Osha root syrup is one of the old kitchen preparations of the Southwest. Herbalists boil the root, reduce the liquid and sweeten it with honey or sugar, and the result goes in a jar at the back of the fridge. People search for it because they have heard of it from a grandmother, an herb shop in Santa Fe or an herbalist's book. The same syrup-style spoonful takes about ten seconds with a dropper of osha tincture and a jar of honey you already own, and the bottle sits in a cupboard for weeks between uses.
Where osha syrup comes from
Osha (Ligusticum porteri) is a member of the carrot and parsley family that grows between 1,500 and 3,500 metres. In northern New Mexico and southern Colorado it has gone by two names for generations. Robert Bye and Edelmira Linares, writing in the Journal of Ethnobiology in 1986, recorded that residents of the San Luis Valley and the Santa Fe region call the plant osha and "recognize chuchupate as a synonym." They suggested chuchupate may come from the Nahuatl word chichipatli. In the households they described, shavings of the root were chewed or steeped and the tea was drunk.
The University of Kansas native medicinal plants project notes that osha "has a long history of use by Hispanics in New Mexico," citing the herbalist Michael Moore, and that every place name containing the word Oshá is in New Mexico, close to Hispanic communities. Moore's 1979 book Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West brought the root to herbalists across the United States. Syrups are a standard preparation in that herbalist tradition. The root is bitter on its own, and honey turns a pot of osha tea into something people will take by the spoon.
What a classic osha syrup is
A classic osha syrup is a decoction sweetened until it pours like thin honey. Herbalists simmer the root in water with the lid partly on until the liquid is reduced by half, strain it, then stir in honey or sugar over low heat. The Herbal Academy gives a base ratio of 2 parts decoction to 1 part honey. Rosemary Gladstar, writing in Mother Earth News, uses 1 cup of honey per pint of liquid and keeps the heat below 110°F so the honey stays raw.
Then it goes in the fridge. Gladstar puts the fridge life of a homemade herbal syrup at several weeks. The Herbal Academy says up to 3 months, with more sugar or a splash of alcohol stretching it. Either way it is a perishable jar that needs the fridge and a clean spoon every time. Commercial osha syrups sold in the US today are mostly blends, with the root mixed into honey alongside herbs such as elecampane, mullein and fennel seed.
Osha stopped more than half the growth of the TB bacterium at the lowest concentration tested.
How to make osha root syrup without the stove
The stovetop version starts with raw root, and raw osha is hard to come by. Nearly all of it is dug from the wild. The plants are often more than 10 years old when they are harvested, United Plant Savers lists osha as At-Risk, and it looks enough like poison hemlock that people without training should leave it in the ground. Bye and Linares noted in 1986 that New Mexico pharmacies were already importing root from Arizona because local supply was scarce, and that the plant "has not been cultivated successfully."
An osha tincture removes the sourcing and the cooking from the job. Bear Root is an alcohol extract of osha from a mountain plant of Northern Mexico. A dropper of it stirred into a spoonful of honey gives you the same honey-and-root mouthful as a homemade syrup, made fresh at the moment you want it.
Osha root tincture vs syrup
- What is in the spoon. A syrup is mostly honey or sugar by volume, so the root is diluted before you pour it. A tincture is the extract on its own, and you decide how much honey goes with it.
- Where it lives. A homemade syrup needs the fridge. A 50 ml tincture fits in a gym bag, a day pack or a desk drawer.
- How long it lasts. A syrup has its fridge clock running from the day it is made. A sealed tincture in dark Miron glass stays protected from light between uses, and at 1 to 2 droppers a day one bottle of Bear Root lasts 30 to 50 days.
- How it goes in. Syrup goes in by the spoon. Bear Root goes under the tongue, into water, tea, juice or a smoothie, or onto honey for a syrup-style serve.
Bear Root – Osha Root Tincture
50 ml dropper bottle. Ligusticum porteri from the mountains of Northern Mexico.
Add to bagFour syrup-style serves with Bear Root
- The spoon. Put a heaped teaspoon of honey on a spoon, add one dropper of Bear Root and stir it through with the tip of a second spoon. Eat it straight. This is the closest thing to a spoon of homemade osha syrup, and it takes less time than opening the fridge.
- The mug. Warm water, a squeeze of lemon, a spoon of honey and a dropper, stirred together. Have it as a morning drink before breakfast or an evening tea after dinner, any time of year.
- After a run. Blend a banana, a cup of milk or yoghurt, a spoon of honey and one dropper. The fruit and honey round off the root's bite.
- On a hike. Dissolve a spoon of honey in a little warm water at home, pour it into your water bottle, top it up and add a dropper. By the first summit it tastes like a light osha cordial.
For more mug ideas built around the root, our guide to making bear root tea has the tea side covered.
Taste
Bear Root on its own is earthy and warming, with a sharp, celery-like bite from the root. Honey takes the edge off that bite and leaves the celery note at the back, so a spoonful tastes close to a spiced syrup. Lemon brings the earthiness forward. In a smoothie the root sits under the fruit and you notice it most on the finish.
Why the bottle is dark Miron glass
Light breaks down plant extracts over time. If you are buying any osha tincture, dark amber glass is a step in the right direction. The gold standard is dark Miron glass, which is what Bear Root comes in. Between uses the extract stays sealed and shielded from light, which is a better place for it than a jar of syrup opened every day. For the full story of the plant, from the bear legend to where it grows, read our complete guide to osha root.
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 turn osha tincture into a syrup?
Yes. Stir one dropper of Bear Root into a teaspoon of honey for a single serve, or into a few spoons of honey in a small jar if you want enough for the next couple of days.
How long does homemade osha syrup last?
Rosemary Gladstar gives homemade herbal syrups several weeks in the fridge, and the Herbal Academy says up to 3 months. A bottle of Bear Root lasts 30 to 50 days at 1 to 2 droppers a day and lives in the cupboard.
Is osha syrup the same as osha honey?
No. Osha syrup is a boiled decoction of the root sweetened with honey or sugar. Osha honey is root steeped in raw honey for weeks without water.
What is chuchupate?
Chuchupate is a Spanish name for osha used in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Bye and Linares recorded it as a synonym for the plant in 1986.
