Ginseng dubbed the world's favorite "pick-me-up" may be in trouble, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
The plant, widely dug up for years in Tennessee and many other states for export to East Asia, is suffering from an increasing popularity in the United States.
"I don't think there's as much of it as there used to be," said Mack Prichard, naturalist for the state of Tennessee, one of the top areas where ginseng grows. "You're not supposed to dig it up until the berries are present. After that, you're required to plant the seeds. But it's difficult to monitor."
The plant is prized for its roots, reputed to be a cure-all for everything from indigestion to impotence. Today, ginseng is in a number of products, including a soft drink.
"Ginseng is culturally and commercially one of the most valuable non-timber forest products on earth," said Chris Robbins, of the wildlife fund.
It's now cultivated to meet market demands, but it's the wild ginseng that brings top dollar about $262 per pound in 1997, compared to $34 a pound for cultivated ginseng , said David Lincicome, stewardship ecologist for the state's Natural Heritage Program.
Ginseng collecting has been a way of life for some folks.
"There was no time in history when ginseng was more sought after than in the Depression, " said Don Shadow, an owner of Shadow Nursery in Winchester, Tenn.
"People went to the woods every day and dug it like it was a job. It didn't go extinct. They could only dig it when the seeds were ripe and they would plant the seeds."
The "old-timers" who are conscientious about planting the seeds still dig it correctly, he said, while others take it and run.
Prichard has a friend in Summertown who had a "wonderful patch" near a creek behind her home.
"I photographed it. The cats played in it. And, when my friend turned around it was gone. Who got it, we don't know."
In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it is illegal to dig up ginsseng . But tthree to 10 poachers are caught yearly, according to park spokesman Bob Miller.
"It's been protected in the Smokies since 1930s, but density and patches have not increased in the park."
If caught, a person poaching ginseng can be fined $1,000-$1,500.
- BY : Anne Paine. STAFF WRITER
- SOURCE : The Tennessean1998.06.13
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