Ocotillo: Healing Heart on the Medicine Road

Ocotillo the Plant:
Fouquieria splendens.

Sometimes the Latin names of plants speak deeply to the nature and essence of the plant, in this case I will have to say maybe. Ocotillo is named for                Pierre Eloi Fouquier  1776-1850 a French physician, translator and writer. The 'splendens'- refers to the impressiveness of this desert plant, and though some might say the flower, yes it is splendid and spectacular! The whole plant from its base to tip is absolutely resilient, hardy and empowering and inspiring.

     Ocotillo has a wide distribution in the mojave, sonoran and chihuahua deserts from California, through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, also going further south into Mexico into the states of Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Durango, and Sinaloa. It's display of tubular bright red, orange flowers rivals all for its towering ruling aspect, the inflorescence is a panicle at the tip of the spiny flexible branches.

      Ocotillo: the Place:

Ocotillo itself in its occurrence defines a broad specific bioregion, the South West, the south west low desert. Beginning in the Mojave desert of California, crossing the Colorado into Arizona, across much of southern New Mexico, and to the Rio Grande in Texas. In California around the Salton Sea grows below sea level, in some of the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico it will grow sup to 4000ft. 

     Ocotillo is drought deciduous plant and opportunes to conditions, leafing out in emerald green with rain. It can do this 3 or 4 times a year. Flowering occurs in late spring in May or June often synchronizing with saguaro within its range. 

     In the old tradition of the Apaches a medicine of ocotillo roots was used for open wounds on both horses and human wounds, a paste of the ground powdered roots placed directly on open wounds as a poultice. The Cahuilla of Southern California used the flowers and bark for cough with sore throat, its place in modern western herbal medicine understands ocotillo to aid lymph movements so as a treatment for tonsillitis this makes sense. 

      The flowers placed in water make an exquisite tea with a mild astringency like rose or raspberry leaves combined with a flowery honey like sweetness. It's best made as a sun tea, filling a quart or half gallon mason jar and placed in the sun for several hours. Drunk fresh it informs one of our place in the great south western desert province.

     Ocotillo, the person: In the modern western herbalists repertoire ocotillo is known and valued as a lymphatic mover keyed to the pelvic area. It especially combined with Redroot, Ceanothus fendleri, Cleavers, Galium acarine, and Alder bark and is useful for all conditions associated with pelvic congestion, stuck menses, hemorrhoids, and poor veinous return and veinous stasis in the legs, prostate enlargement and the need to urinate frequently. In the modern western herbalists material media this translates as macerated 1:2 fresh plant tincture in alcohol. As a formula,  each individual plant tincture could be combined as part of the formula. 
     

Liver: The lymphatic system transports 'clean' fluids back to the blood, drains excess fluids from tissues, removes 'debris' from cells of the body, and transports fats from the digestive system The liver is the largest gland in the body, lies in the right upper quadrant. It conforms to the right dome of the diaphragm. the liver has a double blood supply from the hepatic artery 30% and portal vein 70%. The portal venous system, a system of venous blood vessels from the GI tract to the liver, the portal vein supplies about 75% and about 60% of its O2 supply. Superficial and most deep lymph vessels converge at the porta and end in the hepatic lymph nodes. Innervation from the sympathetic and parasympathetic supply from the hepatic plexus, from fibers from the left and right vagus nerve, and right phrenetic nerve. 

Ocotillo stimulates improved lymphatic drainage into the thoracic duct, and helps with dietary fat absorption into the lymph system. "The idea and real quality of an organ system being stuck, like congestion in the lung, bronchitis, pneumonia, inflammation heat, swelling  has a psychological component. It produces a mental effect. Pelvic congestion, pain, stuck menses, painful cramps- these bodily states impinge on our thought processes. There is a way of being well and a way of being sick. A disease state within the body calls forth a subtle mental attitude. Of course we have to distinguish between chronic and acute. The length of time the disease state has effected consciousness. So that the treatment of disease is also the adjustment of mental states." - quote from my previous blog post 

     Red Root Ceanothus fendleri,

"Ceanothus has a history in western herbal medicine notably during the time of it's flowering from the 1830's to the early part of the 20th century. In the colonial period Red Root,  was called 'New Jersey tea' and was a substitute for the imported Chinese tea which was in short supply, as in the revolutionary act of dumping tea into the Boston harbor, the Boston Tea Party and was considered patriotic to part ways with the British, during the Revolutionary War time.

     "The Family Flora and Materia Medica", by Peter P. Good, A.M written in 1847 speaks of it being astringent and slightly bitter. Useful as an astringent in dysentery and as a febrifuge in Mexico. Good describes it as appropriate for sore throats, and the congested symptoms of impaired circulation in the throat area, here we are building a case for its use in the lymph transport of waste material from the throat into the surrounding tissue. In addition red root was described as an expectorant in relation to lung congestion. He also acknowledged its use in the portal system and 

uterine/menstrual pelvic stagnation.

     "Specific Symptomatology—It has a specific influence upon the portal circle, influencing the circulation. In lymphatic patients, with sluggish circulation and inactivity of the liver of a chronic nature, with doughy-sallow skin, puffy and expressionless face, pain in the liver or spleen with hypertrophy of either or both organs, and constipation, it has a direct and satisfactory influence, especially if the conditions are of malarial origin...or in general glandular disarrangements, the agent is indicated. Bronchitis, chronic pneumonitis and asthma are found present with the above general symptoms. Ovarian and uterine irregularities with such conditions will also be benefited by its use." -American Materia Medica:

Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy: Developing the ...
 By Finley Ellingwood, John Uri Lloyd 1915.

    While current south west herbalists, strongly influenced by Michael Moore, tend to view Red root as a lymphatic remedy, aiding the portal liver system, which was acknowledged by the eclectics of the time. 

     The herbalists of the period saw in red root a remedy for..." with my application of this shrub to diseases of the lungs. In 1833, while out botanizing one day, my attention was directed to this shrub, by its beauty while in full bloom, and the peculiar appearance of the root. I gave it the name of wild snowball, knowing no other name for it at that time. I tasted and chewed some of it, and I conceived the idea that it would be good for coughs. I gathered some of the shrub, dried it, and added some of it to my compound, used at that time for coughs. I was successful in treating coughs...In such cases I keep a syrup to suit. It is made as follows: Take ceanothus two parts, asclepias tuberosa one part, boil down till you have a very strong decoction; strain, and add refined sugar, and boil down to form a thick syrup; add the tincture of Tolu, to give a flavor, and bottle. Dose—one tablespoonful three times a day." -The New England Botanical and Surgical Journal, by Calvin Newton MD 1849.

