Determining the Commercialization Potential for Osha (Ligusticum porten)

The proposed research will entail efforts to cultivate Osha (Ligusticum porteri), a popular native medicinal herb, for the purpose of developing a new commercial crop for Wyoming growers. Presently the only source for this plant are wild populations found at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana. Due to high demand for the mature root, the portion of the plant used for medicinal purposes, the species is being over-harvested. Cultivation of Ligusticum porteri is the key to averting future supply problems and sustaining the quantity of the commodity currently sold in an international market. The proposed work will focus on seed germination and propagation techniques. A battery of experiments will test and compare rates of seedling emergence under a variety of conditions emulating natural environmental states. Percentage of germination and seedling emergence of seed heads, single seeds and root cuttings will be studied and compared. The second part of the work will consists of a survey of Osha suppliers to ascertain the volume of root traded on the market. It is anticipated that the resulting numbers will provide incentive for Wyoming growers to raise Osha as a viable economic crop.