Since the early 1700s, people in much of eastern North America have foraged in the woods for wild ginseng root, highly prized as a cure-all in Asia and popular worldwide in herbal medicines, foods and tonics.
But a new study from the World Wildlife Fund finds that supplies of wild ginseng are dwindling in the United States - in some places even to the point of extinction.
In seven of the 34 states where ginseng occurs naturally, most of which do little to regulate its harvest or protect it, the valuable root is on the verge of disappearing. Nine states have placed ginseng on a "watch" list or designated it as a species of special concern. While overharvesting and even poaching are contributing threats, fund researcher Christopher Robbins said the main problem is loss of habitat, particularly in parts of Appalachia. Ginseng grows on the shady forest floor in mature stands of hardwood, which often are felled by loggers or for development.
Yet, Robbins said, " Ginseng is culturally and commercially one of the most valuable nontimber forest products on Earth." A pound of ginseng root - the name comes from the Chinese ren shen, or "shaped like a man" - can bring about $300. The main market is Hong Kong, where 89 percent of U.S. wild ginseng exports wind up and where they bring up to 10 times as much as Asian varieties.
The plant grows slowly, not reaching a harvest stage for more than seven years and often living upward of 60 years.
Kentucky produces almost a fourth of the nation's wild ginseng, followed by West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio and Virginia. Because wild ginseng harvesting amounts simply to poking around in the woods, its profit potential is drawing more and more people.
Regulation of ginseng picking at the state level is spotty.
Some have a definite ginseng season and require permits.
Chris Carl, who harvests wild ginseng in the woods near his home in Altura, Minn., said the state requires that seeds be replanted near where the root iiss harvested.
Other states have few rules, however. The Forest Service requires permits for diggers on its land, but little monitoring is done.
Then there are the poachers. The World Wildlife Fund study found that in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, park rangers seized 1,259 roots from poachers in 1996, a sharp increase from 734 seized in 1991.
The wildlife fund recommended several steps to conserve wild ginseng :
* Use license fees or donations from dealers to establish a trust fund to cover costs of managing the root and take a new look at the way federal and state governments oversee the system.
* Promote habitat conservation with landowners so ginseng could be relocated prior to logging or development.
* Boost efforts to detect illegal shipments and poaching.
- BY : Curt Anderson Associated Press
- SOURCE : Rocky Mountain News1998.05.31
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