     Besides the possibility of combining red root with pleurisy root for lung congestion, it is fascinating to see the renaissance scientist Dr Newton exploring the fields and forests, directly tasting the herbs and plants and developing an intuitive treatment from the forests of New England. 

     Ocotillo and Red root because how they mobilize how waste products are removed and facilitate transport throughout the body. This is possibly what Dr Calvin Newton in 1849 had encountered and utilized in his formula to treat  tenacious coughs, and lung stagnation, expediting the transport of accumulated waste products in the lung. 

     The idea and real quality of an organ system being stuck, like congestion in the lung, bronchitis, pneumonia, inflammation heat, swelling  has a psychological component. It produces a mental effect. Pelvic congestion, pain, stuck menses, painful cramps- these bodily states impinge on our thought processes. There is a way of being well and a way of being sick. A disease state within the body calls forth a subtle mental attitude. Of course we have to distinguish between chronic and acute. The length of time the disease state has effected consciousness. So that the treatment of disease is also the adjustment of mental states. 

      Herbs and plants like red root and ocotillo are both 'heart' medicines, medicines of the emotional spiritual heart. These medicines while not 'psychological' deal with our healing journey. They address the soul and our way of becoming in the place. Plants can be a way back to a place of balance. Our bodies may be out of balance with disease yet our hearts and minds are also stuck in the paradigm of disease states. Part of the process of healing is acknowledging the psyche and mind states through plant medicines."   Quotes from my previous blog post 

     http://pgmanski.blogspot.com/2016/01/red-root-ocotillo-and-approach-towards.html

     Healing the Wounded Heart: 

Regardless of how far I go into physiology of disease I am always reminded of the living plant medicine. Even the question of, "what is medicine?". The plant medicines I work with are living beings. As are the people taking the medicine. The key point is life, living, growth and movement. 

     Ocotillo has come to the surface, speaking, in the same way it's grey stems sprout with green after a rain, offering itself to us as a way to transform the heart. That our hearts are wounded is no doubt. That these plant allies and helpers are here among us is also no doubt.

     In conversations recently at the Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference, Coudcroft, New Mexico, 2016, it was no surprise that those testing my plant medicine offerings from the South West US across the board, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or background had a similar reaction to the Ocotillo tinctures I had brought. In conversation after conversation people said that, ocotillo opens the heart, brings a softness.

      Often the healing journey of the heart is so difficult precisely because of this softness. Healing requires an atmosphere of acceptance, a nonjudgmental space of allowing things to be. In that allowing things to be, brought by ocotillo there is a greater complexity. Ocotillo has that gentle quality that allows growth and nurturing green to emerge after a rain, yet if also has the fierceness  of thorns, of boundaries, of setting limits. Maybe all these tender sweet desert plants have that aspect of rose. A rose has the sweetest fragrance, the softest petals, yet it to has thorns, barbs. With healing its often both moving towards our good and moving away from that which holds us back.

     

With ocotillo there is a clarity and space. It inhabits great space gracefully. In order to heal the heart there needs to be space to move beyond repetition. In repetition there is convenience, there is a mindlessness which lacks awareness of space. Ocotillo allows us to energize and invigorate the heart without jumping into action based on the repetitive mind, which wants to maintain the comfort zone, even if it is painful and lifeless. 

     Those who use ocotillo and are drawn to its healing spell often describe a history of trauma in the pelvic area, sexual exploitation, rape, violence in connection to painful circumstances. Abusive families, the feeling can manifest as fear, as an inability to follow their highest good. They are seeking a resolution to that trauma, a way to move forward. They have described to me a movement towards healing and forgiveness that is facilitated with ocotillo as a medicine. Often there is a movement that occurs spontaneously of forgiveness of self and forgiveness of other. Often times the 'other' is the male dominated power structure, the privileged view of the those who run the show, with property and power. The way of continuing to carry the trauma is to carry that burden and then move into self loathing, self destructive lifestyle, not loving yourself enough to care and take care. 

     One of the predominant motifs of this trauma is the feeling that nothing can be done, hopeless and helpless. Often when taking ocotillo there is a sense that, even if I don't know exactly how, I will move on from this, not as a victim, not seeking revenge, but as the loving strong and powerful person that I am.

      Ocotillo is a heroic medicine that invokes trust, just as the ocotillo will leaf out any time rain comes in abundance, there is in that leafing out a trust. It's precisely that time, when the bark is invigorated with life that the ocotillo is gathered, carefully, with intention and gratefulness for its gift. 

      In time spent with the plants I  go directly to the plant, to find its use, its message, its purpose relation to us. I ask of the plant, "Can you heal these broken hearts?", "Help me to help others with these plant medicines." 

     One of the ways I go to the plants is directly. I go directly to the plant with intention. The herbal medicine road is often pleading and asking. It is admitting my own lack of knowledge, in some sense I am unknowledgeable, incapable of knowing. My wits are dull. Yet the plant teachers are willing to share when one admits a lack and acknowledges a need.  

      Going directly to the plant:One of the most important techniques I share with others, when they ask, is the direct approach to plant medicine. Outside of any framework, the direct approach to the plant medicine involves going directly to the plant where it grows in its natural habitat.  

       

The quickest and most powerful way is to go as a small group of committed seekers to the plant setting intention. You will need to step up and prepare ahead a time, either a tincture, flower essence or tea of the ocotillo. This is to be passed around the group, to each group member in silence. It's a sacred communion and needs to be understood and cherished in that way. Then after a time of careful silence and receptive watching, each member of the group will share their findings, their results out loud to the group. It's important to acknowledge the intention as a group to gather and share insights gained in a nonjudgmental way, in a spirit of reverence and love. It helps if someone in the group can set the tone based on previous journeys. It's best to be uncrushed, unhurried and make a day of it. It's important to understand that when a person speaks in the circle, it's the ocotillo speaking. We become channels for each other so the voice of ocotillo can be heard. We are ocotillo's mouth piece. 

     Someone who has gone before can set the tone by talking about the plant, it's biology, its place in the ecosystem. How it grows, where it grows, its life cycle and unique qualities. Someone who has studied the ethnobotany of the plant and can talk good plant story can make the journey easier. Looking at the plant, walking for a while in silence to the plant can often prepare the group for what's to come. 

