World Park – New Innovative Technology for Abundant Sustainable Cultivation of Osha, and Zoopharmacognosy and Biomimicry where Black Bears Ursus americanus are using Osha Ligusticum porteri for medicine with beneficial cultural and biological consequences

A new discovery for Osha cultivation is now taking pressure off of wild populations and greatly reduces the need for sustainable harvest in the wild. Legends of Native Americans tell how bears originally taught humans how to use Osha for medicine in the Rocky Mountains. This presentation explores sympatric Native American stories about interactions among Osha Ligusticum porteri and Black Bears Ursus americanus. Results clearly confirm a biological basis to these legends. Data collected and analyzed from films of captive bears are compared with wild bear observations in camera traps. Stories of these biologically beneficial plant-animal interactions are now deeply embedded within Native American traditions as innovative technologies for helping maintain Osha and Bears within their natural ecosystems in a healthy condition.