the Bountiful Benefits of Osha Root

The plants of the rockies called to me, the wild lands, beckoning for me to be here, to put my roots in the ground with the herbs that grow here, in the wild especially, and one herb in particular, drew me deep into the farmacy garden of the wild mountains here in Wyoming. While it is incredibly hard for me to point to one herb, the benefits of osha root are at the top of my list. Osha root is one of the most prolific healers that I know, and in my opinion this herb is a powerful tonic alongside the bountiful benefits that osha has to offer. Osha offers the strength of the ROCKIES to your body through the gift of breath and circulation, Osha is the HERB for now. A potent medicinal Herb that has been worked with for centuries, alongside most of the medicinal herbs that we know of now, and osha, is THE herb for our times. 

The species that I work with from this particular region of the Rockies is only found in a small (relatively) area, this specializes in the bioregional aspects of the medicinal actions, making it perfect for those of us who reside around the plant. It is known that osha is very slow growing, especially in the wild, so my patches are on 4 year rotations, meaning I will harvest small amounts from each patch every 4 seasons. This harvest is a ritual and I love it. Each root that is dug, the crowns are cut and planted back into the soil to regrow for the next season. I have watched this and it is effective in keeping the patches thriving, and medicine growing.

I find this ritualized harvest, when it comes to roots in the wild spaces vital to the energetics of the medicine and that of the land. It is easy to get selfish, and complacent when it comes to gathering wild medicines, because we are humans, back when I was full time wild harvesting for other companies, I always had the ultimate goal of creating a wild like, farmacy garden space at the farm I knew I would land at somehow. Some of the plants need the high mountain elevation to grow, they need the extreme snow and cold to really produce the best medicine, and those few plants I will continue to harvest in this mindful way, so that the medicine that comes out of the farmacy here continues to be the best.

Bear Root Medicine

Osha root is known as bear medicine for many reasons, did you know that bears are medicinal herbalists too? They have collections of plants that they go to when they wake up from hibernation and before they go to sleep. The benefits of osha root holds this bear vibration in it and offers this strength to your body. There is an intense increase in circulation and osha is on of the best herbs for lung detox acting as an herbal expectorant, your lungs will be clear and strong when osha is there to support your system. I see this as a benefit of the general time we are all living through, fires have become a consistent season that we can expect each year, and with cities burning alongside the wild spaces, it is absolutely essential to offer this bear medicine to your body.  

The lung detoxification properties of this plant, and how it is an herbal expectorant, the benefits of osha are also being studied in the mainstream scientific world. The essential oils and resins that seep from the sap of this root, are thick and show to be incredibly effective in providing support to the body detoxifying from microbial overgrowth while strengthening the circulatory habits of the body in removing and detoxing these imbalances, especially in the lungs. But other powerful aspects of the benefits of osha have been shown in NHIM studies that show that osha is increasing lung capacity by up to 40%. This is an incredibly inspiring and exciting find, and since this root (i consider it anyway) is a tonic to the system clients who struggle with asthma, COPD and other damaged lung conditions (think smoke exposure or breathing in chemicals) are all able to be assisted by osha root. 

Volatile oils and resins are generally, neutralizing to microbes, fungus and yeasts, they inhibit the active regeneration process, which allows the body to maintain the proper balance of all microorganism activity (we all know by now that your body is thriving with healthy levels of all of these, right?). Your immune system is truly the detoxification and garbage collection service of your body. While these resins and volatile oils (also known as essential oils), help the body to maintain balance within these bacterial systems, macrophages and antibodies show up to sites of overgrowth to dismantle, and digest waste products produced by the breaking down of and consumption of microorganism overgrowth, this keeping your system well and thriving. 

When there is too much of a digest and detoxification process with microorganisms, the body needs to get rid of much larger quantities of waste and detoxification metabolites, the body produces symptoms which is restructuring the overgrown places of your body, while restructuring the cytoplasm (or structured water) within your bodily systems. This is what we call ‘being sick’. Plants that are thick with these resins and volatile oils, like osha root, have the added benefits of not only nourishing the overgrowth responses, but also helping in the detoxification process of symptoms your body produces. 

Because the benefits of osha root are specific to the lungs and circulatory systems, when the body is producing detoxification symptoms (runny nose, cough, phlegm in the lungs, even gut imbalances), the plant chemicals come in to the body to enhance the actions of removing phlegm from the lungs and bronchial tubes (herbal expectorant and herbal lung detox), circulation enhancement (producing extra warmth and movement of excess waste fluids through and out of the body), feeding the beneficial microbial life within the gut while the body might be liquifying and detoxing that way as well. All of these systems have added balance from osha root and the farmacy medicines so that your symptoms of detoxification (cold, flu and the like) are best assisted to feel better faster and with less of the more ‘annoying’ symptoms. 

Autoimmune Conditions

With this picture of the immune responses of the body, and what science knows about autoimmune conditions of the body, osha root is not stimulating more responses in an already overly stimulated bodily system. The chemicals of osha root specifically will show up to assist the natural functions of detoxification in the body, in comparison to plants like echinacea that will stimulate a more intense (short term please) immune system response. This creates more stress within a body that is already struggling with too much response from macrophages and antibodies. When a person has gone through rounds of chemotherapy, or has an auto-immune condition, stimulating the already taxed immune system only creates more problems. Results can be a further weakened immune system, further conditions of inflammation, digestive complaints and further deepening the chronic and acute illness they might be experiencing.