     It's important to come together with a common purpose in this. At the beginning have each person explain who they are and what they're doing directly to the group and to the ocotillo. You'll need to find an ocotillo receptive to this, you made need to walk some ways to find the best spot. It helps to set the intention with a smudge. I like to use yerba santa, or Hyptis emori but what you'll be using is up to you. Once the smudge stick is lit, each person should hold it and make a good smoke, state aloud their intentions, it should be passed in a sun-wise way, starting in the east, then south, west and north, in a circle. This sets the tone and sacred purpose or intention, to meet understand and grow with ocotillo. To hear ocotillo's voice and allow ocotillo to speak. I met a person one time in this beautiful place, yet they were sad, and I was puzzled. She said, "Everybody passes by these plants and they don't greet them. They don't use them. The plants are lonely, sad, they need us. We need them."  that stuck with me. The plant medicines want to be a part of us. We need to make ourselves a part of them. It's always been this way.

      Of course it's not always possible to assemble a group, and good results be had by journeying alone, doing personal study on the plant, reading what others have said, then carrying out the exercise alone, allowing ocotillo to speak through you, to you.

     The main thing is to go to the plant directly, alone or with a group. As I said though going with a small group of dedicated seekers can be especially powerful. Sharing insights gained with others in the circle can facilitate a deep learning that goes beyond words, and is the best and fastest way I've found to gather insight. Often different members of the group can have different pieces of the puzzle, and the combined insights shared together often transition into that rolling deep, where the old songs and stories come to the surface.

       With ocotillo the group will assemble around a stand of ocotillo that is especially vibrant, maybe leafed out or in flower. One specific technique I've found is to sit near the ocotillo and focus awareness of breath, sending the breath into the ground and focus on exchanging energy, sharing the energy of the ocotillo. See your breath going into the ground meeting the roots of the ocotillo, mingle your breath with the roots of the ocotillo. Allow the breath to rise into the individual stems of the ocotillo, moving rising to the top of the ocotillo stalk, then descend back down into the roots. Feel the energy then move into where your body makes contact with the earth. Invite your energy as breath to mingle and mix with the ocotillo. Re-enter your body where it makes contact with the earth, and rise up through your body, to the top of your head, then back down in a circuit, into the earth. Mix and meet the ocotillo roots, rise up the stalks and branches, to the top of the ocotillo, then back down the ocotillo, into the ocotillo roots, into the earth, traveling back to your body at the point where you are sitting, then to the top of your head and back down, into the earth meeting the ocotillo roots, to the top of the ocotillo and back down, continuing the microcosmic energy exchange orbit.

      This same technique can be used for 'meeting' any plant or tree at a certain point in the process an aspect of ocotillo can be passed around. It could be a sun tea of the flowers, or a tincture of bark and leaf, or a flower essence.This is shared with the group as a sacrament. It's important to understand and ask permission of ocotillo to help us to understand her. Acknowledge that ocotillo is a living being. Ask ocotillo. Explain what you're doing and why. When people share their insights allow the silence to penetrate, there's no right or wrong. Everyone has something important to share. 

     

  Ocotillo Elixir:

The time for singing is when you hear the song. And with our bioregional medicine, with our plant medicine road, we use the plants as we find them because that is the time.

Now is the time for emotional growth, for love, for the heart, for the heart songs broken to be mended. This is the Sonoran desert spring time song of the ocotillo, the Ocotillo elixir , Fouquieria splendens, true flower medicine. A sovereign remedy. Ocotillo medicine i use every day, usually the bark and leaf tincture, lately this spring time currently using an ocotillo flower elixir formula.

I think it's fitting to look at the origins of the word elixir in connection with Ocotillo, Etymology:

 Late Greek xé̄rion drying powder (for wounds), equivalent. to Greek xēr(ós) dry 

 Arabic al iksīr , A preparation believed to turn the base metals into gold. The elixir of life keep the bowl of prolonging and enriching life, a panacea, A cure-all sovereign remedy.
This is for our wounds, our emotional wounds to stop the bleeding and to bring back life into those dreams areas of her heart that don't respond to the quickness of spring as they should.

So I gather

the ocotillo flowers, just at the point when they are open and most fragrant with their heavy smell of hummingbirds and spring time Sonoran Desert blossoms. i let them dry a bit and savor sweet fragrance.

Then I tincture the tops in alcohol, and sweeten with honey. True to the name, deals with the wounds and the bleeding , nourishing  and returns to function the-feeling heart, this is my ocotillo  flower elixir.

Formula:Ocotillo elixir 

Gather the ocotillo blossoms just at that point where they are open for what we are seeking is to nurse the open heart.

Dry the ocotillo blossoms for a day or two, then tincture  fresh 2:1 in organic cane alcohol, if you don't have this you could use a strong Brandy or vodka. In terms of our bioregional medicine it's important to engage the plant stories and songs at the time of their singing. After you tincture it for a week or so, drain and strain, you will want to add honey, three parts menstruum remaining, to one part honey, then bottle for future use. Ocotillo flower elixir for opening and healing the wounds of the emotional heart. Enjoy an experience is healing time for never will you be here again, savor this new becoming, take it into your heart grow in the way of the plant
medicine road as it leads you.

La Gobernadora,Larrea tridentata

Larrea tridentata,

so it is with the plants, matthew 10:31 "But many that are first shall be last: and the last, first", La Gobernadora, the Governess, The queen, Nuestra Señora de Los Remedios. She's there with you whether you want her or not. She's the first and the last. You can't escape or run from her because she calls you, she knows your name.

She smells like rain. She is rain. she is soft rain, the hard rain and rain that falls from the sky and rain that goes back-and-forth side ways,  across the sky. Sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, sometimes like honey or vinegar dripping into your mouth, she could heal any illness or bring you 1 million good things. She's everywhere. She's everything.

She can be young and green, twisting and flexible, or dry,  old and brown and wise. You think you know her and understand her, and then she throws you a curve ball and leaves you flattened on the ground. She can plead with you and draw you in with her smile. She's like the blue sky and the clouds, because she is the blue sky. She is the clouds. She is the white cloud. She's the great White cloud that knows the turquoise sky. She is the turquoise sky. She can lift you with her arms if she wants to or make you smile and laugh and dance like you were a child. You think you're strong?  she is much stronger than you are. She is stronger than you ever could be. Your muscles are nothing compared to what she can do. She can do anything. She can be everyone,  everywhere, everything. She doesn't need anyone, she's completely comfortable being alone. She rules the desert. You think there are pretty flowers in the spring time? She's more pretty than anyone,  she's more pretty than any flower. She's an old wise woman. She's a young girl in disguise that can lead you around like a dog on a leash. She's the first plant that you'll ever see. And when you're dying,  freezing, waiting for the Saints and the Virgin Mary, feeling your last breath, she will be there again to welcome you.

