Osha root and honey is a classic pairing in Southwestern herbal kitchens. In northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, herbalists make small jars of osha honey, raw honey steeped with the root, for the cold months. The root is earthy and sharp. The honey rounds it off. You can make the same pairing tonight with a spoonful of raw honey and a dropper of osha extract, and skip the six-week wait.
If you are new to the plant itself, our complete guide to osha root covers where it grows, how it got the name bear root and what the Zuni, Diné and Rarámuri used it for.
Why osha root and honey ended up in the same jar
Osha (Ligusticum porteri) is a member of the carrot and parsley family, a cousin of lovage. It grows high, between about 1,500 and 3,500 meters, in mountain meadows and aspen groves that run from the Rockies down into northern Chihuahua. Hispanic ranchers in New Mexico call it chuchupate. Other Spanish names include chuchupaste and hierba de cochino.
The root has a strong taste, and herbalists say so openly. One apothecary in Durango, Colorado, describes osha as "a bit of an acquired taste" and pairs it with raw honey to make it easier to take. That is a big part of why the jar exists. Honey makes the root pleasant enough to take by the spoonful.
The cold-season part comes from Hispanic and Pueblo tradition. Estevan Arellano, writing for the New Mexico Acequia Association in 2012, recorded that oshá was used in northern New Mexico for colds and lung complaints, and that many people chewed the root for a sore throat. He also noted people carried a piece to keep rattlesnakes away. When people search osha root honey benefits, this is the history they are reaching for: a warm spoon of honey and bear root on a cold night, passed down in Southwestern families.
The bear story fits too. Southwestern folklore says that bears dig up osha when they wake from hibernation, and bears have a well-known weakness for honey.
How herbalists make osha honey
Traditional osha honey is a slow job. The dried root is chopped and left sitting in raw honey for weeks. The Durango apothecary steeps theirs for 4 to 6 weeks, turning the jar every few days. Shorter recipes online call for "a couple of weeks". Either way, a jar started in October is ready in late November.
Then there is the root. Almost every piece of osha sold is dug from the wild, often from plants more than 10 years old. United Plant Savers lists osha as At-Risk. And it grows beside poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and water hemlock, which look close enough that people have confused them. Osha root has dark, chocolate-brown wrinkled skin and a spicy celery smell. Hemlock root is white and fleshy. A confident forager can tell them apart.
So the tradition is good, and the method has three weak spots for a modern kitchen: the weeks of waiting, the wild root supply and the identification problem.
One dropper on a spoon of raw honey gives you osha honey on the spot.
Bear Root drops in honey, ready in one minute
A tincture is an alcohol extract of the root. The flavor that takes weeks to move into honey is already in the bottle. One dropper on a spoon of raw honey gives you osha honey on the spot, and you can make one spoon at a time instead of a whole jar.
Bear Root is made from osha, a mountain plant of Northern Mexico, where Rarámuri families brewed the root as a tea. Simple ingredients: premium quality extract. Each 50 ml bottle comes in dark Miron glass, which keeps light off the extract. A honey jar sits in a bright kitchen and gets opened with wet spoons. The tincture stays sealed.
If you are comparing osha tinctures, dark amber glass is a step in the right direction. Dark Miron glass is the gold standard, and it is what Mara uses.
An osha root honey recipe for every time of day
Here are four easy ways to take Bear Root with honey. Raw honey from a local beekeeper tastes best, but any honey works.
- The spoon. Pour a teaspoon of raw honey, add one dropper of Bear Root on top, stir with the tip of the spoon and take it straight. This is the closest thing to the old osha honey jar.
- The evening mug. Boil the kettle, let it sit for a minute, then fill a mug with hot water. Stir in a spoon of honey, a squeeze of lemon and one dropper. Hold it in both hands on a cold night and drink it slowly.
- Honey, ginger and lemon. Add three or four thin slices of fresh ginger to the mug before the hot water goes in. Let it steep for five minutes, then add honey and the dropper. Ginger and osha are both warming, and lemon cuts through the honey.
- Morning water. A glass of warm water, half a teaspoon of honey and one dropper before breakfast. It is lighter than the mug and quick enough for a weekday.
If you prefer tea, our post on making bear root tea has more mug recipes.
Bear Root – Osha Root Tincture
50 ml dropper bottle. Ligusticum porteri from the mountains of Northern Mexico.
Add to bagTaste
On its own, Bear Root is earthy and warming, with a sharp, celery-like bite from the root. Put the same dropper on honey and the bite softens into something closer to a spiced syrup. The celery note stays at the back. The warmth carries down the throat, and the honey keeps it smooth.
In a mug with lemon the earthiness comes forward and the drink tastes a little like a savory herbal tea. With ginger it gets hotter and brighter.
How much and how often
Take 1 to 2 droppers a day. You can hold it under the tongue for 20 to 30 seconds and swallow, or stir it into water, tea, juice, a smoothie or a spoon of honey. At that rate one bottle lasts 30 to 50 days. A single dropper on honey each evening sits at the long end of that range.
Bear Root considerations
The recommendation on the product page reads: "Contains alcohol. Not recommended during pregnancy. If you're nursing or taking medication, ask your doctor before using it."
Questions people ask
Can you mix osha tincture with honey?
Yes. One dropper of osha tincture on a teaspoon of raw honey is the quickest way to make osha honey. Stir it with the tip of the spoon and take it straight, or stir the spoon into hot water.
How long does homemade osha honey take?
Herbalists steep dried osha root in raw honey for anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. With a tincture there is no wait.
What does osha honey taste like?
Sweet first, then earthy and warming, with a celery-like bite at the end. The honey takes the edge off the root's sharpness.
Is osha the same as chuchupate?
Yes. Chuchupate is the name Hispanic ranchers in New Mexico use for osha, Ligusticum porteri. Bear root is another common name for the same plant.