- Region
- North America
- Origin
- High mountain meadows and forests of the Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico. Ligusticum porteri
- Other names
- Osha
North America · Herb · № 153
Ligusticum porteri, L. sinense en L. wallichii
Herb · North America
Osha
Ligusticum porteri, L. sinense en L. wallichii
The root is traditionally used for sore throats, coughs and early colds. There is virtually no clinical research.
Safety notes
The plant is hard to cultivate and threatened by overharvesting; use sparingly and choose sustainable sources. Confusion with poison hemlock or water hemlock is life-threatening. Avoid in pregnancy.
Cautions by tradition (2)
- Herbal medicine worldwide: Not in pregnancy.
- Western herbs in Chinese medicine: Caution during pregnancy; not in the first trimester or with a history of miscarriage. Wild oshá is under pressure and closely resembles toxic members of the carrot family such as poison hemlock: buy only reliable, sustainably sourced material and do not pick it yourself.
Preparation
The root chewed, as tea, tincture or syrup. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
Osha is an important ceremonial and medicinal herb for peoples including the Diné (Navajo), Apache and Pueblo; it is also burned as a protective smoke. In Hispano-Mexican folk medicine it is called 'chuchupate'.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Osha carminative, induces sweating, expectorant, stimulating; L. sinense antifungal, pain-relieving, antispasmodic; L. wallichii antibacterial, lowers blood pressure, calming.
Preparation and amount
Osha root as a cold infusion or syrup for cough, colds, menstrual pain and stomach complaints; tincture 20–30 drops (with echinacea for flu); L. sinense for colds with headache and muscle pain, tincture 10–20 drops for headache and toothache; chuan xiong (L. wallichii) for anaemia and poor circulation.
Caution: Not in pregnancy.
Western herbs in Chinese medicine
- Nature and taste
- pungent, bitter, aromatic, warm
- Meridians
- lung, bladder, stomach, liver
Attributed effects
Expels wind and relieves pain in external attacks on the upper body, both wind-cold and wind-heat: sore throat, fever, blocked nose, neck pain, cough, headache and muscle pain. Cools heat in the upper body and helps cough up thick, yellow, sticky phlegm; antibacterial and antiviral. Expels wind and dampness in headache, back pain and joint pain. Roasted with wine it moves blood and qi more strongly, for stabbing pain (certain headaches, trauma, arthritis) and menstrual pain. Oshá is related to the Chinese chuan xiong and gao ben.
Preparation and amount
1–5 ml tincture of fresh root (best) or 3–12 g as a decoction. Chewing and sucking a piece of root soothes a sore throat. The roots are dug in autumn or early spring, when the leaves have died back. Good dried root smells strong, is firm and has (almost) no coarse hairs at the root crown. For cold, blood stasis or severe stabbing pain, the cut root is roasted with wine: let wine (40–50 parts to 100 parts herb) soak in and dry-roast in a wok without letting it burn.
Combinations
- With thyme and black sage for a throat that hurts when swallowing or talking
- With pleurisy root for lung heat with thick yellow phlegm (plus marshmallow if the phlegm is hard to bring up)
- Can be added to the formula yin qiao ma bo san for severe sore throat
- With Brewer's angelica for wind-cold with a stiff neck
- With California spikenard and elecampane for wind-cold with much white phlegm
Caution: Caution during pregnancy; not in the first trimester or with a history of miscarriage. Wild oshá is under pressure and closely resembles toxic members of the carrot family such as poison hemlock: buy only reliable, sustainably sourced material and do not pick it yourself.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)DecoctionTinctureSyrup, honey and oxymel