Browse:John de Conker Root (Volume 1, entries 1352–1362)
John de Conker Root
Volume 1, entries 1352–1362. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → CURE AND PROTECTION. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1352
[John the Conqueror or John de Conker - plain, high or low - is not the name of a root; it is the commercial label of several roots - identity depending upon digger or seller.] Yo' cud [could] git John de Conker. Yo' writes to New York an' gits dat John de Conker. Yo' git John de Conker an' - why yo' keeps it perfumeded wit Hearts Cologne an' dat's whut dey call de root, King Of de Worl', an' hit'll bring happiness, good luck to yo'. Everything that chew undertake to do, that chew'll have successful at. Yes, ah've tried that mahself.
Entry 1353
Low John de Conker, dey tell me dat's mighty good tuh drive away evil spirits an' bring good luck to yore home - even in other affairs, money affairs.
(How would you use that?)
Yo' totes that in yore pocket.
Entry 1354
If you chew High John de Conker and spit it around, no one can harm you. [This well-known rite is more frequently reserved for trail before judge, asking job of boss, and gambling.]
Entry 1355
If you carry three pieces of High John the Conker wrapped up in your pocket [a hand], no one can harm you.
Entry 1356
Dey say dat if someone wants tuh hurt chew, git a John de Conker root, wrap it up in a piece of cloth with - an' keep it wet [feed it] with Hearts Cologne - on de left side nearest tuh yore heart.
(That will protect you.)
Fo' protection. Have a John de Conker root in yore pocket wrapped up in dis cologne nearest tuh yore heart an' git up befo' de sunrise every mawnin' an' say yore prayers with yore mind on dis root. Say it helps yo'.
Entry 1357
You can mix three diff'rent perfumes and grated High John de Conker and rub with to keep anyone from harming you.
Entry 1358
Yo' would go ahead an' yo' would git chew some John de Conker an' yo' would git chew some salt an' yo' would git chew some peppah an' yo' would git chew some sage or somepin, an' put it in a bag an' tie it roun' yore waist - sew it around yore waist.
(They couldn't harm me?)
Couldn't harm yo'.
Entry 1359
Take any ole snake dust that is dry or lizard dust or any kinda ole creeping, yo' know, a snake lak that. Take that dust an' place it up undah the lettah an' as yo' open that lettah an' git that on yore han's, natch'ral yo' rub it on yore skin an' it will create. It take yo' in yore han's right immediately. May be a little while befo' those han's goes tuh eetchin' but it will go through an' through. Dose are black art works.
(What happens to my hands?)
Whut happens tuh yore han's? Yore han's start tuh eetching an' burnin' an' if yo' don't take care of 'em with that snake dust or that lizard dust, those bumps will fin'lly graj'ly grow, an' aftah while why that snake or that ole scorpion will grow roun', yo' know, in yore skin. Yo' see people dat have snakes in dey laigs. Dey eithah gits it from sweepin' or not takin' a bath when de had things lak that. Dat whut it comes from. If yo' git it in yore laigs, yo' be sweepin' yore flo' - dat's when it gits on yore laigs, yo' see. Dat rattlesnake dust is on de flo' an' when yo' sweep it gits in de pores of yore skin an' by not takin' an' washin' it off, it'll jis' grow an' graj'ly that little bump will come an' that snake will fin'lly grow.
(Is there any way of getting them out?)
Yes, dere's a way tuh git it out, but yo' have tuh take herbs. Yo' have tuh take jimson weeds an' John de Conker, lodestones. Either git John de Conker an' give it to yo' three times a day in a pint of boilin' watah - a teaspoonful, or a tablespoonful is bettah, an' he will gradually die.
Entry 1360
Well, you could go to the drug store. There's some sort of a root there you call John.de Conker root. You see, they got j'ints [joints] in 'em and you get three j'ints in the root, or else you could go to the woods - old people could go in the woods and git them themselves without going to the drug store. Yes, sir. You knows 'em in the woods that they's used. You can't miss 'em. And you can get them roots and boil 'em, and scrub your steps down with 'em with water and ah - for nine mornings, and sprinkle it round on your gallery. Then you could break that up [whatever the devilment was].
Entry 1361
Had a corncob dressed and put in mah flower yard an' mah sister stepped on it - right in de hollow of de foot she stepped on it. And shortly after she stepped offa dat cob, de corncob, she got where she couldn't walk. An' after that it went all over her an' hit turned her eyes - her eyeballs were sharp as de end of yore fingernails. We had fo' doctors tuh her - couldn't either one of de doctors do her any good. Well, my brother went fo' miles from there and found a hoodoo and brought tuh her, and he'd taken some John de Conker and some whiskey and put in a quart bottle and gived tuh her to drink and to bath her knee with, and that's de only thing that cured her.
(Where did this happen?)
Thomasville, Ala.
Entry 1362
You put dis dime and den if you use de same root what I tell you about.
(John the Conquer?)
Yes - John de Conker and dis dime and call it a bodyguard. A dime and dis John de Conker and dis same Hearts Cologne use that together, and den yuh take dat and you make dat up like a bag, and den you got'a put John de Conker and dis dime, fix dat together and put 'em in a glass, in the chamber lye and let it lay over all night. See, leave that lay over all night and den de next morning dey take and dey feed it and dey wear dat around dere waist. See, den nobody can't hurt cha. [To feed is to dampen, letting the cloth soak up liquid - see Feed in Index.]
(What do you feed that with the next morning?)
You feed that with that same Hearts Cologne. Now, dey take dis and dey get a bottle of de Hearts Cologne, see and they put that in that, and you draw that together and put that aroun' - and dey put 'em around dey waist and then you take the Hearts Cologne and put it in another bottle. You do that over your face in the morning-time when you go out in de morning-time - dress your face. You go out like dat and ain't nobody can't worry you - you see, if you got a enemy and you puts that thing on your face like that, you see, it will stick there.
(I see, and they can't harm you.)