APRIL 30, 2011 A NATIVE INDIAN HERB

"LIFE IS LIKE A RAINBOW, YOU NEED BOTH THE SUN AND THE RAIN TO MAKE ITS COLOR APPEAR"

What is a rainbow? I know now it is a simple color scheme in the sky. Life has many different aspects and elements. So does a rainbow. A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. See it is not that simple... and neither is life. Who said life is simple? The rainbow takes the form of a multicolored arc. In my early learning years, I was taught to remember ROY G BIV for the order of the colors of the spectrum- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The Rainbow Flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals has the same seven colors and has been used since the 1970's. It originated in California and now is used worldwide. It was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978. The LGBT movement has not been easy. We still have to struggle for marriage rights and equality in many states. Life has many facets. So does a rainbow.

I am never too old to learn something new. I thoroughly enjoy when I am presented with something I do not know-- especially from a patient. It gives me the chance to say, "I do not know, but will look into it." The other day a patient was describing how he had a very sore throat which caused him to have trouble singing in choir at church. I was impressed that this man sings in choir at church. Nevertheless he said he used "Osha" to numb his throat. He referred to this as Bear Root. I had never heard of Bear Root.

This gave me the opportunity to study yet another herb. I found it curious that this herb was named Bear Root. The bear is an important animal for herbalists. The Native Indians learned a lot from observing the bear. They learned about medicine and food from bears. This may sound ridiculous, but many of the western herbs used today can be traced to Native Indian heritage. In many cases it is the root and/or bark of the plant that is used. Two good examples are Sassafras and Goldenseal. To the Indian, the bear represents the idea of taking care of people. What better animal to take lessons from. A mother bear cares for her young with much vigor and tenacity. The first plants the bear seeks after winter hibernation are osha root, balsam root and Lomatium. These became known as the Bear Medicines. I find the history of herbs to be most useful and fascinating.

Osha has the appearance of a plant in the parsley family with small leaves and small white flowers. Its scientific name is Ligusticum porteri and it grows in the American Southwest. I went to the best source I know for herbs of the Southwest, Charles Kane's Herbal medicine of the American Southwest to see what I could learn. Kane described it like this, "In a sense, Yerba mansa is Ligusticum porteri's lower country relative."

This did not mean anything to me. I then turned to the American Botanical Council web site. Osha was mentioned in an HerbalGram 2010 monograph. The uses of this herb include food, hunting, spirituality and medicine. The spirituality always fascinates me especially if the herb has been smoked. It is sometimes called Indian marijuana but it is not mentioned in the September 2010 book, The Pot Book by Julie Holland, MD.

I learned that Osha often grows close to Poison Hemlock- Yikes! So be careful if you are wild crafting. It is most widely used for rheumatism, sore throats, pulmonary disease, circulation and diabetes. It possesses anesthetic properties for soothing a sore throat.

My patient buys this herb on the Internet and NOT cheaply. He chews the bark. It quickly numbs the mouth. After reading the ABC monograph, I found there is more to know about this herb. Are you buying the correct species? Where is the origin of this herb- Southwest USA or Asia? You should be concerned if people are wild crafting this herb too much.

Thanks George

Until tomorrow....