How to Identify a Wild Ginseng Plant

Ginseng is used in teas and herbal remedies.

Ginseng is a plant that is known for its healing properties. It is an ingredient in many herbal remedies and in herbal teas and foods. Wild ginseng can be hard to find today, because it was widely harvested and much of what is now produced is manufactured and not grown in the wild. It is also easy to confuse ginseng with another plant, spikenard, which is used to be used to make root beer.

Instructions

1. Look at the stem of the plant. If it is wild ginseng, all of the leaves will grow from the same point on the stem.

2. Check the number of leaves. You should see two small leaflets on the bottom and three small leaflets on the top, although all five will originate from the same point on the stem.

3. Examine the bottom and edges of the leaves. Ginseng leaves have a bottom that is rounded, edges that are serrated, and a pointed tip.

4. See if there are any flowers growing from a stem above the base of the leaves. Greenish-white flowers indicate ginseng, although they will only be present before the plant produces fruit.

5. Look for berries. If the Ginseng plant is mature, it will produce small berries that are bright red. They will be attached to the flower stem.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: Identify Wild Ginseng