This is why I love working with Osha so much. This plant offers the support that all bodies need during times of detoxification and the attempt to rebalance (this is what I feel is going on in cases of autoimmune dis-eases). Our modern bodies need this support from not only nourishing and healthy foods, but these wild and powerful herbs. . Osha is the herb for now in many ways over and over, through breathing more fully for spiritual and physical support, alongside the support that plants like osha give to bodies that are chronically struggling because of the chemical overload our systems are generally under. 

Osha offers the strength of the Rockies to your body for all sorts of issues and complaints. Osha is also a tonic herb for our respiratory systems. Helping to relieve congestion through circulatory encouragement within the lung tissue. While adding her anti-microbial volatile oils into the lining of the lungs. All of these properties only adding to the strength of the lungs’ ability to fight away bacteria and infection from viruses

Oxygen Delivery

I love the studies that have been conducted with the benefits of osha root to the lungs and their physical capacity to hold more oxygen. Through this increase in lung capacity, Osha contributes to delivering more oxygen to the entire body, but especially your brain. While there is so much in this modern world that I feel contributes to ‘brain fog’, I know that when taking osha root into the body, the increase in circulation and delivery of more oxygen (up to 40% more capacity in the lungs), I felt IMMENSE assistance in my own body during the early postpartum time with Sawyer, my first born son. This offering of more oxygen, gives the body a sense of euphoria and energy, while feeding our system with a vital life force of breath. 

The benefits of osha root when it comes to the lungs increases stamina, mental clarity and capacity, for sports, times of stress, and postpartum specifically. I don’t know one mother who wouldn’t say yes to more brain power, or a mountain athlete, while it was more traditional to chew the raw or dried root for these benefits, I was personally taking the tincture when I felt this support postpartum, I love to work with osha while in prayer and meditation as well, as breath work will go that much further too. 

Nourishment for Our Times

Between the benefits from the resins and chemicals of osha root that nourish your ability to effectively break through cold and flu symptoms and the breath expansion that an herbal expectorant and lung tonic will offer your system, pairing osha with the physical and spiritual unrest of the current times the collective humanity is going through I feel that osha is more than just a physical herbal allie. The breath is a gift from the divine, and tapping into it, allows each of us to cultivate a stronger connection to the messages that Creator and our divine guidance, intuition, has to offer. 

From my experience in cultivating a relationship with my intuitive body, I know that when I haven’t listened to that quiet whisper, is when I have gotten into the most trouble, from business decisions to past relationships, my intuition has always been right. The more that you take the time (and now that I am a busy mom, I am here to say, it doesn’t have to be lots of formal time, but small bite sized connections throughout the day will suffice!), the more that you WILL be able to move through these tumultuous times with ease, grace, joy and walking your soul path and calling. The benefits of osha root go far beyond just that of the physical body, osha sets a strong foundation, grizzly bear strong, to that of cultivating a relationship to your divine breath, and to your intuition. 

The increase of oxygen and lung capacity in and of itself is all that the spiritual body needs from the physical to come fully online. By enhancing the physical capacity for breath, the lungs are able to deep dive into more of the spiritual breath work, the suctioning of vital life force, or qi, from the earth and the heavens into your body. Those of you who have done breathwork in conjunction with the physical stamina of that which your lungs can hold, will know what this feels like, will know why this can be so beneficial to tapping into the subtle energies of your soul body. Osha is not only a natural immune booster, but a catapult into higher states of consciousness, and connection to your subtle bodily cues. 

Time in the Mountains

Many years, here in the Rockies, I have spent harvesting this plant. Root dividing the rootlets & spreading seed, watching the patches I tend to grow and thrive, I am proud of the relationship that I have cultivated with this powerful medicine. Over the past few years especially, I have spent tapping into my ancestral lineage through ceremony, and my harvesting in wild places. Working with the plants that thrive here in the Rockies is a part of this ceremony. Through the subtle energies that are exchanged in deep ceremony, and reciprocal relationship that can be cultivated with the land, and all beings that reside within it, I asked osha for her prayer for us. 

Her prayer was to give us the strength of the mountain. For us to ask for strength when consuming her. Visualize the intensity of the Rocky Mountains, and the Grizzly Bear. In visualizing this prayer we only enhance her medicine by honoring her spirit. This is the prayer I asked of her in reverence to her spirit…

Osha, please give us the strength of the Rocky Mountains. give us the strength for our immune system to move through blockages. To move through the mountains with ease. The mountains of unknown viruses & societal shifts. Nourish our bodies with this enduring strength. Bless you Osha & let it be…

Say this prayer when consuming Osha of all species in any form of medicine, tincture, tea or raw root. Osha Giving the Strength to our bodies with the STRENGTH of the Rockies.

Not Only Strength for the Immune System – Osha is the herb for NOW.

I thought this was so perfectly beautiful and fitting for the times we are living through . Osha holds not only components and constituents that are nourishing to our bodies, but the spiritual strength for what we are going through systemically. Offering us the strength of the mountains to carry us through blockages we are fighting against, and what we are standing up for, no matter where you find yourself, we are all standing for what we believe is the best for humanity, and when it comes right down to it, that means all humans have the ability for a free, prosperous and vital life.

There are major blockages and intense congestion within our society. These blockages have been building for centuries and we are fighting through them now. I feel that osha root not only will be nourishing to our cold and flu Winter this year but also to our stamina through the shifts that we are seeing on a global societal scale.

Sending you all blessings of green & health

Expect Clarity – Herbs for Lung Detox