Hoodoo practitioners use whatever they get their hands on. household items – bottles, jars, jugs, vinegar, honey, sugar, ice, brooms, hats, pennies/coins, pipes, buttons, and more.human parts – teeth, hair, sweat, body fluids, nail clippings, etc.stones and minerals – pyrite, sulphur, rusty nails, coffin nails, salt of various kinds, railroad nails, lodestone, blue balls.sticks, leaves, seed pods, flowers, nuts.bones and animal parts – ‘coon dongs, alligator claws, rabbit’s feet, snakeskins, crab shell powder, chicken/hen eggs, cat and dog hair, badger teeth, etc.roots – john the conquerer root, queen elizabeth, black snake root, mandrake, and more.
Here is a brief list of other Hoodoo ingredients used back then and today: Now that we’ve explored the world of Hoodoo practices with herbs, oils, washes, dirt, mojo bags and more, you might be surprised to know that we’ve only scraped the surface of all of the items used in Hoodoo. Along with waters used in Hoodoo, there were also various oils, floor washes, cleansers, and herbal baths. Another water or cologne is Hoyt’s cologne and is specifically powerful for gambling purposes. These waters were used in various ways, for both good and bad purposes. This type of water was also used in offering bowls to the spirits, etc. Kananga Water – a blend of ylang ylang essential oil in an alcohol-water base used in ritual and cosmetic purposes to draw love and prosperity to the user.Sometimes spanish moss and other herbs were mixed in to pack an extra punch. War Water – iron rust suspended in water used in foot track magic to poison the victim or throw them into quarrels with their family, etc.Florida Water – a blend of floral essential oils in an alcohol-water base as sort of a perfume/cologne used in Hoodoo to bless/cleanse a home or worn to draw in a particular need or desire.Here is a list of some of the Hoodoo waters and their descriptions: One of the most popular is called Florida Water. Simply put these waters are herbal infusions or perfumes used for various purposes.
In addition to using powders, hoodoo practitioners also use different kinds of “ waters“. This Hot Foot Powder was mixed up and either sprinkled in the person’s footprints or put directly into their socks or shoes to send them away. graveyard dirt, gunpowder, or other herbs. Sometimes other ingredients are added to give it an extra punch, i.e. Hot Foot Powder consists of black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and sulfur. A powerful powder called Hot Foot Powder sends the person away for good. There are different kinds of foot track magic. Foot track magic was used to send that neighbor away. A neighbor that was coming onto your property and stealing your belongings or food. Foot track magic was exactly as it sounds…magic in the form of using footprints for a specific purpose. One form of Hoodoo is called foot track magic. She is also known for holding large Voodoo meetings in Congo Square that on many occasions were attempted to be shut down by police…to no avail. She was intelligent and had a deep connection with the Supreme Being and with the saints and spirits of New Orleans. She was a hairdresser to the high class folks, and so she made connections easily. She was a very powerful woman and magician, and helped whoever came to her with problems of love, power, money, and more. Marie Laveau lived and worked in New Orleans in the nineteenth century and made a name for herself. Today this would be considered a Hoodoo practice. Did you know that she a voodoo-isant AND a hoodoo practitioner? There is a legend of Marie Laveau praying with three ghost peppers under her tongue for a matter of 3 days, pleading with the saints to resolve a legal issue for a local politician. You may have heard of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Her name grew so big, some said she was more famous than President Woodrow Wilson.
She would never advise in the matters of love or war, but she readily gave readings on financial and prosperity concerns. Some say Aunt Caroline Dye used only a simple deck of cards to do her readings. We don’t know the rootwork practices that Caroline Dye used, but we can assume she utilized accessible natural tools like roots, bones, sticks, stones, plants, dirt, etc. Businessmen came from far and wide to ask Aunt Caroline Dye her advice. She lived in Arkansas but was born into slavery in Spartanburg, South Carolina in the late 1800’s. You’ve probably heard of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, but have you heard of Aunt Caroline Dye? Aunt Caroline Dye was a very famous name in Hoodoo in the early 1900’s.