Devil's Club

Devil's Club, Oplopanax horridum, prefers to live in moist areas under the cover of the forest canopy. Where you find Devil's Club, you'll also find Oregon Grape, Huckleberries, and the trees - Cedar, Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, Hemlock. Anyone who has grabbed onto the stalk of this plant can attest that it is a plant well-named. Hundreds of tiny sharp thorn-like prickles covering the stem and leaves have a way of imbedding themselves and festering under the skin of many a hapless victim.

Traditionally, Devil's Club has been used for pain relief by the native coastal peoples in the Pacific Northwest.

Those who struggle with junk-food-itis find that using small amounts of Devil's Club on a regular basis helps suppress the cravings for what is inside all those fast food wrappers that we find on the side of our roads, along with the hankering for alcohol, sugar, caffeine, and tobacco.

Acting similarly to Ginseng (PANAX SPP.), long term tonic usage of Devil's Club helps to add strength to the body's systems. In the same way, it gives us long term healthy energy, helping us to get off the caffeine roller-coaster.

The ripe berries may be crushed, steeped with apple cider vinegar and used as a hair and scalp rinse for dermatitis, dandruff and the like.

The best time for harvesting Devil's Club is early September. Remember to wear long sleeves and pants and bring heavy leather gloves and pruning shears for a safe harvest. As Devil's Club grows on slopes and moist areas, be particularly careful to harvest in a sustainable manner.

I lived on an organic farm for a short time years ago and had a young roommate who was enthralled with watching my apprentices and me strip Devil's Club bark off a large fall harvest. He chewed on a small piece of the bark after I told him about long lasting zip it gives a person. The next day, he told me he had never picked so many vegetables in one day as he had after chewing that bark!

A good plant to know overall, hey?