Oplopanax horridus - Devil's Club

• Araliaceae (Ginseng family) ^[E-flora]

Toxic, Sharp Spines, Young Shoots, Roots (with caution), Wood, Paint, Delicer, Hair Wash, Snuff, Achne, Diabetes, Rheumatism, Topical and Various Other Uses

Description

"The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure." ^[PFAF]

Synonyms

• Echinopanax horridus. ^{[PFAF][E-flora]}
• Fatsia horrida. ^{[PFAF][E-flora]}
• Panax horridum. ^[PFAF]
• Origin Status: Native ^[E-flora]
• General: Tall, deciduous shrub; stems 1-3 m tall, punky, thick, strongly armed with yellow spines 5-10 mm long.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Leaves: Palmately lobed, the leaf blades shallowly 7- to 9-lobed, 10-35 cm wide, heart-shaped at the base. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Flowers: Inflorescence of small, headlike umbels in elongate panicles or racemes, up to 25 cm long; flowers greenish-white, short-stalked. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Fruits: Bright red berries, 2-3 seeded, 5-8 mm wide. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Habitat/Range: Wet to moist streambanks and forests in the lowland to subalpine zones; common throughout all but NE BC; N to SW AK and YT, E to AB and S to MT and OR; disjunct in ON and MI.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Ecological Indicator Information

"A shade-tolerant, submontane to subalpine, Asian and North American deciduous shrub distributed equally in the Pacific, Cordilleran, and Central regions. Occurs on very moist to wet, nitrogen-rich soils within boreal, cool temperate, and cool mesothermal climates; its occurrence increases with increasing precipitation and continentality. Common, often dominant. in semi-open forests on water-receiving (floodplain, seepage, and stream-edge) and water-collecting sites; occasional on water­shedding sites when soils are calcareous. Typically associated with ferns (Athyrium filix-femina, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, and Polystichum munitum) and forbs (Actaea rubra, Galium triflorum, Tiarella trifoliata, and T. unifoliata). A nitrophytic species characteristic of Moder and Mull humus forms. "^{[IPBC-E-flora]}

Hazards

• Toxic Berries: The acrid berries of devil's club are TOXIC for humans, but bears eat them. ^[Berries]
• Large & Sharp Spines: Use caution when hiking near devil's club, as the spines can cause festering wounds. The plant is densely armed with spikes and these spikes are irritant[200PFAF]. It was gathered with deerskin gloves, because the sharp spines on the stem were thought to be poisonous (Boas, 1966). ^{[Turner&Bell2]}
• Contraindications: Michael Moore recommends devil's club not be used during pregnancy or by those with confirmed heart disease. Diabetics should use devil's club internally under medical supervision as dosages of oral hypoglycemics may require adjustment. ^[Schofield] "There are no known adverse effects, and in our experience devil’s club does not cause hypoglycemia in people without blood sugar dysregulation problems. It is not known to interact with any drugs, though there is obviously a potential for synergy with insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs."^[CBMed]
• Toxic Potentials: Generally plant roots can be harvested spring or fall. However, with devil's club spring harvest is traditional. A March 1967 article in Alaska Sportsman warned that "after fall frosts have killed devil's club, the sap, lying dormant, ferments into a can-be-deadly poison and may require medical attention." I'd rather discounted this report until learning of violent vomiting and diarrhea following ingestion of devil's club beer. The experienced brewer theorized that perhaps the fermentation of the herb triggered the reaction of those who sampled the brew.^[Schofield]

Edible Uses

• Berries inedible ^{[Meuninck EWPUH]}
• Young Shoots: Early spring. The time to harvest is when the spiny stalk first sprouts green growth. The leaf spines, though visible, are soft and pliable at this stage; once they stiffen, the shoots should NOT be consumed.^[Schofield] Young shoots - peeled and then cooked[46, 61, 105, 106].^[PFAF] These leaf clusters may be nibbled raw, but I especially like adding them to omelettes, casseroles, and soups. Use them as you would a spice. One or two is sufficient to add a unique tang to a common meal. ^[Schofield] spring buds eaten as a survival food (meaning in hard times, people eat dirt). Pick young shoots with soft spines; get there early, right after the snow clears. ^{[Meuninck EWPUH]}
• Roots: Can be chewed after peeling[105, 106, 161]^[PFAF]

