Type "osha root vs" into Google and the first suggestion is mullein. Both plants turn up in cold season, both get talked about for the throat and chest, and both sit on the same shelf in most herb shops. Comparing osha root vs mullein, though, is comparing a rare mountain root with one of the most common weeds on earth. They differ in where they grow, which part of the plant gets used, how they taste and how people take them.
Osha root vs mullein at a glance
- Osha (Ligusticum porteri) is a root from the carrot and parsley family (Apiaceae), a relative of lovage. Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a leaf and flower plant from the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae).
- Osha grows at 1,500 to 3,500 m in high mountains. Mullein grows in pastures, roadsides and vacant lots at almost any altitude.
- Osha plants are often more than 10 years old when the root is dug. Mullein is a biennial that lives two years.
- Osha tastes earthy and warming with a sharp, celery-like bite. Mullein tea is mild.
- Osha is most often taken as a tincture. Mullein is most often drunk as a leaf tea.
Mullein grows almost everywhere
Mullein is the tall woolly plant you see in road cuts and dry fields. The University of Hawaii's weed guide lists it as native to Eurasia, up to 6 feet tall, with soft basal leaves around 10 inches long. The genus name comes from the Latin for "bearded", after the hairy stamens. Puritan settlers carried it to North America as a medicinal plant, and today it grows wild on most continents.
Its history is long. Dioscorides, the 1st century physician, is credited as one of the first to recommend mullein for the lungs, about 2,000 years ago. Europeans dried the leaves into candle wicks and used the stalks as torches. Once it reached North America, Native American peoples took it up for colds and coughs, according to Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses, and the Navajo smoked the leaf and called it "big tobacco". Today it is sold mostly as a loose leaf tea or as an oil made from the flowers.
Osha was carried down from the mountains on purpose and named after the animal people watched dig it up.
Osha comes from the high mountains
Osha is a different kind of plant. It grows on high slopes, in the Rocky Mountains to the north and in the mountains of Northern Mexico, where Mara's Bear Root comes from. The root has a strong smell the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia's 2018 monograph describes as celery-like. That smell comes partly from Z-ligustilide, which makes up 0.15 to 2.5% of the root.
Almost all osha is wild-harvested, and the plants grow slowly. United Plant Savers lists it as At-Risk. In Colorado, harvest permits cap each person at 10 pounds of root a year. Osha also looks a lot like poison hemlock above ground, so it is a plant for experienced harvesters only.
Who used osha, and for what
The AHP monograph records that traditional use of osha was mostly for the respiratory tract, and the tribal record is rich. The Zuni used it for sore throats and body aches. The Diné (Navajo) took it for a hoarse voice and colds, and they credit the medicine to the bear. Rarámuri families in Northern Mexico brewed it as a tea for stomach pain and fever. The Southern Ute used it for colds and flu and for spiritual protection, and the Comanche turned to it for pneumonia. In New Mexico it is known as chuchupate, a tea for colds and sore throats. The Lakota name is mato tapejuta, bear medicine.
The bear part is more than a name. Researcher Shawn Sigstedt filmed Kodiak bears chewing osha root and rubbing it into their fur. A piece of osha root also turned up in a Utah medicine bundle dated to 200 to 600 years ago.
Mullein became a household plant because it was everywhere. Osha was carried down from the mountains on purpose and named after the animal people watched dig it up.
What they taste like
Mullein tea is mild. Its leaves are soft and woolly, and the cup they make is gentle enough that people drink it plain.
Osha lets you know it is there. A dropper of Bear Root under the tongue tastes earthy first, then warming, then comes the sharp celery-like bite of the root. On a cold morning the warmth stays in the throat after you swallow. The flavor is strong enough that some prefer it stirred into hot tea with honey.
Osha and mullein together
Some home herbal tea recipes put osha root and mullein in the same blend. With Bear Root the routine is short: brew a cup of mullein tea and stir in a dropper. The mullein gives a mild base, and the osha brings the flavor and the mountain root.
If you only want one, osha is the one with the stronger character and the mountain history. Mullein makes a plain tea for the evenings.
Why an osha root tincture beats the dried root
Dried osha root is hard and woody, and getting anything out of it at home takes time and tools. A tincture (an alcohol extract) pulls the aromatic compounds out of the root and keeps them sealed in a bottle, away from air and light. One dropper gives you the same amount every time, with no grinding, simmering or straining.
The bottle matters too. When you shop for any tincture, dark amber glass is a step in the right direction because it blocks some light. Dark Miron glass is the gold standard. It keeps light off the extract, and it is what Mara uses for Bear Root.
Bear Root is osha root from a mountain plant of Northern Mexico, in a 50 ml dark Miron glass dropper bottle. Simple ingredients: premium quality extract. Take 1 to 2 droppers a day. Hold it under the tongue for 20 to 30 seconds and swallow, or stir it into water, tea, juice or a smoothie. At that amount a bottle lasts 30 to 50 days, so it can sit on your desk or by the kettle through a whole season.
Bear Root – Osha Root Tincture
50 ml dropper bottle. Ligusticum porteri from the mountains of Northern Mexico.
Add to bagFor the full story of the plant, from the bears to the Rarámuri, read our guide to osha root. If the chest and breathing side is what brought you here, we cover the tribal history of that use in osha root for the lungs.
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
Is mullein the same as osha?
No. Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a common leafy plant from the figwort family, and osha (Ligusticum porteri) is a high-mountain root from the carrot family. They only share a place on the cold season shelf.
Mullein vs osha root, which is stronger tasting?
Osha, by a wide margin. Mullein tea is mild, while osha root tincture is earthy and warming with a sharp, celery-like bite.
Can you take osha and mullein together?
Yes. Some home herbal tea blends put the two together. With Bear Root, the easy way is a dropper stirred into a cup of mullein tea.
Is a mullein tincture or an osha root tincture easier to find?
Mullein tincture is easy to find because the plant grows almost everywhere. Osha root tincture is harder to source because the root is wild-harvested from high mountains and listed At-Risk by United Plant Savers.