She's just like that. She doesn't care if the whole world hates you,  despises you, ignores you,  she will love you just the same. You could be the mayor of the city or a homeless idiot starving on the street corner yelling and screaming in the night, she doesn't care about shit like that. You could be wearing pants one day and a dress the next, you could be wearing high heels or no shoes at all with blisters and cracked dry skin on your feet, doesn't matter. She accepts everyone. That's why they call the governess. La Gobernadora.

br /> -Paul Manski

Nuestra Señora de los Remedios

Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de las yerbas y plantas y San Pedro, Ora pro Nobis. On this Fullmoon night I come to your garden for the remedies you have brought to us in plants and herbs.

 Gloria Patri, et Mater, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Help us to find good medicine and blessings!always.

Glory be to the Father and Mother, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

R:  Sicut erat in principo, et nunc, et semper: et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

ASPERGES me, * Domine, hyssopo et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.

THOU shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, O Lord, and I shall be cleansed; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me worthy to gather your plants.

Monarda spp, Oregano del campo, wild hyssop.

Nuestra Señora de los remedios de las yerbas y plantas, Mother of  herbs and plants, Oh!, Queen of heaven and earth, on this Full Moon Blessed Virgin, with San Pedro, you have showed us tonight the keys of heaven. we worship you. You are the daughter well-beloved of Our Father, the mother chosen by the word, the wife immaculate of the Holy Ghost.

     We depend on you, oh!, Dear Mother, as children depend on their mother tender and careful. As you fed and nourished your son Jesus. Show us your herbs and plants so we can make good medicine and bring blessings!always. 

    Jesus you hung on the tree of the cross like a flower, you died and were buried in the ground then rose at Easter in the spring.

Anemome tuberosa, the pasqueflower.
We come to this place to gather the medicine, which is your body and blood under this full moon, to do as you commanded, "And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." "And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." "The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.", ..."none of the evils that I laid upon Egypt, will I bring upon thee: for I am the Lord thy healer."

      Forest of Redroot, Ceanothus fendleri. Comfort the afflicted and those alone and solitary, help the poor and those who lost their hope; help the sick and to those who suffer. They can be cured of body and soul, and strengthened in spirit with these Remedios, these plants you give us on this Full Moon.

      Our Lady of All Remedies we come in remembrance of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honour of Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, we know all manner of healing come from you in these plants, who are your children even as I am your son and you my Mother, show me which plant can heal my brother and sisters, do not let them suffer but show me good medicine to bring blessings!always.

Let me bring good into this world in the name of Jesus, Mary and all the angels and saints.

-Paul Manski

Ligusticum porteri, oshá diaries

 Ligusticum porteri:

Oshá 

our lovely elegant plant medicine called osha, significantly in Spanish 'oso'  is bear, so chuchupatè, the bear medicine...oshá is a plant that speaks.

    In this way I would like it to speak to you regarding oshá the potent plant medicine of the southwest US and understanding disease and disease states. Maybe you will read these words and you will somehow know this plant, the bear medicine. speaking with me is like hearing riddles. i rarely speak. i rarely have anything to say and if i do talk most people either laugh with me or walk away, "I'm not sure about him." 

    

    i would ask you to pay attention to patterns. Watching patterns is really all that we can do with herbal medicine. As you watch patterns develop it's possible you'll see more patterns or less patterns but we know that the herbal medicine is the change that we put into those patterns to bring about an outcome of homeostasis, on this present state yet we don't deny the disease state that exists. we don't pretend that all of this is good or bad. We want to ease the suffering in the world so we bring our herbal medicine to people and that's really about it. we want to help soothe the suffering so people don't suffer so much. 

    Trusting your own judgment. Use your heart, use your intuition to see the patterns and realize that most of what you see is a reflection of yourself.  The things that you have to work with are close by. We work with our eyes, with our hands, with the tongue. This is the organoleptic  approach to herbs we take.  we taste them, smell them. we touch them we look at how they grow. where they grow. when they grow. Wevwill use that information to speak to us with the herbs. this is the approach to take with herbalism. We work with them, and allow the nature of the herb to enter into her being so that we can remember, knowing the thoughts that fill our mind, taking seriously whatever the herb wants to give us in terms of information. with  sight, with smell, with the taste and form of the herb where it grows before our eyes. on this path of herbal medicine you have to go directly to the plant. On this path of my herbal medicine you have to go directly to the place where the plant is growing and meet the plant in its own space. You need to meet the plant where it is growing. And you need to look at the total picture of you as the person in the place with the plant.

    We take notice. We look and see. Yet we don't become overcome with joy or distressed with sorrow, with fears or disgusted with sights, feelings and mental states that are beautiful and pleasant. whatever is, is and that's what we have to work with sometimes we see beauty sometimes there's ugliness and we don't run towards the beautiful and we don't run away from the ugliness just part of the mix that we're experiencing right now. what we do is look.  be on the alert to what's available here and see the patterns. See the flow, the turning of events which create new events. This is what we have to work with. We don't throw things away because they are bitter or unpleasant. And we don't run to things just because they are sweet and beautiful. We know that beautiful and ugly are flips of the brain, and you can't have beauty without ugliness.  they are concepts and constructions that exist in the mind. they're interesting to see but we don't seek out the beautiful and we don't run away from the ugly. above all we don't want to cultivate the junkie state of mind, the junkie state of mind is that state of mind that seeks out a particular mind state in an addictive way, and cultivates the addiction state, seeking it out again and again. The junkie state of mind very closely resembles the pattern of disease that often unfolds in a disease state with repetitious experience. The person with a chronic disease state is often found to be inhabiting the body of the disease state in a repetitious sort of pattern that unfolds in a very similar way limiting their experience. The addictive junkie state of mind is very repetitious does the same thing over and over and over and over again and that pattern becomes a very limiting close sort of way of being in the world. so we're not going there. were not seeking out that repetitious mind, in fact we are wanting to as much as possible to move beyond the junkie mind into a more open place of living. In truth you can't re-create the immensity and potency of a falling in love situation, if you try to stay in that rapturous moments of hormonal bliss falling in love, if you do try to maintain this intensity of feeling? you're like someone listening to a piece of recorded music again and again and again. Yes we have the technology for addiction. Yes we can listen to the same recording over and over and over again, yet this is not the way that we follow. Don't be concerned about right or wrong. Don't get caught up in pure and impure. Just look for the patterns in your own body in your own mind in the seasons, in what ever is right in front of your face. In that way you're going to get a good understanding of herbal medicine. 

