What Is Devil's Club Plant Used For and Is It Safe?

Devils club is a type of plant unique to North America. Native tribes of the Pacific Northwest have used devil’s club in physical and spiritual remedies for countless generations. There’s a word for the devil’s club plant in over 38 native languages.

Today, devil’s club is sold worldwide as a tea and natural remedy. But that doesn’t mean that it’s safe for everyone to consume. Do your research before incorporating any devil’s club products into your daily routine.  

The scientific name for the devil’s club plant is Oplopanax horridus. It’s in the biological family Araliaceae — which also contains ginseng. 

The plants are perennial shrubs that reach anywhere from three to nine feet tall at maturity. They have crooked stems and very few branches. 

Their leaves are bright green and can be up to 14 inches across. They resemble large maple leaves with seven to nine distinct points separated by lobes. 

In the warm, mid-summer months, they produce small white flowers. These turn into pyramids of red berries. Bears love to eat these berries, but they aren’t safe for human consumption.  

The devil’s club plant’s most distinct features are its thorny spines. These cover the entire plant — except for the roots and berries. They’re most numerous on the stem and both sides of the leaves. Each spine can grow to over three-eighths of an inch.

Usually, only the roots and the green inner bark of young plants are used in medicinal preparations. The wood itself has a sweet, musky fragrance that you’ll notice in the wild and may encounter in some of the plant’s products.  

These plants are only found on the northwestern coast of North America and occasionally inland. They grow throughout British Columbia and nearby parts of Canada and the U.S. states of: 

• Alaska
• Washington
• Oregon
• Montana
• Michigan — though this is a separate variety that’s found mainly on the northern coast of Lake Superior

The plants grow best in cool forests with shade and nitrogen-rich soil. You can occasionally find it outside of forests in roadside ditches and other human-cleared areas.  

On the commercial market, you can find devil’s club in the form of extracts, supplements, and teas. Devil’s club is sometimes marketed as Alaska’s ginseng on product labels. This type of marketing is now banned in the U.S. because it’s too misleading — but you could encounter it in other countries. Devil’s club products are sold online and in stores with supplements and natural products. 

Once you’re familiar with the species, you’ll likely have an easy time identifying devil’s club plants in the wild. But it does have look-alikes that you should keep in mind. These include thimbleberry and swamp gooseberry. 

The scientific name for thimbleberries is Rubus parviflorus. It has the same type of leaves as devil’s club but doesn’t have any spines on its leaves or stems. 

The scientific name for swamp gooseberry is Ribes lacustre. This plant is also covered in spines. But the spines, leaves, and entire plant are smaller than devil’s club. It’s also less fragrant when you encounter it in the wild. 

Keep these two plants in mind if you’re out looking for devil’s club. 

In traditional medicine, preparations of devil’s club are used to treat various symptoms and conditions. This includes: 

• Arthritis
• Lice
• Ulcers
• Digestive issues
• Colds
• Fevers
• Tuberculosis — as a combination treatment with other plants  

Parts of the plant were also used outside of medicine. Examples of these uses include: 

• Warding off evil spirits with the plant’s sticks
• Burning it to make charcoal for face paint, tattoo ink, and basket dye
• Pulverizing the bark for a deodorant or perfume
• Manipulating the spines into fishhooks and lures

Numerous studies have looked into the medical benefits of devil’s club plant. Unfortunately, none of these studies involved human subjects. All of the scientific data on devil’s club’s benefits come from test tube experiments and animal models. 

These very preliminary studies have found over 50 different chemicals in the devil’s club plant. Some of these molecules have properties that could benefit human health. 

For example, these molecules can act as:  

• Antioxidants: which help control other molecules — called free radicals — that damage your cells
• Antibacterial agents: these can stop, slow down the growth of, or even kill certain bacteria
• Antifungal agents: these can stop, slow down the growth of, or even kill certain fungi 
• Anticancer agents: these molecules can interfere with and inhibit cancer cells 

Scientists are most hopeful about this plant’s ability to treat tuberculosis. This is partly because it contains two molecules called falcarindiol and oplopandiol. Falcarindiol is also found in ginseng, where it’s known to have strong antifungal properties. Oplopandiol is unique to devil’s club and seems to be good at fighting off mycobacterium in a test tube — which is the type of pathogen that causes tuberculosis. 

Unfortunately, we need a lot more research before we can determine whether or not this plant helps with this — or any other — disease.  

Outside of medicine, devil’s club is also a useful physical barrier. The Alaskan forest service cultivates it on the edges of trails to stop humans from wandering into dangerous environments. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements and herbal remedies the same way that they do prescription medications. There could be dangerous problems with any devil’s club plant product that you purchase. For example, a product may not contain the ingredients listed on the packaging. Ask your doctor for the safest brand recommendations. 

Natural products can also complicate existing medical conditions and interfere with prescription medications. Talk to your doctor before starting any new supplements or herbal remedies to see if they're safe for your body. Always seek immediate medical attention if you experience any concerning symptoms — including an allergic reaction — after using a new product.