AHPA Awards Grant to Study Wild Osha

SILVER SPRING, M.D. The American Herbal Products Association Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals (AHPA-ERB Foundation) awarded $10,000 for its first grant to Kelly Kindscher, Ph.D. The scientist and professor at the University of Kansas Biological Survey and Environmental Studies Program received the grant to study wild populations of osha (Ligusticum porteri).

Kindscher will research the sustainability practices of osha harvesting in Colorado, and then recommend best practices. The goal is to protect the plant from overcollection and other threats.  Kindscher's expertise is in prairie plants, and he has authored two books more than 70 scholarly articles on the subject.

"Regardless of study findings, this plant deserves to be treated with respect and care for its place in the environment and in traditional cultures," said Steven Dentali, Ph.D., AHPA's chief science officer. "This study may provide greater knowledge of the impact of harvesting osha, which can inform and help determine if new harvest practices should be established."

The AHPA-ERB Foundation focuses on promoting education and research on herbs. In June 2011, the foundation reported American ginseng added $25 million to rural Eastern United States economies.