     It's important to know that very few people can look outside of themselves. For most people including myself I am rarely looking outside of my own box. Most of the times that I'm seeing problems in the world problems, problems and politics, problems with institutions or politics or global situations what I'm seeing is a part of myself and in that way the only way I can address it is by working on myself. If you're feeling extreme emotions of hate extreme emotions of indifference of sorrow of joy know that there's something positive in that seeing but don't look at it as something completely outside of yourself. It's important when we look at a medicine like oshá, to see that is the thing! we see the pattern of growth. we feel the taste upon our tongue. we smell it. we watch where it grows,in these aspen forests.

     when you see a forest of chard blackened  trees standing. When you see the tall ponderosa pine forest reduced to tall standing burn chard towers of of wood. When you are in an old recent fire, know that not only is this a place where there was a fire. Know that not only did these trees live a good life and are beautiful both in their lushness of green, and beautiful as pillars of charcoal standing in the blue sky. Good and bad, living and dead, green and burnt-black: know that these things are just concepts that fly through our minds like the sound of a crack! as the wind blows down a burnt-tree. When the tree hits the ground it doesn't matter if you were there to witness it or not, it doesn't matter whether you heard the crack! with the tree crashing down, or felt the breeze from the gust of wind high in the ponderosa pine tree tops. The important thing is to grasp the pattern of oshá, the burning forest lush growth of Springtime flowers like explosions of light in the blue sky with hummingbirds and bees. this is the pattern and know that this pattern is not just a pattern in this particular forest, on this particular mountain, on this particular day, the pattern that you see is your pattern. you're seeing the pattern of yourself in this moment.  the remedy, the los remedios that you need are right here in front of you, not far away, but right there. so listen feel taste touch because this is where the medicine is, and this is the path that we follow with oshá. as an example see yourself looking in a mirror. see your face and reflection in the mirror.  then remove yourself from the mirror and continue to look into the mirror.  see what is directly behind you in the reflection because this is where you are. You were looking at yourself. by removing yourself but knowing all the while that this pattern this flow of energy is you in the mirror without the image in the mirror.

     

So oshá is bear medicine, sash or bear, medicina del oso, medicine of the bear. Not only medicine of the bear, also Medicina del lobo, medicine of the wolf. In conversations with a rancher and plant person who lives and ranches near an area with wolves and the bear, she told me about the same action of the bear in meeting the plant in spring time pawing, digging the ground in spring, with the wolves who meet up with the oshá in spring. The wolves of the area in the same way as the bear, meet the plant in early spring, paw the ground around the plant , exposing the frsgrant potent roots and then rub and roll their bodies on the dug exposed roots, rolling and rubbing on the plant that they just dig up, captivated by its powerful, potent fragrance, raptured by its ability to awaken and arouse, the bear and wolf, oso y lobo, know the plant oshá.

The osha bear medicine is a powerful medicine for waking up, for coming awake,  for becoming renewed in the spirit of the springtime. There is a deep connection with Ligusticum porteri, bear and wolf, across all the plant/people/place interface of the sky islands and montane southwest where Ligusticum porteri lives as low as 6500 feet in Nuevo Mexico but in general from 8000-11,000 feet. Strictly a mountain plant. It is found near or within groves of aspen, conifers, ponderosa pine, fir and oak. 

    The definition of herbal medicine is change. Herbs bring change. Herbs as we take them into our bodies create change, create meaningful patterns that engender well-being in the bodies inherent move towards homeostasis. In this way A person who works with herbs for any amount of time sees that the herbs as they take into the body work in a cyclic way in the same way that change comes in many forms, we have linear change with the progression towards a goal and we have cyclic change that flips back-and-forth from one opposite to another. The cyclic change is the change of date tonight, of spring to winter, of hot to cold, of love to indifference. As we see the patterns of herbs as they move through the body the herbalist knows that the herbs will bring change in certain predicted ways in certain patterns of change this is how we know the herbs. 

Geographic range: L. porteri is distributed throughout the Rocky Mountain range, spanning Montana and Wyoming in the north, through Colorado, Nevada and Utah, to New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico Chihuahua and Sonora.

    Bear root is a perennial plant that greens out in the spring, grows its seed in the summer and then turns brown and dies back in the fall. And in this waking up in spring, maturing in the summer and sleeping in the fall and winter we have our own path we take of waking, of growing and sleeping,  this is the medicine, this is the lesson of oshá. It was considered part of  Umbelliferae family, now renamed as Apiaceae family, carrot/parsley family.   Known as the carrot/parsley family. The seeds and flowers have an umbellifer, as in our word umbrella look about them hanging down in clusters.  

     

The importance of the bear and the bear stories of Osu, osha, in Ligusticum porteri. One of the peoples who have lived with osha  in the Southwest are the Utes, and the Utes of stories of the bear which are important for understanding Ligusticum porteri. One of the stories of the Utes who live in southern Utah near Blanding, UT, is two brothers were out and about in the spring time hunting and gathering and they saw a bear in the standing upright and clawing, marking a the tree, making a loud scratching sound and digging around for roots. The bear talked to these two brothers and taught them how to dance, and sing the bear dance. The Bear asked the two brothers to go back to their people and teach them the bear dance. To do the bear dance in the springtime when lightning and thunder renew the earth once again after a long winter. When the energy of sleep awakens symbolized by late winter storms with snow, rain and lightning, this is the time the root energy is activated and moves from below to the surface, new life of spring emerging.  The bear taught how to gather together with others and celebrate the energy of the spring the new life that comes the greening of the plants. Up to the present day the Ute people have kept this connection with the spring bear dance at Sleeping Ute Mountain. It said that the dance is held in March when the first thunder and lightning signal the awakening of the mountains of spring. The dance opens with the rubbing of a notched stick making a sound that is said to be this the sound of the bear scratching on the tree in the spring time. Dancing movement is a way of connecting to the flow of the energy of the earth, of the lightning in the spring time,  and mobilizing connecting this event in a personal way with the group. In the bear dance the cat man makes sure that any woman's request to dance is honored, the bear dance is a woman's choice and when the woman will ask a man to dance,  that request can't be turned down. In the traditions of the Southwest there are stories of the bear woman that she-bear and this has been carried on into the present time. The woman who marries a bear, and gives birth to the bear children. There's a strong female presence in bear and in the renewal of spring, and there is an honoring of this female prerogative in the place, and in the fertility of the place, that happens in the spring time.        