Other Uses

• Wood: The wood was also fashioned into fishing lures.^[Berries] Roots carved for fishing lures. (Some natives attached cut pieces of the root to weighted hooks in such a way that they released and spun to the surface, luring fish within spearing distance.)^[Schofield]
• Paint: The Nitinaht thought the paint gave them so much power no one could look them in the eye. ^[Berries] Root ashes mixed with bear grease for a reddish-brown face paint.[Schofield] The Songish, Saanich, and possibly other Island Salish groups, used the charred stems mixed with grease for a black face paint (Mitchell, 1968) or a bluish-coloured tattoo (Jenness, ca. 1945). The Washington Lummi used it for the same purpose. They were still using it in the 1940's only with vaseline instead of grease (Gunther, 1945). ^{[Turner&Bell1]}
• Delicer: The Kwakuitl of British Columbia rubbed mashed berries into their scalps to get rid of lice.^[Berries] The berries can be mashed into a pulp and then rubbed onto the scalp to get rid of head lice[257].^[PFAF]
• Hair Wash: The berries have been rubbed on the scalp to combat lice and dandruff, and to make the hair shiny[256].^[PFAF]
• Snuff: Dry roots used as snuff.^[Schofield]

Medicinal Uses

Poultices of bark or leaves used to treat arthritis, diabetes, fevers, coughs, tuberculosis, boils, and infections. Modern herbalists use devil's club to stimulate respiration, as an expectorant for chest colds, and to treat adult-onset diabetes.^[Berries]
Devil's club was widely employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it especially for its pain-relieving properties[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism, though it probably merits further investigation. [PFAF]

• Therapeutic Value - Hypoglycemic effects, reduce serious implications caused by diabetes such as kidney and heart disease. ^[CRNAH]
• Used to treat arthritis, rheumatism, stomach and digestive problems. ^[CRNAH]
• Acne - Oplopanax horridum (dev il’s club) fresh root bark glycerite, 5– 10% (where stress is a problem)^[CBMed]
• Diabetes - "American ginseng is not as stimulating as Asian ginseng, which we prefer for frailer individuals.... We find it of particular value in menopausal women and in women with breast cancer because it appears to cool hot flashes and support chemotherapy drugs. While the studies indicate its potential usefulness in type 2 diabetes, we often turn to devil’s club... as the adaptogen of choice in that ailment."^[CBMed]
• "We also tend to choose devil’s club for thin, young women who feel scattered and frazzled, particularly when they have a tendency to indulge in sugary foods, often manifesting in recurrent Candida albicans infections."^[CBMed]
• Root Bark & Stems: With some plants such as Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus), the whole bark of the root and lower portion of the stalk is used for medicine. This is an example of a plant that is very aromatic and high in essential oil, and its root bark must be dried and stored immediately to retain these volatile components. ^{[Green THMMH]}
  • An infusion of the inner bark is used in the treatment of coughs and colds, bronchitis, tuberculosis, stomach problems and bowel cramps[257].^[PFAF]
  • An extract of the root bark lowers blood sugar levels and an infusion of the bark has been used in the treatment of diabetes[213]. The infusion also has a tonic effect on the blood and liver[213].^[PFAF] For tuberculosis and other ailments, an extract of the bark was drunk, one clamshellful at a time (Boas, 1966; Brown, 1969). ^{[Turner&Bell2]}
  • The rotten stems were burnt, and the ashes were mixed with catfish oil and rubbed on swellings to shrivel them just as the stems shriveled when burnt (Boas, 1966). ^{[Turner&Bell2]}
  • Decoction: A decoction is drunk in the treatment of rheumatism and is also applied externally as a wash on the affected joints[257]. ^[PFAF] The root and stem were widely used as medicine for rheumatism and other aches and pains (Boas, 1921,1966). ^{[Turner&Bell1]} A decoction has been used as an eye wash in the treatment of cataracts and as a herbal steam bath for treating general body pains[257].^[PFAF]
  • Poultice: The root was pounded, boiled, and used as a poultice, and the prickly stems were beaten against the skin as a counterirritant for sore limbs. ^{[Turner&Bell1]} A poultice of the bark has been used to relieve pain in various parts of the body, applied to a nursing mother's breasts in order to stop an excessive flow of milk and in the treatment of wounds, sores etc[257].^[PFAF] Poultice of compound containing bark used as a chest plaster for lung hemorrhage. (Smith, Harlan)^[UMD-Eth]
  • Dosages: ROOT and ROOTBARK. Tincture [Fresh Root 1:2, Dry Rootbark, 1:5, 60% alc.] 10-40 drops. Cold Infusion, 1-3 ounces, all forms to 3X a day. ^[Moore(1995]
  • Root: The Crow smoked the roots for headache.^[Berries] Harvested in spring.^[Schofield] Four pieces of devil's club root were held in the mouth and the juice swallowed for stomach pains or constipation (Cranmer, 1969). ^{[Turner&Bell2]}
  • Stems: Several northwestern groups cut off the thorns, peeled the bark away, and boiled the stems to make a decoction for treating arthritis and gonorrhoea.^[Berries] Burnt, mixed with oil, and applied as a salve on swellings[257].^[PFAF]

