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Hercules Club Tree Uses

Two distinct species of trees go by the common name of Hercules club tree. Both trees have a widely distributed range across the eastern and southeastern parts of the United States. The trees were used extensively as folkloric medicine by Native Americans and early settlers living in the region. They are grown by horticulturists for their palm-like exotic good looks.

Aralia Medicinal Uses
- The Aralia spinosa tree, from the same family as ginseng, often is referred to as the Hercules club tree or the toothache tree. Native American tribal medicine men used a boiled decoction of the bark and fleshy roots as a blood purifier and fever treatment. A poultice made from macerated roots was used to treat boils and carbuncle skin infections. African Americans used fresh and powdered roots for snakebites. The bark was used as a stimulant and to increase sweating to break fevers.
Zanthoxylum Folk Medicine
- Zanthoxylum clava-herculis is also called the Hercules club tree. Native Americans and European American settlers used the tree's yellow wood to numb toothache pain. Mashed and boiled bark was used as a remedy for gonorrhea and sore throats. The inner bark was mashed and mixed with bear grease for a poultice to treat ulcers. The tree's ripe berries were a treatment for excessive gas, stomach colic and as a muscle antispasmodic. Modern herbalists use the berries as a tonic for rheumatism and to stimulate blood circulation.
Whole Tree Uses
- Both types of Hercules club trees have spikes and spines on their stems and branches. The spiky trees are planted as natural cattle and livestock fences and hedge rows. The trees are often grown as landscaping ornamentals for their attractive foliage, flowers and distinctive corky, cone-shaped tubercle spikes. Zanthoxylum trees can be used to host giant swallowtail butterfly larvae, whose caterpillars feed on the leaves. Hercules club trees are grown to attract birds that like to eat the seeds and berries.
Wood Uses
- Hercules club trees are sometimes called the devil's walking stick. Straight branches and trunks are turned into canes and walking sticks, with the bark removed or with the spines left on. The tops of the sticks can be stripped of bark or turned on a lathe to remove the spiny bark. The soft, light wood of the Aralia Hercules club tree traditionally is used to make tomato stakes, picture frames, boxes and rocking chairs.

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