    In the folk tradition osha is considered a plant protection and this is also mentioned in an old ethnographic study on the Pirates In "Southern Paiute Shamanism" by Isabel T. Kelly published in 1939, she mentions Ligusticum called, paxu'rani was applied for snake bite and the roots rubbed on moccasins and carried as a talisman to avoid snakebite and for protection. It is a tonic not only for the body, but also has uses for the psyche: the heart and mind. 

    Of course you do not need to look in books to find powerful plant energetics of oshá .

All you need to do is to taste the plant, listen to the song and smell the power that is in the plant. This is the same power that is in us and all living things. We see the plant rising up in the spring sending it's energy upward from the roots. Then in autumn the same energy returns to the roots. And in this lesson is our own balance and restoring quality that we seek, that we use, that we understand and relate to in this plant medicine. all of the great plant medicines Mike redroot have the same story, the same song, the same action of rising in the spring. Then the energy in the fall returns to the roots. This is how we harvest are plant medicines. We follow them and let them guide us through their changes. Herbal medicine is the practice of change bringing change into our own bodies with these plants. Herbal medicine is change. And this is how we relate to the plants on our own journey through our own lives. 

      The Navajo also dwell in the area of Ligusticum porteri. They have stories that can only be told when the bear is sleeping and they determine that time from the lightning in the fall during winter and then when energy from zig-zag lightening returns, the lightning in the spring this is the time when the healing generative energy of the earth returns. 

   

Now I as I look osha  with only a few green leaves remaining. I make sure that I scatter and plant the seeds around osha covering them with soil. There is a chill of coldness in the air, most of the aspen leaves have turned from green to yellow and fallen and those that remain are yellow, thin and remind us of change, cycles and patterns. With the clouds running across the sky and another full moon it has the feeling of energy going back to the roots. This is the time to gather osha up on these high laying down mountain plateaus.

I am reminded of the bear with osha the long nights of winter. 

    Plants of Protection: Like yerba Santa, Eriodictyon angustifolium, osha is a plant of protection. As I mentioned earlier it is used both for an actual rattlesnake bite and also rubbed on the body on the soles of the feet, moccasins and or tied on the shoes to ward off rattlesnakes when traveling through areas where one is likely to meet a rattlesnake. Question may be why would one need protection? And why protection from a plant? How can a plant protect me? Protect me from what? This is an important question because as we approach herbs and plants from a bioregional herbal perspective it becomes clear that not only do herbs nourish, not only do herbs have medicinal qualities for specific conditions, herbs also are teachers and friends who help us connect to our deepest needs. Not only do herbs nourish in the sense of nourishing the body, of addressing imbalances, deficiencies and usefulness in a disease state, herbs & herbal medicine and or preparations also enter into the spirit in the greater health of a person, the soul. In the sense of plants, as I explored earlier, plant/medicine and medicine plants: there is also the aspect of nourishing the greater body nourishing the mind, the heart, the spirit in a bioregional sense. As we live and take roots in a place it becomes important to visit the same place time and time and time again when gathering plants during all times of the year. To not only see the plants in it's dried or prepared form but to see the living plant in all its phases. In this sense one is completing oneself within the bioregion by taking notice of the plant, not only taking notice of the medicinal properties or energetics of the plant but also taking notice of the plant itself and what it can give. Taking notice of our own body and mind and how it changes when we visit a place in the spring time, as opposed to visiting the same place in the fall or winter. Listening to the plant itself and spending time with the plant develops the aesthetic sense of communication with the plant., and helps to acknowledge the connection to the natural world. Realizing that when we are in this natural world our thoughts and emotions and feelings change. My teacher Michael Cottingham, often says, but the definition of herbal medicine and herbalism is change, herbs are substances that we take into her body to produce change. Illness disease and states of sickness are those times when we need to take the herbs into our body to produce the change, to unblock the flow of energy so that the basic wisdom of the body, of homeostasis is renewed maintained and nourished. A lot of this information and knowledge has less to do with reading or studying and more to do with just spending time with the plants where they grow. Because as human beings we are intimately connected with the plant both in the present moment now and throughout our history. 

      A crucial and important part of herbal study is the actual tasting of plants, this is called the organoleptic approach so that we engage our senses touch taste smell with the plant to develop a sense of the energetics of the plant in the human body. So as herbalists we spend time looking, seeing, touching the plant and tasting the plant in various locations to find out the medicinal properties of the plant. One particular plant can vary greatly in its medicinal qualities through different seasons of the year. One specific plant can vary greatly in its energetic and medicinal qualities with regard to where it's growing, what type of year it's been in terms of wetness and warmth. Based on this hands on one organoleptic approach to plant medicine we begin to understand that specific plants can be vastly different depending on where they're growing and what time of the year we encounter them. 

   Within this folk tradition, because of this, we have plants that have developed a reputation within the historical context of bioregional  herbalism of nourishing  and protecting the spirit.

Oso,  la Medicina del osa, medicine of the bear, Ligusticum porteri is one of these plants. Sometime the plant due to its scent and physical nature, or due to the power of smell can remind us instantly and immediately of a greater whole, a  greater reality. Can awakening us a sense of a larger context in which we are acting. Especially if we have sought the plants out ourselves,  in their own environments, spending time with them in the spring, summer, winter and autumn. They can be reminders. They can remind us that we have power and resilience to overcome the current situation and this can be a strength.  This can be the plants role as a talisman, a charm to ward off evil. Evil whether  rattlesnakes or sorcery which may or may not of been used against us. And here let's remember that sorcery and witchcraft has to do with peoples view of us, their intentions for us versus our own need to develop and grow. Sorcery is an attempt to place a concept of self upon us that does not correlate with our inner nature and current situation. Often times a self concept can be an implanted thought.  That places us in a limitation which is no longer valid. When we are in a time of stress or turmoil or crisis, the plant can function to remind us of our resilience in the face of crisis by placing us in a larger context. This contextual shift is part of the work of plants. Much of our anxiety stress and issues have to do with the purely human realm, and although we spend much of our time in this place, the numinous depths of our being go much deeper than that. The healing energy of the plants can summon a reminder that we are bigger than the situation we face.