Medicinal

One of the most important medicinal plants of the West; roots, berries, and greenish bark are used. Berries rubbed in hair to kill lice and create a shine. Inner bark chewed raw as a purgative, or decocted and imbibed for the same reason. Infused inner bark taken to relieve bowel, stomach cramps; arthritis; and ulcers.^{[Meuninck EWPUH]}

Devil's club attracted medical attention in 1938 when Brocklesby, a British Columbia physician, discovered that his patient was successfully stabilizing his diabetes with devil's club root bark infusions. In laboratory tests conducted by Large and Brocklesby in 1938, devil's club showed no apparent toxicity. Devil's club has been shown to have an amphoteric (normalizing) effect on blood sugar. At the New Mexico Herbal Center in Albuquerque, type I (adult onset) diabetics experienced lowering of blood sugars when taking Oplopanax in conjunction with blueberry leaf tea and dietary modifications. Clients with low blood sugar also obtained positive responses.^[Schofield]

Michael Moore, director of the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine, writes in Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, the cold infusion, and to a lesser degree the fresh or dry tincture, is clearly helpful for rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune disorders, taken regularly and with sensible modifications in the diet. It is most helpful when taken during remissions and has little effect during active distress; its main value is in modifying extremes of metabolic stress. . . ."

Devil's club belongs to the same family as Oriental ginseng, and like ginseng, is used as a body-balancing and system-strengthening tea. Southeast Alaska Indians believe that regular use prevents cancer. I frequently add devil's club to tonic blends, such as Spring Fever.^[Schofield]

Tlingit and Haida tribes use devil's club bark infusions ". . . for general strength, colds, chest pain following a cold, arthritis, black eyes, gallstones, stomach ulcers, constipation." Justice adds that the chewed stalk is ". . . spit directly upon open wounds as an emergency analgesic measure. The bark may be laid in strips, inner side against the skin, to reduce the pain and swelling from a fracture."^[Schofield]

Aleuts of Prince William Sound drink devil's club tea for cold and pain relief; in addition, they burn bark to a white ash and apply this to cuts to hasten healing. devil's club, steeped in hot water overnight and added to bath water, is a soothing body soak for rheumatism or arthritis.^[Schofield]

Various Pacific Northwest native groups use devil's club decoctions as an external wash for boils and festering skin irritations (such as those caused by devil's club spines). Other treatments for infection include covering the wound with a paste made by mixing the root powder with water, and applying a poultice of hot, mashed roots. Pastes and poultices are also used for relieving pain and swelling from insect bites and stings. The effectiveness of such treatment was verified by a friend stung by a wasp while hiking; repeated applications of the mashed, boiled root quickly reduced both swelling and pain. If you're troubled by toothache on a camping trip, try chewing a piece of devil's club root until it is soft and pulpy, and placing this on the painful area.^[Schofield]

