Devil's Club: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Overview

Devil's club is a plant. People use the inner bark of the root and stem for medicine.

Devil's club is used for arthritis, cancer, wounds, fever, tuberculosis, stomach trouble, cough, colds, sore throat, diabetes, low blood sugar, and pneumonia. It is also used for emptying the bowels and causing vomiting.

Some people apply devil's club directly to the skin for swollen glands, boils, sores, and skin infections. The ashes have been used to treat burns.

Devil's club contains chemicals that might prevent certain cancer cells from growing and fight some bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

How does it work ?

Devil's club contains chemicals that might prevent certain cancer cells from growing and fight some bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Uses & Effectiveness

Insufficient Evidence for

Arthritis.
Wounds.
Fever.
Tuberculosis.
Stomach trouble.
Coughs.
Colds.
Pneumonia.
Diabetes.
Low blood sugar.
Emptying the bowels.
Causing vomiting.
Other conditions.
Swollen glands.
Boils.
Sores.
Skin infections.
Other conditions.

TAKEN BY MOUTH:

APPLIED TO THE SKIN:

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of devil's club for these uses.

Side Effects

Special Precautions and Warnings

There isn't enough information to know if devil's club is safe or what the possible side effects might be.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of devil's club during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Interactions

We currently have no information for Devil's Club overview.

Dosing

The appropriate dose of devil's club depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for devil's club. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

View References

REFERENCES:

McCutcheon AR, Roberts TE, Gibbons E, et al. Antiviral screening of British Columbian medicinal plants. J Ethnopharmacol 1995;49:101-10.

Gruber JW, Kittipongpatana N, Bloxton JD 2nd, et al. High-performance liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography assays for Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus). J Chromatogr Sci 2004;42:196-9.

Kobaisy M, Abramowski Z, Lermer L, et al. Antimycobacterial polyynes of Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus), a North American native medicinal plant. J Nat Prod 1997;60:1210-3.

Tai, J., Cheung, S., Cheah, S., Chan, E., and Hasman, D. In vitro anti-proliferative and antioxidant studies on Devil's Club Oplopanax horridus. J Ethnopharmacol 11-24-2006;108(2):228-235.

Justice JW. Use of devil's club in Southeast Alaska. Alaska Med. 1966;8(2):36-39.

Smith GW. Arctic pharmacognosia II. Devil's Club, Oplopanax horridus. J.Ethnopharmacol. 1983;7(3):313-320.

Lantz, T, Swerhun, K, and Turner, N. Devil's club an ethnobotanical review. HerbalGram 2004;(62):33-48.

Turner NJ, Thompson LC Thompson MT York AZ. Thompson Ethnobotany: Knowledge and Usage of Plants by the Thompson Indians of British Columbia. 1990.

MacDermot JH. Food and medicinal plants used by the Indians of British Columbia. Can Med Assoc J. 1949;(61):177-183.

Turner NJ. Traditional Use of Devil's-Club (OPLOPANAX HORRIDUS; ARALIACEAE) By Native Peoples in Western North America. J. Ethnobiol. 1982;2(1):17-38.

Stuhr ET and Henry FB. An investigation of the root bark of Fatsia horrida. Pharmaceut Arch. 1944;15(1): 9-15.

Bloxton JD, Der Marderosian A, Gibbs R. Bioactive constituents of Alaskan devil's root (Oplopanax horridus, Araliaceae). Economic Botany. 2002;56:285-289.

Large RG and Brocklesby HN. A hypoglycaemic substance from roots of Devil's club (FATSIA HORRIDA). Can Med Assoc J. 1938 Jul;39(1):32-5.

Oliver-Bever, B and Zahnd, G. R. Plants with Oral Hypoglycemic Action. Quart J Crude Drug Res. 1979;(17):139-196.

Piccoli LJ, Spinapolice ME, and Hecht M. A pharmacologic Study of Devil's Club Root. J Am Pharm Assoc. 1940;(29):11-12.

Thommasen HV, Wilson RA, McIlwain RG. Effect of Devil's Club Tea on Blood Glucose Levels in Diabetes Mellitus. Can Fam Physician. 1990;36:62-5.

Huang WH, Shao L, Wang CZ, Yuan CS, Zhou HH. Anticancer activities of polyynes from the root bark of Oplopanax horridus and their acetylated derivatives. Molecules. 2014;19(5):6142-62.

Wang CZ, Aung HH, Mehendale SR, Shoyama Y, Yuan CS. High performance liquid chromatographic analysis and anticancer potential of Oplopanax horridus: comparison of stem and berry extracts. Fitoterapia. 2010;81(2):132-9.

Wang CZ, Zhang Z, Huang WH, et al. Identification of potential anticancer compounds from Oplopanax horridus. Phytomedicine. 2013;20(11):999-1006.

CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
Licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC
Copyright © 1995-2025 by Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. All Rights Reserved.