Collection: High John the Conqueror

What Is High John the Conqueror?

High John the Conqueror is both a root and the folk hero it is named for. The hero was a legend of enslaved Black Americans, an African prince sold into slavery whose spirit was never broken and who won every contest with his masters through wit and laughter. Zora Neale Hurston wrote the best-known account of him in her 1943 essay "High John de Conquer," which tells how he went back to Africa and left his power in a root for his people to use. That root is a dark, knotted lump about the size of a walnut, and it has ridden in pockets and mojo bags across the American South ever since. At Plentiful Earth we carry it whole, along with the oils, powders, washes, and incense made in its name, and the two other John roots, Chewing John and Low John.

What Is High John the Conqueror Root Used For?

High John the Conqueror root is used for power, luck, money, success, and winning, especially when you need the upper hand at a job interview, a court date, a negotiation, or a game of chance. The classic working is simple: you dress the root with a few drops of High John oil and carry it in your pocket or in a red flannel or velvet mojo bag, then feed it with more oil every week to keep it strong. Practitioners also set it on the altar beside a green or gold candle for success work, and keep one in the cash drawer of a business. The root itself is the dried root of jalap, a Mexican relative of the morning glory sold in the trade as Ipomoea jalapa. It was once a strong purgative in European medicine, and it must never be eaten.

What You'll Find Here

High John the Conqueror root. We sell whole dried roots by the ounce and by the pound. A good root is hard, dark, and heavy for its size, and it has almost no scent until it is oiled.

High John oils. Our dressing oils come in 2-dram, 4-dram, 1-ounce, and 16-ounce bottles from Espiritu and Aura Variety, including one bottled with a piece of root inside. You use them to dress the root, anoint candles, and touch wallets, doorframes, and paperwork. They are ritual fragrance oils and are not for internal use.

Sachet powders, floor sweeps, and incense. Sachet powder is dusted into mojo bags, shoes, and envelopes. Floor sweep is sprinkled just inside the front door and swept inward, toward the heart of the home or business, to draw success in. High John powder incense burns on a lit charcoal tablet set on sand in a heat-safe censer, and the incense sticks need only a holder.

Washes, baths, cologne, and candle. John the Conqueror wash is added to mop water or bathwater. The aromatic bath herb is steeped in a pot of hot water, strained, cooled to a comfortable temperature, and poured into your bath. The cologne and the pheromone perfume are worn for confidence, and the green jar candle is burned for success and money work.

Chewing John and Low John. Galangal root, called Chewing John or Little John to Chew, is the traditional court-case root. Low John, a trillium root also sold as beth root, is kept for love and family peace. We shelve them here because the three John roots are so often confused.

The book. High John the Conqueror Charms & Rituals by Donna Rose is a short Original Publications guide to traditional workings with the root.

How Do I Tell the Three John Roots Apart?

You can tell the three John roots apart by look and smell. High John is a dark, dense knob the size of a walnut with almost no scent. Chewing John, or galangal, comes in pale tan chips that smell sharply of ginger and pepper. Low John is a small, light, wrinkled rhizome with fine rootlets and a faint earthy smell. If a root sold as John the Conqueror is small, pale, and smells like ginger, it is Chewing John. Galangal is a culinary spice, while High John and Low John are for carrying and ritual only.

Explore Related Collections

High John is rarely worked alone. A red mojo bag or pouch holds the root, and lodestones are the other classic carried curio of Hoodoo. For workings that call for more than one ally, see road opener supplies, luck supplies, and money oils. Powder incense burns on charcoal from resins, powders, and charcoal, and our Hoodoo and rootwork books go deeper into the tradition. For the full story, read High John the Conqueror Root: Story, Meaning, Uses, and How to Work With It on the Plentiful Earth blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is John the Conqueror the Same as High John the Conqueror?
Yes, John the Conqueror and High John the Conqueror are two names for the same root and the same folk spirit, and Spanish-language labels call him Juan el Conquistador. Low John and Chewing John are different roots with different jobs.

How Do I Use High John the Conqueror Root?
To use High John the Conqueror root, hold a whole root in your hands, say out loud what you want it to help you win, and dress it with a few drops of High John oil. Carry it in your pocket or a mojo bag, and add a few more drops of oil once a week to keep it strong. Many people give each root a single goal and start a fresh root for the next one.

Which John Root Is Used for Court Cases?
Both High John and Chewing John are used for court cases. High John is carried in your pocket for victory, and Chewing John is chewed on the way to court and the juice is spat on the ground outside before you go in.

Can I Eat or Drink High John Root?
No, High John root should never be eaten, chewed, or brewed into tea, because jalap is a strong purgative. Low John should not be taken internally either. Keep roots, oils, and powders away from children and pets. The only John root that is safe to chew is galangal, sold as Chewing John.

Can Anyone Work With High John the Conqueror?
High John belongs to Hoodoo, a tradition created by enslaved Black Americans, and the root's meaning is tied to that history of survival and resistance. The tradition is best learned from Black rootworkers and practitioners within it, so their books, classes, and teaching are the place to start.