Osha, Ligusticum porteri

Epilepsy, Convulsions, and Nervine: The sedative effects of mugwort help ease epilepsy and convulsions. It has antispasmodic properties than can control seizures in some epileptics. It helps decrease the severity of the seizures and increases the time between attacks. Tea or tincture of the leaf seems to work best.

Burns, Itching, Rashes, Poison Ivy/Oak,

Fungal Infections: Mugwort is soothing on the skin and helps relieve the pain and itching from poison ivy, skin rashes, burns, and other skin irritations. It reduces scarring and helps the skin heal faster. Grind the fresh leaves and stems into a fine paste using a mortar and pestle. Apply the paste directly to the affected skin or wound. You may also use a leaf tea or infused flower oil as a topical antifungal and for relief from itching. Insomnia, Fatigue, and Good Dreams: Mugwort regulates sleep, treating the sources of fatigue and insomnia. The sedative effects help the body to relax, but still allows the user to remain alert when needed. To improve sleep, try taking Mugwort as a tincture or tea, or add it to a long bath soak before bedtime. Hanging Mugwort by the bed is said to promote good vivid dreams. Antibacterial Properties: Mugwort leaf tincture inhibits the growth of numerous bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Bacillus spp, E. coli, Pseudomonas, and others. Acetone extractions seem to work the best. Harvesting: Harvest leaves, stems, and flowers when in flower (end of summer) and dry them for later use. Dig roots in the autumn. Warning: The plant may be toxic when used in large doses. Do not use if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Skin dermatitis is sometimes seen. Do not use the plant if you are allergic or if you develop a skin rash.

This species of osha grows in the Rocky Mountains and the southwestern United States, as well as parts of Mexico. The Asian variety is also extremely medicinal as is the Western North American species. L. porteri is also called Colorado cough root, bear medicine, bear root, Indian root, Indian parsley lovage, Porter's wild lovage, loveroot, Porter's lovage, Porter's licorice-root, Porter's ligusticum, mountain ginseng, mountain carrot, wild parsley, wild lovage, chuchupate, and empress of the dark forest. It is hard to domesticate. It likes high altitude meadows. Osha is in the Apiaceae/Umbelliferae (Carrot/Parsley) Family and smells strongly like celery.

Identification: This herb grows to heights of 6 to 7 feet (1.8 meters to 2.1 meters). The parsley-like leaves have a unique reddish tint at the bases where they attach and visually have a fern-like quality. The flowers have the classic white carrot-family umbels with many small 5-petaled flowers. Be careful not to confuse this plant with poison hemlock or water hemlock! The roots of Osha are very hairy and fibrous with a wrinkled, black or chocolate-brown outer skin. When the outer root is peeled off, the inner root tissue is yellowish-white and highly fragrant. Its greenery dies down every winter to its hairy-topped brown root stock.

Edible Use: The leaves and seeds are used as a seasoning and for flavoring various drinks such as mead. The seeds dry well and have a celery-parsley flavor. Medicinal Use: Osha is one of my favorite medicinal plants. The root is chewed, smoked, powdered, or tinctured. It has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, hemostatic, and anti-inflammatory properties and is best used at the first sign of illness. Osha is my #1 go to for headaches - I light a piece of the dried root and inhale the smoke strongly into each nostril. I always carry it with me in my medicine bag.

Asthma, Colds, Flu, Viral Infections, Sore

Throats, and Bronchial Infections: Osha root is a very good anti-bacterial and anti-viral, Osha is also an expectorant. It helps expel mucus that clogs the respiratory tract. It also relieves inflammation in the bronchial tracts making it easier for people with asthma and bronchitis to breathe. It promotes sweating, which gets rid of toxins and helps bring down fevers. To soothe sore throats try sucking on the root, drinking an osha root tea, taking a tincture, or extracting it with raw honey. It is used to manage herpes outbreaks and HIV due to its strong anti-viral properties. Use at the first sign of an outbreak and at the first sign of a cold or flu.

Headaches, Altitude Sickness, and Eleva-

tion Changes: Osha helps people breathe better by opening up the bronchial tubes. Chewing the root helps with the symptoms of altitude sickness and assists people performing athletically at higher elevations than they are used to. Osha often gives almost immediate headache relief when the smoke is breathed in deeply. Osha root also has diaphoretic properties, which promote sweating, thus helping to remove toxins from the body. Skin Wounds, Infections, Boils: Apply Osha Tincture directly on to wounds if it is readily available or dust the area heavily with the powdered root. Osha’s antibacterial properties are effective in helping the skin heal. Arthritis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: The anti-inflammatory effects of osha act on the joints to relieve swelling and the pain of arthritis. It also acts on the nerves to relieve the pressure and swelling that causes carpal tunnel syndrome. For these problems, I usually use Osha Tincture, but you can also simply chew on the osha root.

Nicotine Addiction:

Smoking is a very addictive habit. Osha helps relieve nicotine cravings. Try chewing on a piece of osha root or adding it to a non-nicotinebased smoking mixture.

Jerry Friedman - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0