Hoodoo is a folk religion that originated in the southern US. Hoodoo and Voodoo do share some of the same components, but the terms used refer to different beliefs. Hoodoo is based on African practices and many Native American use of herbs and plants. Christian and Jewish practices have also found their way into the Hoodoo religion.

The difference is that Voodoo is a religion that has been established over the years and is influenced by Catholicism while on the other hand Hoodoo is magic and not a religion and is influenced by Protestantism and Evangelical movements in the south.

Hoodoo has many areas of everyday life that it influences love, gambling, the treating of diseases, employment and even the darker elements of cursing one’s enemies and necromancy, the conjuring of the dead. In Hoodoo the use of many home made potions and charms is widely used.

Because Hoodoo is based largely on one individuals magical power the practices and rituals are adapted based on a what a person wants and desires the most in life, what they are inclined to do to achieve that and their every day habits. There is no structured system for Hoodoo the practices are passed from person to person through generations.

In Hoodoo the use of herbs, minerals and parts of animal’s bodies as well as a person’s possessions are of great importance in doing a spell. Also used greatly are any bodily fluids but the most important ones are blood from a menstruating woman, urine and semen.

Most practitioner of Hoodoo have been black people but there is also white and Native Americans that practice the art of Hoodoo also.

The main goal of Hoodoo is to allow people to influence and guide their daily lives through supernatural forces.