Sampson Snake Root Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab At The Root Activism Lunacy

SAMPSON SNAKE ROOT

"You can take the dirt up out of their foot track... put it all together, and then wrap that up, and bury that. Put it in a bottle and stop it up right airtight, and bury that. That'll make you stay."
— Harry Middleton Hyatt, Hoodoo, Conjuration, Witchcraft, Rootwork, 5 vols. (Hannibal, MO: Western Publishing, 1970–78), entry 5640. 


While there is another Sampson's snakeroot (Orbexilum pedunculatum), the Sampson Snake Root commonly used in rootwork and conjure is purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). It rises out of the tallgrass prairies of the central and eastern United States on a stiff, hairy stalk, its ray petals drooping backward from a spined, coppery cone like something bracing for a blow it has already decided to survive. The root beneath is tough, dark, and bitter, and generations of rootworkers have read that toughness as instruction.

Named for a Biblical strongman, Sampson Snake Root is worked for what it is said to confer: strength that holds under pressure, mastery in a courtroom or a hard negotiation, solid footing when someone else means to pull yours out from under you. It is carried in mojo hands and dressed into oils for respect and for keeping a job, tucked into a shoe to steady the walk of someone who needs the room to believe them. Worked toward the body rather than the will of another, it is reached for in matters of virility and of holding a lover close, and laid down as a ward against crossed conditions and the work of enemies. Root doctors have also called on it to make someone stay, bound not by charm but by something closer to gravity, dirt and salt and pepper and snakeroot sealed airtight and put into the ground, so that leaving stops feeling like an option.

This oil pours dark amber-red, thick as clay caught in a boot heel. Cracked coneflower root and black pepper sit low against a base of dug earth and iron filings, with a single thread of clove pulled taut through the center. 

Proceeds from this 5ml perfume oil will be donated to Juntos, a “community-led, Latine immigrant organization in South Philadelphia fighting for our human rights as workers, parents, youth, and immigrants.”

 
5ml Perfume Oil
Price
Regular price $32.00
Regular price Sale price $32.00
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At the Root: 2026 Lunacy Fundraiser

Over time the word “radical” has been turned into a political swear word that signifies dangerous levels of extremism, and its etymology hints at why: the word borrows from Latin’s radic- or radix, meaning “root.”

So when someone is accused of involvement in “radical politics”, on the face of it this means their goal is transforming society from the ground up, shaking loose all that is deeply and wrongly entrenched so that something else may grow in its place.

Not everyone has the stomach for such upheaval, or the heart to understand why it is needed, or faith in whatever comes after. And not all radicals are good, or wish good for all. But radicalism is not, by definition, a destructive ideology; every garden has areas that must be weeded, pruned, and repurposed in order to be fruitful, according to the season and the gardener’s design.

This year we’re reclaiming the original, literal spirit of radicalism with a monthly limited edition perfume release that will raise funds for organizations which are defending basic human rights – a mission that should not seem “radical,” but… well, here we are.

And of course, the scents themselves will incorporate essences from the rootiest components we have on hand, to produce a series of grounding and inspiring perfume oils lending stability to thought, clarity to purpose, and stubbornness to cause.
A Little Lunacy

Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth,
And ever changing, like a Joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

Each month we offer a unique, limited edition Lunacy perfume oil, corresponding to the upcoming full moon. These remain available on the website for a very limited time. These scents will be accompanied by a series of duets (simple, two-note fragrances), along with a themed Hair Gloss, Hand & Body Lotion, and Nail Polish. We’ll also make Drew Rausch’s label artworks available as collectible sticker designs. 

We’re also continuing our series of monthly scents inspired by classical artworks, now collected under the name ARS ANNI, and a ritual blend from our sister shop, Twilight Alchemy Lab.

Each month in 2026, we will be adding to our new "At The Root" collection, which will be raising funds for organizations which are defending basic human rights. The scents themselves will incorporate essences from the rootiest components we have on hand, to produce a series of grounding and inspiring perfume oils lending stability to thought, clarity to purpose, and stubbornness to cause.  

Check here monthly for the latest in lunatic fragrance trends!

Lunacy Duets
Our duet scents are designed to flatter, compliment, or enhance different aspects of the Lunacy blend that they are born from. They can be worn alone or layered with their siblings and their parent Lunacy.
BLACK PHOENIX REEKS OF ACTIVISM

In the course of an interview with Unquiet Things, I was able to put my thoughts and feelings about the importance of our activism into words:

Since the day we first opened our doors, helping support and strengthen marginalized communities has been of paramount importance to me. At Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, we have never shied away from our civic duty, and since the inception of the company, we have made it a point to do everything within our power to support organizations that provide emergency aid and disaster relief, support environmental and conservation causes, help the homeless, protect civil liberties and reproductive rights, and offer succor to the LGBTQ community and marginalized ethnic, racial, and minority religious groups. It is our way of helping to protect and provide for our communities, and we feel it is our obligation as human beings to help those who may not be empowered to help themselves.
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