[Objective] The tensile and shear resistance characteristics of the riparian alpine meadow rooted soil and the influencing factors along the riverbanks of the Yellow River source area were analyzed to provide data support for research on riverbank protection and the mechanical mechanisms of riverbank failure in the source area. [Methods] Taking the meandering river Lanmucuoqu in Henan County, Qinghai Province, as the study area and the rooted soil of alpine meadows with varying degrees of degradation along riverbanks as the research object. The effects of water content, root content, root system composition, and the number of freeze-thaw cycles on the tensile and shear strength of root-bearing soil were analyzed. The relationship between the tensile and shear strengths of the root-bearing soil was also explored. [Results] The tensile and shear strengths of the rooted soil gradually decreased as the water content increased from 30% to 55%, and the shear strength was approximately five times than that of the tensile strength. The addition of plant roots effectively improved the tensile and shear strength of the soil. As the root content increased from 0% to 0.25%, the tensile and shear strengths increased by 45% and 107%, reaching maximum values of 4.38 and 19.98 kPa, respectively, when the proportion of gramineous plants was 100%. After multiple freeze-thaw cycles, the fitting curve of the root-bearing soil showed a bimodal pattern, with the original network structure of the soil first being destroyed and then reaching a new equilibrium as the number of freeze-thaw cycles increased. A linear correlation was observed between the tensile and shear strengths of root-bearing soil. [Conclusion] The degradation of alpine meadows in the Yellow River source area has led to significant changes in root quantity and root system morphology, resulting in a gradual decrease in the tensile and shear strengths of the rooted soil. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize overgrazing and human interference to protect the native alpine meadow vegetation along riverbanks and maintain the stability of riverbanks in the source area.