2016 Mtns & Mesas with covers

page 28
Mountains & Mesas
When, many years ago, Kaplowitz (then a New
Yorker), learned of her penicillin allergy, she sought
to educate herself on the use of natural—and more
traditional—medicines. She came to know the benefits
of utilizing herbs such as mint and chamomile,
and an array of other plants native to the northeastern
United States. When she came to live in Huerfano
County in 1988, she learned about a whole other
group of beneficial plants while she was working
with the Wahatoya Herb Company. It was then she
came to know about the healing properties of osha.
The root of the osha plant is used for fighting bacterial
and viral infections; it helps to eliminate toxins
in the body through sweating, and makes a good
cough syrup. Osha is a plant of the mountains,
rarely growing below 9,000 feet. A member of the
parsley family, osha can easily be confused (by the
uninformed) with another wild-parsley: poison hemlock.
As its name implies, this is a dangerous plant.
Kaplowitz warns that unless one is with an experienced
herbalist, or has extensively studied how to
discern the differences between these two plants, one
should steer clear of harvesting osha. The policy of
“know before you go” is a good one to adopt before
choosing to collect any wild plant.
The plants mentioned are just a few of the native
edibles and medicinals that abound in Huerfano
County; others include chokecherry, wild plum, arnica,
lambs quarters, yucca, and sage. The list goes
on…and on.
Bolete mushrooms
are a feast!