How to Find Ginseng Root

Wild ginseng is sold for a higher price commercially than cultivated ginseng.

Ginseng root has been used for over 3,000 years in Asia as a panacea medicine. Because of the high demand for the root, wild ginseng has been harvested in North America since the early 1700s. During that time, a farmer who harvested and dried wild ginseng could expect to receive between $1 and $3 per pound, which was a considerable sum in that time period. In today's market, wild ginseng will fetch a considerably higher price than field-grown ginseng, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture. But to harvest wild ginseng, you must know where to look.

Instructions

1. Search for ginseng root in habitats where wild ginseng grows. Wild ginseng grows in shady forest floors where there are ample organic nutrients and calcium deposits. Wild ginseng is found in forests throughout the eastern United States.

2. Time your search for ginseng beginning in late spring and stretching through summer and into September. Ginseng roots send up stalks with clusters of five-toothed leaflets. Every spring these stalks produce flowers through the summer and pods of red seeds in the fall. The older the root, the more stalks it will send up. The leaves turn opalescent yellow in late September.

3. Smell the air for signs of ginseng. The plant's yellow-green flowers smell like lily of the valley.

4. Avoid areas that have oak growing in them. Ginseng grows well in areas seeded with poplar and sassafras, but do not grow near oak trees.

5. Watch for companion plants that grow well near ginseng, including similar-looking plants such as sarsaparilla and cohosh. Because these plants look similar to ginseng, they are sometimes called fool's seng or seng pointer.

6. Look uphill from immature ginseng plants. Immature plants will grow from seeds that roll downhill from a mature plant.

Tips & Warnings

• Check local laws before harvesting wild ginseng. In some states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania, wild ginseng has been harvested to such a degree that the state has made harvesting wild ginseng illegal. Others states, such as West Virginia, have a seasonal period for digging.

• Never harvest plants from a national forest area. Plants within the national forest are protected by law.

References

• The Library of Congress: American Ginseng and the Idea of the Commons
• Michigan's Department of Agrictulture: Ginseng
• Pennsylvania State University Extension: The unfolding story of Pennsylvania Ginseng
• University of Maryland Medical Center: American Ginseng

Resources

• West Virginia Divisoin of Forestry: Ginseng Digging Season
• West Virginia State University: Woods-Grown Ginseng