ginseng
Non-timber forest products
Fact sheet no. 7
Produced by the Special Forest Products Program at Virginia Tech in collaboration with:
USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, SRS-4702, Blacksburg, Virginia;
Top of the Ozarks Resource Conservation & Development, Inc., Houston, Missouri; &
Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.
Ginseng
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) grows wild in the eastern half of North America.
This perennial herb inhabits hardwood forests on well-drained, north-and east- facing slopes in predominantly porous, humus-rich soils. Ginseng also grows on southwest-facing slopes, in soil where sand or clay is characteristic, and in forests with conifers and softwoods.
Woods-grown ginseng is an alternative to wild exploitation. It is an intensive culture of field-cultivated ginseng. Wild-grown ginseng is an expensive venture, requiring valuable land, high-cost artificial shade and costly maintenance for four or five years before a harvest. Is there an alternative to commercial collection of wild ginseng that will help conserve the species in its natural habitat while providing an income for the
ginseng grower with a modest investment?
Wild and cultivated ginseng produce an
annual crop in the United States and
Canada valued in excess of $25 million. The price of wild root is about three times that of cultivated root. Because ginseng root is valuable, many overzealous collectors dig all plants from wild populations. They often fail to reseed, and as a consequence, there is serious concern about the survival of
American ginseng in the forest ecosystem.
Some diggers consider wild ginseng free to exploit, but such collecting is a criminal act in many states unless one owns the land or has permission to dig.
1
Woods-grown refers to the use of natural forest canopy for
Fact sheet no. 7
Produced by the Special Forest Products Program at Virginia Tech in collaboration with:
USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, SRS-4702, Blacksburg, Virginia;
Top of the Ozarks Resource Conservation & Development, Inc., Houston, Missouri; &
Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.
Ginseng
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) grows wild in the eastern half of North America.
This perennial herb inhabits hardwood forests on well-drained, north-and east- facing slopes in predominantly porous, humus-rich soils. Ginseng also grows on southwest-facing slopes, in soil where sand or clay is characteristic, and in forests with conifers and softwoods.
Woods-grown ginseng is an alternative to wild exploitation. It is an intensive culture of field-cultivated ginseng. Wild-grown ginseng is an expensive venture, requiring valuable land, high-cost artificial shade and costly maintenance for four or five years before a harvest. Is there an alternative to commercial collection of wild ginseng that will help conserve the species in its natural habitat while providing an income for the
ginseng grower with a modest investment?
Wild and cultivated ginseng produce an
annual crop in the United States and
Canada valued in excess of $25 million. The price of wild root is about three times that of cultivated root. Because ginseng root is valuable, many overzealous collectors dig all plants from wild populations. They often fail to reseed, and as a consequence, there is serious concern about the survival of
American ginseng in the forest ecosystem.
Some diggers consider wild ginseng free to exploit, but such collecting is a criminal act in many states unless one owns the land or has permission to dig.
1
Woods-grown refers to the use of natural forest canopy for
References: Beyfuss, Robert L. 1998. American Ginseng Production in New York State Beyfuss, Robert L. 1999. Economics and Marketing of Ginseng Hankins, Andy. 1999. Producing and Marketing Wild Simulated Ginseng in