During epidemics, devil's club root is burned as a smudge, or drunk as tea (with Labrador tea or clover roots).^[Schofield]

Smoke: The Crow of North America mixed the roots with tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) to treat headache (Blankinship 1905). The species reported in the original texts was Fatsia horrida Benth & Hook. f. In British Columbia, Canada, the smoke of burning plants was used traditionally to drive away disease-causing spirits (Turner 1998).^[UAPDS]

Steambath: The bark was used to prepare a steam bath for a person with pains in his body. Two different methods of preparation have been recorded. In one case, the spines were scorched off four pieces of devil's club and the bark boiled for a day with peucedanum seeds (Lomatium nudicaule). The hot fluid was then poured into a box, and the patient was made to sit over the steam, wrapped in a blanket, until he was perspiring heavily. Afterwards dry clothing was put on, and the patient soon got better (Boas, 1930). In the second case, the bark was boiled in sea water mixed with urine, and after steaming for a while the patient was rubbed dry with shredded cedar bark, which was then buried on a main path or street where people would walk over it. The disease would lose its power after this treatment (Boas, 1966). ^{[Turner&Bell2]}

Lore

Northwest tribes believed devil's club kept evil spirits away, so they built lodges for their medicine men out of its wood and used its charcoal as protective face paint.^[Berries] This plant was used by almost every Indian tribe from Oregon to Alaska, and was comparable to Veratrum in its value as a protective charm (Haskin, 1934). ^{[Turner&Bell1]} A protective charm was made of devil's club stem (see Veratrum). ^{[Turner&Bell2]}

In southeast Alaska, Tlingit shamans underwent initiations that involved a wilderness solo and a devil's club fast. Haida hunters, about to embark on expeditions, traditionally bathed in root decoctions; they also ingested the root decocted in salt water or seal oil in order to provoke vomiting and cleanse the system. ^[Schofield]

According to legend, Tlingit use began when a shaman observed bears wallowing in devil's club roots to soothe their wounds. Many Indian folktales record how the fleeing hero, when in distress, throws behind him some prickly object, which, by his magic, becomes changed into an impassable tangle of devil's club in which the pursuing enemy becomes entangled and sadly torn.^[Schofield]

Devil's club is still regarded as a protective force in some localities. Placed above doorways and on fishing boats or worn as an amulet, it's said to ward off evil. Shamans often wore necklaces of the root laced with spruce and had purification huts woven from devil's club stems. When treating illness, they traditionally touched the affected area with their devil's club charm, or had the sick individual jump through a devil's club hoop.^[Schofield]

Devil's club was used ceremonially to end periods of bad weather or bad luck.^[Schofield] Inner bark chewed during pre-hunting purification rituals.^{[Gottesfeld, Leslie]}

Pharmacology

• Adaptogen ^[CBMed]
• Root Bark & Stems: Analgesic, antirheumatic, antiphlogistic, appetizer, blood purifier, cathartic, emmenagogue, galactogogue, hypoglycaemic, ophthalmic, pectoral and tonic[172, 157PFAF].
• The inner bark is emetic in large doses and purgative (especially if taken with hot water)[257].^[PFAF]
• "It completely inhibited the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium in vitro. The plant contains polyynes, each of which exhibited anticandidal, antibacterial, and antimycobacterial activity in vitro including an ability to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis and isoniazid- resistant M. avium. It also partially inhibited respiratory syncytial virus in vitro." ^[CBMed]

Phytochemicals

• Major constituent; Sesquiterpene.^[CRNAH]

Devil's club contains glycosides (including araliasides and panaxosides) and essential oils (nerolidol, cedrol). It is classified as an herbal adaptogen, i.e., it affects the body's hypothalmic-pituitary axis, thus modifying stress response. ^[Schofield]

