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Ginseng: Ohio's Green Gold
Article and photos © 2004 ODNR, Division
of Wildlife. Used by permission
| A new type of forest product is becoming
popular in Ohio. Ginseng, known as Ohio's green gold,
is an herb cultivated for its aromatic root that is highly prized
worldwide. The ginseng plant is native to Ohio's woodlands and
grows primarily in the southeastern, Appalachian region of the
state. Ohioans hunt for and dig the root, a practice called sanging' by
participants, and then sell it mainly to the Chinese market.
Dry wild root is worth up to $400 per pound to Asian buyers. About
3,200 pounds of dried ginseng root is harvested from the state
each year, making Ohio a top exporter in the United States. |
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There is a regulated ginseng harvesting season, from September 1st
to December 31st, which was established by the ODNR Division of Wildlife
in order to protect this high-priced resource. (See
overview of ginseng regulations). Because of its value, poachers do
target ginseng on public and private land, but law enforcement officials
are keeping a watchful eye to prevent illegal harvesting activities.
Ginseng Trade History
| Ginseng is one of the world's most
well-known herbs and its use in the Far East dates back thousands
of years. The word ginseng is derived from the Chinese name for
the plant, jen-shen, which means man-essence, describing
a resemblance of man in the plant's root. In China, ginseng is
used to cure a variety of ailments, including gastro-intestinal
disorders, pulmonary problems, and old age, and is thought to
heighten vitality and reduce fatigue. Most ginseng is added to
teas but the root can also be chewed in small pieces. |
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American ginseng (pictured
above), Panax quinquefolius, was used by the Native Americans
to treat coughs and headaches. The first European to identify ginseng,
Father
Lafitau of France, discovered the herb near Montreal in 1716 and
sent it to a colleague in China who recognized it as a close relative
to
the oriental ginseng plant. The Chinese valued the American ginseng
and paid for it in silver and gold. This exchange was the beginning
of a lucrative trade in American ginseng.
Life History
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American ginseng grows in shady woodlands with rich
soils. It is native to Ohio and is found predominately in the Appalachian
region of the state. Its range outside of Ohio includes the eastern
half of the United States, from Quebec to Minnesota and south to
Georgia and Oklahoma. Ginseng is a slow-growing plant whose typical
height is 8 to 15 inches. Ginseng leaves resemble many other plants,
for example Virginia creeper, making it difficult to identify by
passers-by. In its first year, ginseng will have one, small, stemless
leaf of three leaflets. By its second year, it grows additional
leaflets off of a central stem. Each stem is known as a prong.
Every year, it adds more leaves and leaflets. Age of a plant is
most easily determined by counting stem scars on the rhizome (underground
stem). When the plant is in its 5th to 8th years, it produces berries
and has three prongs. These are signs that the root is large enough
to be marketable. |
The shape of a ginseng root influences its marketability.
A root that resembles a person is fairly rare and worth a lot of money.
The most
marketable of normal roots are old, variously shaped and forked, moderate
in size, stubby but tapering, off-white, light in weight but firm when
dried, and have numerous, closely formed rings of wrinkles.
Ginseng Law
In order to protect American ginseng from being overharvested,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided that every state, within
ginseng's natural range, must create a ginseng management program.
In Ohio, that program was created and is carried out by the Ohio Department
of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Wild and cultivated
ginseng in Ohio must be certified by the Division of Wildlife before
it can
be exported from Ohio. A season on ginseng harvesting, commonly called
digging, is established and enforced similar to a game animal hunting
season and runs from September 1 to December 31.
Article and photos © 2004 ODNR,
Division of Wildlife. Used by permission.
Visit the Ohio Dept of Natural Resources, Division of
Wildlife
View Ohio Ginseng
Regulations
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