Devil's Shoestring Root: Meaning, Hoodoo Uses and Which Plant It Really Is
What devil's shoestring root is, why two plants share the name, how hoodoo uses it for job luck, gambling and protection, and why you should never eat it.
Ask an old-school rootworker what to carry to a job interview or a card game and devil's shoestring may come up quickly. This guide explains what the root is, why two very different plants share the name, how it has been used in hoodoo and how to handle it safely. It does not promise that a root in your pocket wins the job or the hand.
Contents
Devil's shoestring is a thin, string-like root used in African American hoodoo for luck at work and in games of chance and for protection, on the idea that its long strings trip up evil and bad luck before they reach you. In the conjure trade the name usually refers to the roots of viburnum shrubs such as hobblebush, but botanists also use it for goat's rue (Tephrosia virginiana), a toxic legume. Practitioners carry pieces in a pocket or mojo bag, lay them by a doorway or soak them in whiskey. The folklore is well recorded; there is no evidence that the root affects luck, and it should never be eaten.
Devil's shoestring is listed as a common name for goat's rue, Tephrosia virginiana, a legume of the eastern and central United States.
Source/tradition: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Tephrosia virginiana, accessed 2026
Indigenous peoples of the Southeast used Tephrosia virginiana to stun fish, which reflects its toxic compounds.
Source/tradition: Moerman, Native American Ethnobotany Database, accessed 2026
Hobblebush roots where its branches touch the ground and forms loops that trip walkers.
Source/tradition: Native Plant Trust, Go Botany: Viburnum lantanoides, accessed 2026
Devil's shoestring trips up the devil, meaning harm and bad luck, before it can reach a person.
Source/tradition: Southern conjure tradition, Hyatt 1970-1978
Gamblers and job seekers carried devil's shoestring for luck.
Source/tradition: Hyatt 1970-1978; Yronwode 2002
Practitioners lay pieces under doormats and carry dressed pieces in wallets and mojo bags.
Source/tradition: Contemporary rootwork practice
Carrying devil's shoestring improves the chance of getting a job or winning a bet.
Source/tradition: No study or evidence
VERIFIED = verifiable in scientific or official sources · TRADITIONAL = historically or culturally recorded · LIVED PRACTICE = widely practiced, experiential knowledge · NOT PROVEN = spiritual interpretation, not scientifically established.
Quick answer
Devil's shoestring is a thin, string-like root used in African American hoodoo for luck at work and in games of chance and for protection, on the idea that its long strings trip up evil and bad luck before they reach you. In the conjure trade the name usually refers to the roots of viburnum shrubs such as hobblebush, but botanists also use it for goat's rue (Tephrosia virginiana), a toxic legume. Practitioners carry pieces in a pocket or mojo bag, lay them by a doorway or soak them in whiskey. The folklore is well recorded; there is no evidence that the root affects luck, and it should never be eaten.
What devil's shoestring is
Devil's shoestring is sold in spiritual supply shops as bundles or cut pieces of long, thin, brownish roots that really do look like old bootlaces. It belongs to the large pharmacy of roots in hoodoo, the African American folk-magic tradition also called conjure or rootwork, alongside better-known items like High John the Conqueror root, the buckeye and the lucky hand root.
Its reputation is practical rather than mystical. Devil's shoestring is a working-person's root: carried for luck in finding and keeping a job, for luck at gambling, and for protection against anyone or anything that might trip you up. It shows up in folklore collections from the American South and in the mail-order catalogs of twentieth-century spiritual suppliers.
Which plant is it? Two very different answers
The name devil's shoestring is a common name, and common names are slippery. Two quite different plants are tied to it, and the difference matters.
The two plants called devil's shoestring
| Viburnum roots (conjure trade) | Goat's rue (botany field guides) | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Viburnum species, often given as hobblebush, Viburnum lantanoides (syn. V. alnifolium) | Tephrosia virginiana |
| Plant type | Woody shrubs of the viburnum family | Low perennial in the pea family |
| Where it grows | Eastern North America, woods and forest edges | Eastern and central US, sandy, open ground |
| Role in hoodoo | The root most often sold as devil's shoestring | Shares the name; its long roots fit the description |
| Safety | Not for eating; treat as a charm only | Contains rotenone-type compounds; historically used as a fish poison |
Hoodoo writers such as Catherine Yronwode identify the commercial root with viburnum, especially hobblebush, whose low branches bend down and root where they touch the ground, forming loops that catch the feet of hikers. The plant even owes its English name to this habit: it hobbles you.
