Evidence supporting the use of: Devil\'s club
For the health condition: Insect Repellant

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 2

Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) has a long history of use among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, including as a natural insect repellent. Ethnobotanical records indicate that parts of the plant, particularly the stems and roots, were traditionally burned or prepared into washes and ointments to deter insects such as mosquitoes and black flies. For example, the Tlingit and Haida peoples reportedly rubbed the inner bark on their skin or hung branches in living areas to keep insects away. However, despite these well-documented traditional uses, there is a lack of modern scientific studies directly evaluating the efficacy or mechanism of Devil's Club as an insect repellent. No peer-reviewed research has identified or isolated active compounds from Devil’s Club with confirmed insect-repellent properties, nor have there been controlled trials comparing its effectiveness to standard insect repellents. As such, while there is a moderate level of traditional evidence supporting its use in this context, scientific validation is currently lacking. Further research would be needed to substantiate or refute its use based on traditional knowledge.

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