Osha root

Osha root also known as Ligusticum porteri, Oshá, Porter’s Lovage, Porter’s licorice-root, wild lovage, Porter’s wild lovage, chuchupate or Indian parsley, is a traditional Native American herb that is traditionally used in the treatment of many diseases including for poor circulation, sore throats, fevers, bronchitis, influenza and cramps ¹, ², ³. Osha root root is also burned and the smoke inhaled deeply through the nose to relieve headache and to eliminate sinus infections.

Osha plant belongs to the Apiaceae family, which is the same family as parsley and dill, and it has the same long thin hollow stalk with large divided leaves. These leaves can reach heights of 2 ft (0.6 m). Osha’s seeds and flowers are at the top of the plant and spread out in the form of an umbrella, whence its Latin family name. Osha flowers are white and the seeds have a sweet celery-like smell, as does the entire plant. The root is very hairy, brown on the outside and yellow on the inside. Osha is available as whole or powdered dried roots. Dried osha root can be chewed directly.

Osha is strictly a mountain plant, and is widely distributed in the Rocky Mountains and the high mountains of northwestern Mexico. Ligusticum porteri is most common in the upper limits of the subalpine zone, so in the southern part of its range, it grows at elevations from 7,000 feet to 10,000 feet (2100 m to 3000 m), while in Utah and Wyoming, it grows as low as 5,000 feet (1500 m). The most important precaution to take with Osha root is correct identification. Osha root grows in the same habitat in areas of the Mountain West of North America with poison hemlock and water hemlock, highly poisonous members of the same family, which can be fatal to humans if ingested. Oshá particularly resembles poison hemlock, but is easily distinguished from it by its “spicy celery” odor, hair-like material on root crowns, and dark chocolate-brown, wrinkled root skin. Hemlock roots are white and fleshy and thin-skinned; they are typically heavily branched rather than carrot-like, but this is not always the case. Poison hemlock roots have little or no odor; the plants themselves smell “musty” or “mousy” or rank.

Osha root benefits

Ligusticum porteri or Osha root enhances the immune system, stimulates appetite, and improves gastrointestinal discomforts such as indigestion and stomach upset associated with vomiting ³. Osha root is used to treat acute influenza, acute bronchial pneumonia with dyspnea (shortness of breath), and leukocytosis (elevated white blood cell) ⁴. Scientists have previously reported the cytotoxicity, antioxidative and immune-modulatory effects of Osha root extract on human peripheral blood lymphocytes ¹.

Phytochemical studies conducted on Osha root demonstrated the presence of flavonoids, phenols/tannins, triterpenoids/steroids and traces of alkaloids as the main constituents of Ligusticum porteri ⁵. Butylidenephthalide and ligustilide are the major secondary metabolites isolated ⁶. Z-ligustilide, Z-butylidenephtalide and diligustilide are the main bioactive compounds of Osha root, which is responsible for the major pharmacological effects of Osha root ⁷. Z-ligustilide was reported to possess anti-inflammatory activity ⁶. Doses of 20 mg/kg/day of Z-ligustilide reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), vascular endothelial growth factor-α, and IL-17 in endotoxin-infected mice within 24 hours ⁸. The suppression of these pro-inflammatory mediators has been found to reduce the severity of the inflammatory reaction ⁹. Z-ligustilide and Senkyunolide A, which make up 50% of organic constituents in Ligusticum species, suppressed the production of TNF-α during inflammation ¹⁰, ¹¹.

Butylidenephthalide is effective as an anti-angina, antihypertensive, antioxidative, antiplatelet, antispasmodic, and vasodilator ¹². Ligustilide has antibacterial activities against Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and yeast organisms ¹³. The essential oil (100 μg/mL) prepared from Osha root increased the antimicrobial activity of antibiotic norfloxacin against the norfloxacin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus ¹⁴.

An Osha root extract, orally administered to groups of normal and diabetic mice, showed significant hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic effects ¹⁴. (Z)-6,6′,7,3’α-diligustilide, (Z)-ligustilide, 3-(Z)-butylidenephthalide, myristicin and ferulic acid were isolated from the active extract ¹⁴.

However, it was reported that Ligusticum porteri or Osha root extract does not exert anticancer activity on breast and colon cancer cells at a concentration of 50 μg/mL ¹⁵. Findings from this study do not support the use of Osha root extract as an anti-proliferation and differentiation therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia cells ¹³. Moreover, this study results also showed that Osha root extract possess an antioxidation function and regulation on immune factors in HL-60 cells ¹³.

Osha root uses

The use of medicinal plant preparations in the management of diseases is on the increase. Osha root traditional uses are related to the alleviation of stomach aches, colic, ulcers, diarrhea, infections, colds and rheumatic joints ¹⁶. Osha root tea also produces analgesia ¹⁷. Furthermore, the pharmacological effects of this herb have been demonstrated in the treatment of gastric ulcers in lab rats ¹⁸, ¹⁹. Other pharmacological properties of Osha root, such as sedation, anti-spasmolytic ⁴, anti-inflammatory ²⁰ and analgesic properties ²¹, have been observed in preclinical assays. However, the mechanisms of action leading to its analgesic properties remain unclear.

Ligusticum porteri or Osha root is employed in traditional medicine to boost the immune system ²², ⁴, ²³, ⁶.

Osha root toxicity

Although Osha root is widely consumed as a decoction (a concentrated liquid resulting from heating or boiling Osha root), there are reports that the chronic administration of the hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Osha rooti produce toxicity ⁵. Concomitantly, slight effects of acute toxicity were observed in mice, whereas a weak lethal concentration 50 (LC50, is the amount of a substance required to kills 50% of a test animals during a predetermined observation period) value (ranging from 436 to 778 μg/mL) was observed in the brine shrimp lethality assay ²⁴.

Osha has also been detected in the milk of lactating mothers, and should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding ³.

Osha root side effects

There are no known side effects with using Osha root other than allergy or hypersensitivity to it or to its plant family ³. High doses of Osha root taken over extended periods of time, however, may cause kidney or liver toxicity ³.

References

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