Plant Witchery: Discover the Sacred Language, Wisdom, and Magic of 200 Plants - Juliet Diaz 2020

Devil’s Shoestring Viburnum alnifolium
A Compendium of Plants

ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES

protection, luck, awareness, banishing

Devil’s shoestring refers to the dried roots of some types of viburnum—plants in the honeysuckle family native to eastern North America. The roots grow long and thin, like shoestrings, but they are firm yet flexible, like a vine. There are a number of devil’s shoestring plants out there, but the species commonly included in Magical workings by Latinx and hoodoo cultures is the hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium).

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

The roots of devil’s shoestring can serve as an antispasmodic, and you can also cut them up and make them into tea to reduce menstrual cramps or other aches.

MAGICAL PROPERTIES

You can keep out negative energies, evil eye, and other energetic attacks by tying a bundle of devil’s shoestring above your door or burying it near your entryway. You can also grow these plants around your home, where their roots will spread and tangle together, forming a barrier in the earth. You can steep them in vodka or whiskey, making a tincture that you may either drink or rub on your pulse points to bring protection or good luck. Devil’s shoestring is powerful in both protection and banishing spells.

PLANT WISDOM

Working with devil’s shoestring is very intimate—she tells you, Dear child, don’t you worry about the shadows that try to creep. She will show you the things you need to know, particularly spiritual attacks, but she will be there to protect you from them. She also brings luck by protecting you from losing, from failing, and from ignorance. Working with her will bring you the ultimate protection, as she also protects you from yourself—from distraction, procrastination, or self-sabotage. I always keep her in my pocket when I write, especially when a deadline is near. She is not a dreamworld plant, but will always be available to you through meditation.