for protection. The name itself does the work: a shoestring to tie up the Devil’s feet.

What You Receive

Whole devil’s shoestring root, available in 1 oz, 2 oz and 1 lb.