Bear root tea is osha root (Ligusticum porteri) taken in hot water. It's one of the most common recorded ways of taking the root, from Rarámuri kitchens in Northern Mexico to chuchupate tea in New Mexico. Today the quickest way to a cup is a tincture stirred into hot water, with nothing to crush, steep or strain.
How to make bear root tea from a tincture
- Boil the kettle and pour a cup of hot water, or make a tea you already drink.
- Stir in 1 to 2 droppers of osha root tincture. That's the daily amount on Mara's Bear Root product page.
- Add a squeeze of lemon or a little honey if you like. Lemon sits well next to the celery flavour.
That's the whole method. Because a tincture is already an extract, the cup tastes the same every time, and at 1 to 2 droppers a day a 50 ml bottle lasts 30 to 50 days.
How it was made before tinctures
Traditionally the dried root was crushed and steeped or simmered for 25 minutes or more. The strength of that tea changed from bag to bag. Researchers have measured Z-ligustilide, one of the root's main compounds, at anywhere from 0.15 to 2.5% of the root, and a 2018 study of 11 Colorado populations found they formed distinct chemical types. The wild root also looks a lot like poison hemlock and water hemlock, both deadly, which is one more reason most people now buy an extract from a named source.
What does bear root tea taste like?
Strong celery comes first. Behind it sits an earthy, slightly bitter base and a sweet note that some describe as licorice and others as butterscotch. The University of Kansas native plants page quotes the flavour as a "pungent cross of flavors reminiscent of celery and licorice."
Tea simmered from dried root turns heavier and more bitter. The tincture version tastes earthy and warming, with a sharp, celery-like bite from the root, softened by the hot water. Honey rounds it out if you find it too sharp.
Bear Root – Osha Root Tincture
50 ml dropper bottle. Ligusticum porteri from the mountains of Northern Mexico.
Add to bagChuchupate tea in New Mexico
In New Mexico, osha goes by chuchupate, and Hispanic families there have a long history with it. Families there made chuchupate tea for colds and sore throats. The root also went into cooking, used to season meat, beans and chile. The University of Kansas page notes that place names referring to the plant appear only in New Mexico, close to Hispanic communities.
Rarámuri tea in Northern Mexico
The Rarámuri of Northern Mexico, who call the plant wasía, brewed the root as a tea for stomach pain and fever. Further north, Zuni healers made an infusion of the root for body aches. Those traditions are why bear root tea is still made through the winter today.
For more on the plant, its names and why it's scarce, read our guide to osha root.
Questions people ask
Is bear root tea the same as osha tea?
Yes. Bear root and osha are two names for Ligusticum porteri, so the tea is the same.
How much tincture goes in a cup of bear root tea?
1 to 2 droppers, the daily amount on the Bear Root product page.
Can you put osha tincture in tea?
Yes. The Bear Root product page suggests stirring 1 to 2 droppers into water, tea, juice or a smoothie.
How long does a bottle last?
A 50 ml bottle lasts 30 to 50 days at 1 to 2 droppers a day.
