Ginseng , the legendary pick-me-up, needs a boost of its own.
American ginseng is disappearing in many forests, and programs protecting it are inadequate, a new report says.
In the 34 states where the herb grows wild, it is most troubled in seven, including Virginia, the report says.
"Demand is heavy, the harvest is heavy and habitat is increasingly threatened by logging, mining and residential sprawl," said Christopher S. Robbins, the report's author.
"You look at all those factors and they suggest something needs to be done. The species is probably worse off today than it ever has been."
The report was prepared by the World Wildlife Fund and the World Conservation Union, two conservation groups. It was released last week.
Virginians who know ginseng agree it is declining in the wild. But they say the extent of that decline is tough to judge.
"It's getting harder to find because it's been searched so severely," said Doug V. Peregoy, an Orange County man who has hunted ginseng but now grows the valuable herb in a secret spot in a remote woods.
"Finding wild ginseng now is getting very difficult. A man would have go to the Blue Ridge Mountains and be prepared to walk miles and miles."
American ginseng , also known as 'sang and green gold, grows in the eastern half of the United States and in Canada. The nondescript plant, about 20 inches tall, has three-to-five leaves per stem and produces bright red berries in late summer.
Ginseng roots taste vaguely like licorice. They are highly valued in East Asia, where they have long been reputed to increase awareness, stave off aging, fight cancer, heighten sexual desire and perform numerous other services. Little scientific evidence supports most of the claims. "Personally I found no great value to it, but maybe I haven't tried it frequently enough," said Peregoy.
Ginseng is growing increasingly popular in this country. It is the top seller among new users of herbal remedies, the report said.. It ranks third in sales of herbs in U.S. health-food stores, behind Echinacea and garlic, the report said.
The federal and state governments regulate ginseng harvests. Dealers pay diggers about $250 to $300 a pound. One root can be worth $40 to $60.
Ginseng can be cultivated, but the wild roots command more money because legend has it they are more potent. Buyers can tell the difference because the ideal wild root - a trunk with four appendages - strangely resembles a little man. A cultivated root looks more like a carrot.
Chris Ludwig, a botanist with Virginia's natural heritage program, said ginseng is apparently hurt by harvesting, the destruction of its forest habitat and competition by alien plants such as garlic mustard.
"A combination of things have caused it to decline, but it's difficult to estimate just how much that decline is."
Under Virginia law, ginseng is listed as threatened. About 10,000 to 13,000 pounds of ginseng are legally harvested in Virginia each year, although the number dropped to 6,742 in 1997. Most of that is shipped to the Orient.
John R. Tate, endangered species coordinator for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said he suspects ginseng is declining in the wild, but is increasingly being grown for harvest.
Tate doesn't think the plant is headed for extinction in Virginia. "Eventually, if it gets too rare, it won't be worth it to dig it."
Ginseng has a long history in this country, too. Indians used it. Pioneer Daniel Boone and 18th-century Virginia landowner William Byrd eagerly dug for it. Today, nearly 10,000 Virginians hunt for ginseng , coping with insects, snakes, poison ivy and confusing thickets. Most diggers prowl the mountains in the western part of the state.
Canada, once the leading exporter of American ginseng , now bans the digging of wild plants because they have become so rare, the new report said. An East Asian form of ginseng is nearly extinct in the willd.
In the U.S., the plant is most troubled in Delaware, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia, according to the report. The true severity of ginseng 's plight is unclear, because cash-strapped states don't have the resources to monitor it adequately, the report said.
Among the report's suggestions:
* Establish a fund, financed with donations from the sale of ginseng , to help cover the costs of monitoring and managing wild plants.
* Promote habitat conservation.
* Identify lands where ginseng grows so plants can be moved before that land is logged or developed.
MAGICAL ROOT?
What is ginseng ? A wild herb valued for its root.
Why is it valuable? It is by legend a panacea for cancer, sexual problems and aging.
What's it worth? One root can sell for up to $60.
What's the problem? The plant is growing increasingly rare from harvesting and the cutting of forests.
What can be done? A new report suggests establishing a fund to help states manage the plant.
- BY : Rex Springston Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
- SOURCE : Richmond Times-Dispatch1998.05.31
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