     Plant energetics: our organoleptic journey with the plants is to engage the plants with our senses. We touch the plant and journey to the place where the plant is growing . we examine the forest and the cool moistness.  We allow our tongue to wrap around the roots and use our nose to smell the strong aromatics. 

   Oshá is strongly stimulating and uplifting with its potent aromatic compounds. It's potency in many ways resides in the throat and in the lungs. It could easily be called a lung medicine because when we take in the plant oshá  we feel it's power in our respiratory system. Oshá opens up the deepest areas of the long at the area of gas exchange in the alveoli. It's potent nature naturally seeks the lungs. as the potent medicine reaches the lungs it moves out from the lungs in the sense of upward and out. So the motion of oshá  is to move upward and out, to seek forward and open up as it moves and exits. oshá is expanding. 

    Oshá  also asks to remove the fluid from lungs, the mucus the moist wet congestion that inhabits this moist place that we call the lung. so you may feel yourself coughing up phlegm and mucus and wanted to spit it on the ground. If your lungs are congested you'll find yourself coughing with the moist waste. A wet cough and coughing up the phlegm and as you're coughing up the phlegm you will taste the licorice warmth and taste of oshá  in the phlegm in the mucus, that you're spitting up.

    Osha is warm- warming it is heating. it is expansive, expansive moving upward and outward. it produces sweating in the body. you will feel your body heating up, warming up, and you will specially feel this heat in the throat in the lungs. so taking the oshá  into a body at the earliest date of feeling sick can bring the change necessary to allow the body to heal itself back from a disease state. oshá works best for those disease states that are infectious that go from person to person usually starting into the throat. at the first sign of a scratchy throat with congestion building in the throat you want to bring osha into the equation. Once the infectious state reaches the throat it has a tendency then to descend into the moist lungs and inhabit the lungs,  continuing this disease state which can escalate into something with the cough, a moist wet cough sore throat. It is at this point that oshá  brings its medicine of change into the body because it's going to heat the body. it's going to expel the mucus, the energy is going to be warm heating rising and expelling. There's going to be sweating so the body will be removing, shooting out, from the core to the extremities this is the action of oshá. 

      Understanding Disease states and herbal healing: on a very basic level we have the inside and the outside. Life occurs within a protected space. In plants and animals we have the cell membrane or the cell wall this is the outer layer of inside and outside. The organism is continually answering the question what is inside what is outside? What is me what is not me? What is self? vs what is other? In acute situations we have sudden onset.  The skin, is a very large organ set up to determine the boundaries of self versus other. The skin is selectively porous allowing certain things to enter the body and certain things to leave the body in a sense it seals or covers the body and determines in many ways what is inside and what is outside. Breaks in the skin are problematic in that things from the outside can enter the body so that something like a cut or wound can allow an entranceway into the body. Immediately after the body detects, is aware that it's skin has been broken or compromised, begins the process of redoing the cover healing the wound and blocking the entrance way of other into self. The body mobilizes the reconstruction of skin, the re-creation of the pattern of the epidermis to cover the outside and restore the boundary between self and other this is the regrowth of skin after a puncture or wound injury. 

    The concept of a bounded whole is important to grasp because it in many ways captures the nature of dynamic interface between self and other which is continually occurring at the level of the skin which is the cover of the body. There is a vital intelligence at this level of choice and determination of self and other at the boundary of the body. 

     With the skin understood as that boundary between self and other in the human body, we also have openings in the skin which can be problematic for the entrance of disease states. The eyes, the ears, the nose, mouth, the genitals, and the anus. Because the mouth and nose function both in the sense of breathing and also eating we have a dynamic interface which could become the entranceway for disease in the mouth and nose. Day and night continually throughout the day throughout our period of being alive we are always breathing normally from 12 to 20 breaths per minute we are opening our mouth, taking in the outside air. we are breathing through our nose and mouth and taking the outside into the inside. Likewise with food we normally each and every day that we are alive eat. We place food into our mouth. we chew it. it's mixed with saliva. it is swallowed it passes the throat into the esophagus, the stomach, through the large and small intestines and then is removed. So the mouth is continuously involved in and necessary exchange yet also in someways a dangerous exchange between the inside and outside of the human body. We have to breathe. we have to eat yet in the movement of air and food and water through our nose and mouth as we eat and breath, and nourish there is the possibility of problems in the nose and throat with regard to outside entities entering and compromising the boundary between self and other.

     Each person due to their unique situation has inherited a kind of tendency towards disease, a pattern of illness in connection with the body systems. In certain persons there's a pattern of disease that can occur with the entranceway being the throat the nose and the mouth. This can manifest with sinus congestion, a blockage in the nose, ears, throat. It can also manifest with this type of person in the throat where the throat becomes inflamed & swollen, the glands of the throat, the lymph system become stuck in that area. And if the disease process is not interrupted the issue of compromised throat, can just descend into the lungs. The lungs as we understand them are very moist, wet and warm. They can become easily the breeding grounds of all types of illness if there is not adequate movement in the lungs, if there is stagnation in the lungs, if the circulation of energy does not continually move there can be issues in the lungs. this situation often manifests with the accumulation of fluid, of mucus of waste products and the body attempting to rid itself of the foreign bodies produces more mucus and attempting to expel the music mucus you have a cough. attempting to expel The mucus and clear the air ways there can arise a cough which itself can irritate the throat which itself can produce further irritation and further problems if the body is unable to circulate the energy in the lungs to expel the waste products that are building up there.

      Oshá is the perfect medicine for the person who has a pattern of illness with regard to the throat sinus nose and ears. Oshá  can be that change that prevents the body from moving the energy downward into the lungs. Oshá  can be that agent of change which enables the body to resist illness, fight off the tendency for the throat to be that entrance way into things like influenza, lung  congestion, stagnant blocked lung energy, pneumonia, pleurisy and be the agent of change to bring the body towards that equilibrium of homeostasis. The body in equilibrium and wellness has a flow of energy which is movement. The body in sickness is blocked and the nature of the body is often in that same paradigm of self and other so the body attempts to block off the illness which can further bring stagnation and more blockage more issues. 

     Oshá is that outside agent that we call herbalism. The oshá  is the change the body needs in this condition of blocked energy. When the energy becomes blocked, and locked in the throat with soreness with inflamation, with redness, tenderness and pain, oshá  can be that agent of change. Remember that the definition of herbs of herbal medicine is change, herbs are agents of change that we use consciously, that we select and use to bring into the body, to lead the body away from the disease state into health. 

