This post comes to us from Josh, our Administrative Assistant! Josh has worked in shipping and administration at Mountain Rose Herbs since 2010. He's excited to report the news about Mountain Rose Herbs' participation in an important Osha study.
How many of us have relished in Osha's gorgeous aromatic potency, relying on this special healing power when a cough settles in or our throat feels scratchy? Well, now we have a chance to support Osha and show our thanks for the extraordinary medicine it provides.
Growing within the soil of the Rocky Mountains, Osha roots are beloved by herbalists for their medicinal effects and historical significance. Native American tribes referred to the root as “bear medicine” due to the animal’s affinity for chewing Osha and rubbing it over its fur. Osha is used today in herbal cough remedies and for promoting wellness. Unfortunately, Osha root is difficult to cultivate successfully and has a limited range within a sensitive environment.
Commercially available Osha root is wild harvested, and it is important to understand the long term viability of current harvesting techniques. To that end, the AHPA-ERB Foundation is funding a study to determine the range, availability, and recovery rate of Osha after harvesting. Mountain Rose Herbs is enthusiastic about the reaches of such a study, and we are proud to donate $1000 in order to help fund the research. The study is certain to provide vital information that will protect the long term sustainability of Osha and the surrounding ecology. These findings will allow us to make the best decisions for protecting the environment and procuring our herbs responsibly. Our goal will always be to place plants, people, and planet before profit!
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to study the effects of osha harvest on its sustainability," says researcher Kelly Kindscher, Ph.D., who is collaborating with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Rio Grande National Forest Service on the research. "We are already collecting data on Osha populations and have started on a harvest experiment in which mature plants are harvested from plots at different rates. We will monitor these plots for three years to see what the recovery rates are from harvest. We intend to collect very thorough data in order to study the sustainability of harvest."
The AHPA-ERB Foundation is still seeking donations to help fund the Osha Sustainability Study.
