Osha, Ligusticum porteri L (also referred to as bear root, Chuchupate, Colorado Cough Root, Indian Parsley, Perejil de Campo, Racine d'Ours, Wild Celery Root, Mountain Lovage, among other names) is a perennial herb. It is a member of the carrot or parsley family (Apiaceae/Umbelliferae).

Osha has traditionally been used by Native American and Hispanic cultures for pneumonia, colds, bronchitis, influenza, tuberculosis, hay fever, and coughs. also used for discomfort associated with a woman’s moon time and is thought to be able to help regulate hormone levels.

Said to contain oxytocin because of they ways in which bears chew huge amounts of it in a bizarre mating ritual and also believed that female bears eating huge amounts during labor feel little to no pain during the delivery of their cubs. That is unverified but how the knowledge of this powerful medicine was passed on to me.

EXCERPT FROM STEPHEN HARROD BUHNER’S “SACRED PLANT MEDICINE”

The tea, powdered root, or tincture in antibacterial and excellent of skin wounds to prevent infection. It is especially good in cough syrups…Osha is also excellent for stomach indigestion. I have found it very useful for cramping and pain associated with the beginnings of ulceration in stomach or duodenum. But its primary usefulness in disease is associated with its antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Osha is a plant of the west, the “looks-within place.” This is not an herb that gives itself to others in a kind of care-taking manner. It is an herb for warriors, for those who must go into the darkness and face their own demons…

For people who are struggling with teir own internal demons, who are trying to develop their own warrior strength, for thos who fight with darkness within, them I give Osha. You must be willing to become a person of passion and strong feeling to work with osha. You must allow your rage and power to come out, to draw the line in the sand and say, “No more, nor farther.”

It is a good herb to carry with you in your medicine pouch.

I adore this medicine, i use it before singing in ceremony and other musical performances because it helps to open up the airways and relax the vocal chords. In times when I feel I need personal strength I work with the root. chewing on it and tucking it in my cheek. This medicine is wild crafted by me and is done so in a loving and respectful manner with offerings and prayers and song. I have been using the same spot for years and am deeply connected to the sustainability and vitality of the local population, harvesting only once a year. When it is gone it is gone until the next season.