Botanical references, including the USDA plant guide, give devil's shoestring as an alternative name for goat's rue, Tephrosia virginiana. Its roots are long and tough, and Indigenous peoples of the Southeast used preparations of the plant to stun fish, a use that points to its toxic compounds. Because the name travels between plants, you cannot always be sure what is in a bag labeled devil's shoestring. Treat every piece as a charm to carry, never as an herb to take.
Why it is called devil's shoestring: the tripping idea
The logic of the name is simple and very old in folk magic: a root that looks like a string, or a plant that literally trips people, should be able to trip up the devil. In conjure, the Devil stands not only for the figure of Christian belief but for everything that comes at a person sideways: bad luck, jealous coworkers, a hostile boss, a curse.
The tripping idea explains most of its uses. Laid across a threshold, the strings catch harm before it enters. Carried in a pocket, they trip up whatever stands between you and a job or a win. The same reasoning appears in other conjure items, such as the silver dime, worn against harm because it is said to darken when evil comes near.
Folklore, not theology
The devil in a root name is folk language, not a statement about evil spirits in the plant. Many of the people who used devil's shoestring were devout churchgoers who saw no conflict between prayer and rootwork. In hoodoo, roots are tools that serve a person's prayers and intentions.
Traditional uses in hoodoo
- Luck in work. Perhaps the best-known use. A piece of root is carried to job interviews, kept in a wallet or tucked into a work bag to help get a job, hold on to one or win a promotion.
- Luck in gambling. Gamblers carried a piece in a pocket or charm bag, often dressed with a luck oil, and touched it before play.
- Protection of the home. Pieces are laid under a doormat, along a windowsill or nailed above the door to stop harm crossing the threshold.
- Tying and binding troubles. The strings are knotted while naming a problem, such as gossip or a rival at work, so that it is tied up and cannot move against you.
- Whiskey preparation. Roots are cut into short lengths and steeped in whiskey or another spirit, sometimes with camphor, then the liquid is dabbed on hands or the roots carried after soaking.
These customs come from many hands and many places, so do not expect one correct method. Roots are often combined with others in a mojo bag, a small flannel charm bag that is fed regularly with oil or whiskey.
Before you chew anything
Because of the confusion with goat's rue, which contains toxic compounds, never put any piece of devil's shoestring in your mouth. Carry it, knot it, lay it down; do not chew or swallow it.
Devil's shoestring compared with other luck roots
How devil's shoestring compares with other luck roots
| Root or curio | Main association | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Devil's shoestring | Work, gambling, protection by tripping harm | Pocket, mojo bag, threshold, whiskey soak |
| High John the Conqueror | Personal power, success, mastery | Carried, dressed with oil |
| Lucky hand (salep orchid root) | Luck in games and work | Carried in a mojo bag |
| Buckeye | Luck, money, health folklore | Carried in a pocket |
| Five finger grass | Help from five fingers: luck, money, protection | Mojo bag, bath |
Temple Tip
If you work with devil's shoestring for a job search, keep the ritual tied to real action. Dress the root with a drop of oil on the morning you send an application, carry it to the interview, and touch it once before you walk in. The gesture is a reminder to stand up straight and answer clearly, which is the part that actually reaches the person across the table.
Safety: what not to do with the root
Roots sold for spiritual use are not food, and they are not labeled like medicine. Keep these rules simple:
Do not eat, chew or brew devil's shoestring. Keep roots and root-soaked liquids away from children and pets. If you prepare a whiskey soak, label the jar clearly so nobody mistakes it for a drink. Wash your hands after handling roots of unknown origin. If you harvest plants yourself, learn to identify them with certainty first, and leave rare plants alone.
Quiz: which way of working with the root suits you?
Four short questions. The result suggests one traditional way of working with devil's shoestring that fits your situation.
4 questions
- What do you want help with most?
Getting or keeping a job · Keeping trouble out of my home · Luck in a game or a contest - Where would you keep the root?
In my wallet or work bag · By the front door · In a small charm bag - How hands-on do you want to be?
Daily attention for a few weeks · Set it and leave it · One focused session - What feels most like you?