"A range of diynes, including the known antibiotics falcarinol and falcaridiol and two more new analogs were isolated in a bioassay-directed fractionation of the extracts of the inner bark and roots of Oplopanax horridus (devil’s club), which are used by the First Nations peoples of North America for a number ailments including tuberculosis. All these compounds inhibited the growth of M. tuberculosis and M. avium at 10 µg per disk loading in a disk diffusion assay [27]." ^[ModPhyt]

Root bark – Constituents; hydrophobic constituents. Falcarindiol – Anti-proliferative vs. Human Breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) ^{[Rai MPBD]}

Cultivation

"Medicinal shrubs such as devilsclub (Oplopanax horridus) were... selectively harvested. At least recently, Aboriginal harvesters... have started replanting lengths of devilsclub stem in the damp soil every time they remove part of the plant; the stems root easily and thus continue to regenerate." ^{[FCTM USDA]}

"Requires a cool moist soil[11, 200]. Prefers a position in light shade[182]. Prefers dense shade and is probably best if grown in moist woodland[1, 11]. Tolerates maritime exposure[200]. (Rather a strange report for a plant that needs to be grown in dense shade[K]). A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -15^oc, but the young shoots in spring can be damaged by late frosts[11, 200]. It is therefore best not grown in a frost pocket[182]. This species was until recently considered to have its range in N. America and Japan, but the Japanese form has now been separated off into its own species as O. japonicus[200]. A very ornamental plant, but it is densely armed with spikes[60]. It transplants easily and also tolerates pruning[200]. The leaves and stems are excessively spiny[182]."^[PFAF]

Propagation

"Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of suckers in the dormant season. Root cuttings in a greenhouse in the winter[188]." ^[PFAF]

Uses of Related Sp.

Oplopanax elatus (Nakai) Nakai - Ci Seng;

• Distribution: It is mainly distributed in Russia, in the south of Primorye, while outside of Russia it grows in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and in the temperate regions of Northern China (Shikov et al. 2014). ^{[Grosso HMD]}
• Medicinal parts : Roots and rhizomes ^{[Grosso HMD]}
• Medicinal Use: This plant (herb, roots, and stems) is used as medicine in Russia for invigo rating vital energy, strengthening yang, and stimulating central nervous system. Clinically, it is used to treat cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatism, neurasthenia, mental depression, schizophrenia, impotence, etc. ^{[Grosso HMD]} Stem and root used as a remedy and tonic for progressive emaciation. ^[CRNAH]
• Phytochemicals: (stem, root) Essential oil, echinopanacene, n-caprylaldehyde, echinopanacol, oplopanaxosides, flavonoids.48,50,72,354 ^[CRNAH]
• Pharmacology: "O. elatus, has a high content of essential oil that has antifungal activity against Trichophyton rubrum, T. verrucosum, and other fungi.111 In another study a cream containing 1% essential oil of O. elatus purportedly had a 90% effectiveness rate in patients with dermatomycoses.112" ^[CBMed]
• Dosage: The tincture of O. elatus is recommended in Russia for internal administration at a dose of 30–40 drops, 2–3 times a day for 25–30 days as a CNS stimulant and adaptogen. ^{[Grosso HMD]}

References

1. [E-flora] Oplopanax horridus, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Oplopanax%20horridus, In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2015. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 28/08/2016 2:25:03 AM ]
2. [PFAF] Oplopanax horridus, http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Oplopanax+horridus, PFAF, Accessed Aug 28, 2016
3. [UMD-Eth] Oplopanax horridus, http://naeb.brit.org, Accessed Aug 28, 2016
   • Smith, Harlan I., 1929, Materia Medica of the Bella Coola and Neighboring Tribes of British Columbia, National Museum of Canada Bulletin 56:47-68, page 62
   • Gottesfeld, Leslie M. J., 1992, The Importance of Bark Products in the Aboriginal Economies of Northwestern British Columbia, Canada, Economic Botany 46(2):148-157, page 152