CARBONDALE -
After a few lean years, ginseng is making a comeback in Illinois.
After spiking in 1992 and falling precipitously the next two years, ginseng collections in the state have increased steadily since 1994. State foresters who certify the root for
sale say they expect the trend to continue when totals from the 1997 digging season come in next year. "I really do expect an increase based just on the weather and interest," said Dick Little, a state forester with the DNR.
Although federal law prohibits herbs from being marketed as medical treatment, ginseng supporters say it has many benefits. They tout it as a natural aid for reducing stress,
increasing endurance, improving sexual potency and fertility and boosting the immune system.
While Illinois' contribution to the international trade in ginseng is relatively small, it is growing. Last year alone, the plant earned farmers and freelance "diggers" $4.5 million,
said Glenn Campbell, a district forester for the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources.
Last year, Illinoisans combed the state's forests and came up with 5,288 pounds of the herb, which can take up to eight years to mature. Ginseng farms produced 1,231 pounds, the DNR
said.
The previous year, diggers turned in 5,261 pounds of ginseng while farmers cultivated just 40 pounds. In 1994, the DNR recorded 4,267 pounds of wild ginseng and 101 pounds of the
farm-grown variety.
Those figures are nothing compared with the 8,680 pounds collected in 1992, when prices spiked as high as $500 a pound, said state forester John Sester.
"We had people falling all over themselves," he said.
Today, the root sells for $200 to $270 a pound, said Dan Peters, president of the Illinois Ginseng Growers Association.
But diggers -- who must be licensed by the state -- earn that money with hard work.
It takes an average of 250 roots to equal one pound, according to the DNR, and it takes a trained eye to spot the plant's ffoliiage hiding in the forest. Diggers can walk for miles to
collect a single pound.
"You don't make a lot of money off ginseng ," said Campbell, who is one of eight state officials who certify ginseng for sale.
Despite the pitfalls, growers and diggers say they will stick with ginseng because of its longevity. Use of the root dates back to ancient Chinese cultures.
"People are becoming more aware of ginseng ," Peters said. "It had to have been a hell of a placebo to last for 5,000 years."
DNR says 3,521 people are licensed to dig, grow or sell ginseng in Illinois.
- BY : The Associated Press
- SOURCE : The State Journal-Register Springfield, IL1997.11.09
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