Practical, step by step · Protective of my space · A little playful
Your result will appear here.
Voices from practice
Rootworkers often describe devil's shoestring as one of the most practical items in the cabinet. In their accounts, people come for it at moments of pressure, such as a layoff, a new job or a court date, and the root becomes a pocket reminder that they are taking the situation in hand.
Practitioners who sell roots frequently mention the question of identity: customers ask whether their bundle is viburnum or goat's rue, and honest sellers admit they cannot always say. Many recommend buying from suppliers who name their botanical source.
People who keep the root by the door commonly report that the ritual of cleaning the entryway and laying the strings feels like drawing a line. Whether or not anything spiritual is stopped, the house feels deliberately protected.
What we don't promise
We do not promise that devil's shoestring, or any oil, candle or charm we sell, gets you a job, protects your home or wins a bet. No study shows that a root changes luck. Folk tradition records what people believed and did; it is not evidence that the root works.
We also do not sell devil's shoestring root ourselves at the moment, and we do not pretend another product is the same thing. If gambling has become a problem for you or someone close to you, the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER offers free, confidential support. If you are facing job loss or trouble at work, practical help from a career counselor, a union representative or a lawyer may matter more than any charm.
Practically: how to work with this
- Know what you are buying. Ask the seller which plant the root comes from. Viburnum is the common trade answer.
- Choose one purpose. Work, protection or luck. Write it in one sentence.
- Prepare the root. Cut a short piece, about the length of your finger. Pray, speak your sentence or simply hold it for a minute.
- Dress it lightly. A single drop of a diluted ritual oil is enough. Let it dry before putting it in a wallet.
- Carry or place it. Wallet or pocket for work and luck, under the doormat or on the windowsill for protection.
- Feed it and act. Once a week, a drop of oil and a renewed intention. Every day, one real step toward the goal.
- Retire it respectfully. When the work is done, bury the root at the foot of a tree or burn it safely, and say thank you.
From our shelf
Success Ritual Oil
A grounded blend of cedar, orange and ginger root in a coconut-oil base, made for career goals and the mornings when you need to begin. Anoint a root, your workspace or your wallet before you act. 1/2 oz, currently $8.99.
More in luck, fortune and success and ritual oils.
Frequently asked questions
What is devil's shoestring used for?
In hoodoo, devil's shoestring is carried for luck in finding and keeping a job, for luck in gambling and for protection. It is laid by doorways or knotted to tie up troubles, on the idea that its strings trip up evil and bad luck.
What plant is devil's shoestring?
In the spiritual supply trade it usually means roots of viburnum shrubs, especially hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides). Botanical guides also give the name to goat's rue (Tephrosia virginiana), a toxic plant in the pea family.
Is devil's shoestring poisonous?
Goat's rue, one of the plants called devil's shoestring, contains toxic compounds and was used as a fish poison. Because you cannot always tell which plant you have, never eat, chew or brew the root.
How do you carry devil's shoestring for a job?
Cut a short piece, dress it with a drop of diluted ritual oil, speak your intention and carry it in your wallet or work bag to applications and interviews. Pair it with real job-search steps.
Why is it called devil's shoestring?
Because the long, thin roots look like shoestrings and because the idea is to trip up the devil, meaning bad luck and harm. Hobblebush, a viburnum, even trips hikers with its looping branches.
Can I put devil's shoestring in a mojo bag?
Yes, that is a common use. It is often combined with other luck roots, a coin and an herb, then fed with a drop of oil or whiskey each week.
Sources & further reading
- Hyatt, Harry Middleton. Hoodoo, Conjuration, Witchcraft, Rootwork. 5 vols. Hannibal, MO: Western Publishing, 1970 to 1978.
- Yronwode, Catherine. Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic. Forestville, CA: Lucky Mojo Curio Company, 2002.
- Puckett, Newbell Niles. Folk Beliefs of the Southern Negro. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1926.
- Anderson, Jeffrey E. Conjure in African American Society. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2005.
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Plant Guide and PLANTS Profile: Tephrosia virginiana (goat's rue). Accessed 2026.
- Native American Ethnobotany Database (Moerman, University of Michigan-Dearborn). Entries for Tephrosia virginiana. Accessed 2026.
- Native Plant Trust. Go Botany: Viburnum lantanoides (hobblebush). Accessed 2026.
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