How to Grow Ginseng
While the perennial herb ginseng is probably most famous as a Chinese remedy for stress, the Native American Indians first used it medicinally. The Seminoles rubbed the "Love Medicine" on their bodies and clothing in hopes of bringing back a divorced wife. It has been said ginseng will add a decade of years to a human life which explains why "digging sang" has been so profitable for generations of herbalists.
Instructions
-
-
1
Find a nice cool, shady spot, like a forest, for the seeds or use an outdoor greenhouse. Ginseng does not like full sunlight and needs about 80 percent shade to thrive. It does require good drainage.
-
2
Plant stratified seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep, 4 to 6 inches apart. Place throughout the woods from fall to mid-winter, cover with dirt, then add about 1 inch of mulch to keep in moisture and leave them through their first winter. The ginseng will sprout in spring at which time you can replant them into a more permanent position.
-
-
3
Exercise patience. If you plant ginseng seeds (or roots) every year for about six years, you'll have mature plants and a harvest every year. Ginseng grows in the wild about a foot tall and light green flowers appear in June and July. It ripens in the fall with red berries and each berry has two seeds. These seeds may be kept damp in sand for up to one year, then replanted or sold.
-
4
Harvest the plants in the fall, gathering after the berries or seeds have fallen away. The root is thick, fleshy and yellow/white, about three or four inches long, has an unusual odor and a slightly spice taste. It takes six to eight years for ginseng roots to grow large enough to harvest. Wash the whole root, but leave a bit of dirt around its root rings to increase its value since it's the root that's used for medicinal purposes and what gives the ginseng its commercial value.
-
5
Store cleaned ginseng roots on flat wood or a screen rack and dry in the shade, never directly in sunlight. Depending on the size of the root, drying should take between a couple of days to a month. Store the dried roots in a dry, rodent-free spot until ready to sell or use yourself as a tea, tonic, bath additive or nutritional supplement sprinkled onto foods.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
"Stratified" means the seeds have been through a cold treatment which can be as simple as mixing the seeds with moist sand in the fall and storing them over winter in your refrigerator until you can plant them in the spring. These days, some stores sell pre-stratified seeds which can be planted as soon as you receive them.
Consult a physician before using ginseng. Using for more than three months can cause sleep disturbances or anxiety.
If you are planning to produce ginseng commercially, be sure to obtain any necessary permits or licenses required in your state to grow and sell it.