     In terms of sickness and health, and disease states we have or inherited tendency towards disease which we inherited from our mother, our father, grandparents, our great parents and even further in terms of our racial, cultural, national trans-personal history. Because this portion of our being is inherited it's not something that we can move away from deny or even affirm. it's just something that's there that's in the background that we have to deal with. these inherited patterns of illness and disease are where you are going to break down in terms of living in terms of time, through time. There is a way of looking at the world which is intensely hopeful and positive in terms of never growing old, of never dying, of never breaking down and in fact this is a delusional state because as human beings we can look around and you know that each person that is alive will die. no one anywhere at anytime  has maintained health throughout their life or else they would still be living. We all will break down and as herbalists it's important to see the pattern of where this breakdown will occur based on the inherited factor, the environmental factor, and takesteps to  minimize illness, maximize function, vitality and health. 

    By continuing with the concept of an inside and outside and maintaining the integrity of the bounded whole, we have the concept of nonself invading the body in such a way as to cause discomfort illness and disease. As human beings we of course have developed the sense and perception of self versus non-self, and self awareness as part of our being in the world. We don't function in an undifferentiated state. we function best when we are aware of our boundaries, when we are aware of our limitations, and when we are aware of the self and nonself, of ourselves in the environment. Before I was talking about the idea of the mouth nose throat ears as being a possibility for the entranceway of disease states into the body because of our breathing eating and drinking which occurs continuously as part of our process of living. So to go back again to the pattern of illness that occurs in the throat, the idea of a scratchy sore inflamed throat and that movement of illness and inflamation and blocked stuck condition into the lungs, in the allopathic medical model of illness we may want to examine throat in terms of a throat culture for bacteria. When we look at the throat we see that the throat is both a passageway for air in terms of respiration and breathing, and also a pathway for food nourishment and water to enter the body. So in terms of a inflamed sore scratchy throat we have to ask what is it that occurred that allowed the situation of homeostasis fluidity motion and exchange to break down into an illness pathological state? In the sense of a bounded whole with fluid porous  boundaries that  allow the healthful movement, exchange of both waste products and nourishing products across the barrier, we have to ask what is it that occurred that caused the inflammation, the blockage, the scratchiness, the irritation?

    One of the most important elements of health is to feel safe. As human beings we continually seek feedback from the social environment. We are seeking affirmation. We are also alert to negation. Just as our bodies are in a feedback loop which leads to action. So that when we are thirsty we seek out fluids and seek out water. When we feel hunger we want to seek nourishment. our body is saying eat. when we breathe we are seeking air. when we're running and moving we breathe deeply to satisfy our need for air. we can't hold our breath. We have to be in flow. we are in the process of exchange, things coming and going in and out of the bounded whole. When we are tired and sleepy we lay down to sleep, we rest our body. Our body is continually in this feedback loop where things arise and we meet their needs we take action, skillful appropriate action based on that feedback loop of listening and then acting on that information. 

     As social beings we are no different. We don't exit that feedback loop just because other people are involved. We are social beings so we are involved in a very involved dance of feedback, contact, of gestures of body language which enter upon us. We actively seek out approval, positive regard, and affirmation from the environment around us which not only is the physical environment but is the social environment. So what happens when we as a person receive negative feedback from the social environments.? And it doesn't matter if that is an intentional communication directed towards us. it is the element of perception. The question is not so much what is the environment  saying, what is the social environment saying? it's more about what are we hearing? What are we perceiving? What is the social milieu saying to us based on our perception? 

     When we have an injury to our skin, that breaks the protective layer of the skin, as in a wound or abrasion it's very easy to get a reality based evidence-based feedback from others of what is occurring. We have the broken skin. we have the bleeding. we have a wound that others can see. We also may have pain. Ouch. Something hurts. Something is wrong. "Oh look I injured my skin I have an open wound." and not only from ourselves do we get this feedback loop we can refer to others. We can say to someone look I scraped my elbow. And they can offer, "yeah I see it's red. why don't  you put a Band-Aid on it? cover it up." We get confirmation from our own perceptions and from others that something has occurred. we can agree and recognize what it is and therefore we know that the body is addressing the wound. we ourselves can do something to address the wound, we can maybe wash it in water, place a Band-Aid on it, put some sort of healing salve on it. We not only can have injuries to our skin, to our bodies in the sense of the boundary has been broken, we can have also injuries to our psyche. As human beings we have a need for feedback in that feedback loop we need to receive messages of positive regard of affirmation. This perception that everything is well is the positive feedback that we need that says we are OK we can make it, we can continue our journey. The idea of a psyche-wound, of a psychic injury to our intangible body is the concept of spiritual attack. 

    All around us there are people who are well-nourished in the physical sense, their bodies are fed. the air they breathe is clean,  they drink clean water -all these physical needs are being met. Yet there is a sense of malaise, there is a sense that something is not right that they have been set back. The protective layer between us as persons, the sense of belonging, that feedback loop has been compromised and it is in this position that we enter into elements like stress or degradation of the living experience so that the person does not florish but retreats. In the history of our interaction with plants that we call herbalism we have plants that have a reputation for restoring not only the body but restoring the protective layer of the communal self, with restoring the spirit. Several of these plants within our tradition have a deep connection with the lungs. A deep connection with breathing, with the intaking and out taking of air. I because our relationship with the breath is something that is a continuous movement in and out and in a sense is what unites us with the world around us in the sense of vision or hearing it's almost like a sense breathing is, breathing is a continual activity. it's a bridge between the inside and the outside and this activity is connected with the lungs. Oshá is one of those plants that is a talisman, that is a powerful herb of protection and also a powerful lung medicine. People come to oshá  when a serious situation is occurring, things like snakebite or insect bite, spiritual attack, pneumonia bronchitis, influenza. There is nothing more frightening than a serious bout with pneumonia, where you are drowning in your own fluids, where you feel yourself suffocating with mucus and into this picture is our plant ally oshá. The appearance of Ligusticum porteri  is like the delicate lobes of the lung. the flowers with their umbrella like appearance resemble the lungs and it's fragrance, the aromatics of oshá is confident reassuring, uplifting and strengthening. It is this history of spiritual protection and the ability of oshá  to work in the lungs, in the breathing, in difficult conditions that have made it such a powerful plants Ally. 

     

When you approach oshá it is like going to an altar, it is like approaching the lover or friend and it is an experience which deepens your commitment to the herbal healing wellness and strength journey. We come to oshá when all else fails when everything is dark and oshá  is the light, is the dream, and it is the power that we need to move our steps to this next place for healing to occur.