The Best Wild American Ginseng In The World
High Prices Paid For Quality Wild Mountain Ginseng
TNA Wild Ginseng Co.
Fongsylvania Wild Ginseng LLC
Owner & Founders Chon Lam & Fong Lam since 1995
Address: 2691 Rustic Lane Hellertown, PA 18055
Company Cell Phone (call or text): 484-747-5776
High Prices Paid For...
Wild Mountain Ginseng Pricing, call or text 484-747-5776 for pricing...
Below are the current prices for This Year:
All prices are subject to change without notice.
Wild Ginseng (dried)... $700.00 to $950.00 Per LB:
The age of ginseng root must be from 10 to 35 years old
The neck of the ginseng root must be from 1 to 3 inches or longer
Each pound of ginseng contains about 20-30% of bulby roots.
Root must be without any damage. With lateral roots attached & with the neck attached. And with deep rings on the body of root.
Picture below shows how the Ginseng roots should look like within this price category:
Wild Ginseng (dried)... $1,000.00 to $2,500.00 And Higher Per LB:
The age of ginseng root must be from 35 to 85 Years Old
The neck of the ginseng root must be from 2 to 3 inches or longer
Each pound of ginseng contains about 20-30% of Bulby roots.
The average weight of each ginseng root must be from 3 - 7 plus grams, and each pound of ginseng should contain about 100 to 150 roots
Root must be without any damage. With lateral roots attached & with the neck attached. And with deep rings on the body of root.
Picture below shows how the Ginseng roots should look like within this price category:
Wild Ginseng (green)... $200.00 to $350.00 Per LB:
Approximately four pounds of green roots will dry to one pound of dried roots.
The average age of ginseng root should be from around 10 to 30 Years Old
Root must be without any damage. With lateral roots attached & with the neck attached. And with deep rings on the body of root.
Note: DO NOT wash the green root, once washed they will go bad
Wild Ginseng (green)... $350.00 to $600.00 Per LB:
Approximately four pounds of green roots will dry to one pound of dried roots.
The average age of ginseng root should be from around 25 to 65 Years Old
Root must be without any damage. With lateral roots attached & with the neck attached. And with deep rings on the body of root.
Note: DO NOT wash the green root, once washed they will go bad
Wild Ginseng (green)... $600.00 to $1,200.00 Per LB:
Approximately four pounds of green roots will dry to one pound of dried roots.
The average age of ginseng root should be from around 55 to 85 Years Old
Root must be without any damage. With lateral roots attached & with the neck attached. And with deep rings on the body of root.
Note: DO NOT wash the green root, once washed they will go bad
Wild Ginseng Leaf (dried)100% green color...$50 to $75 Per LB
Woods-Grown Ginseng (dried)...$100 to $250 Per LB:
The age of ginseng root must be from 10 to 20 years old.
Must be without pesticide and herbicide.
Woods-Grown Ginseng (green)...$100 to $120 Per LB:
The age of ginseng root must be from 15 to 20 Years Old.
The neck of ginseng root must be from 2 to 2.5 inches or longer.
The average weight of each green ginseng root must be from 30 to 50 plus grams, and each pound of ginseng should contain about 10 to 15 roots.
Root must be without any damage. With lateral roots attached & with the neck attached.
Note: DO NOT wash the green root, once washed they will go bad.
Must be without pesticide and herbicide.
Ginseng Harvesting Time: September -October
Ginseng Purchasing Time For Green Roots: September 1st to December 6th.
Ginseng Purchasing Time For Dried Roots: September 15th to December 31st.
Ginseng Price History
Please Note: Below is the history of the average prices of ginseng across United States.
Prices for New York and Vermont ginseng are higher than the average.
Prices for mid-central and southern states are lower than the average.
1995 to 2000 the price of Wild Ginseng was $450-$650 per pound.
2001 the price of Wild Ginseng was $280-$430 per pound.
2002 to 2005 the price of Wild Ginseng was $500-$650 per pound.
2006 the price of Wild Ginseng was $500-$750 per pound.
2007 the price of Wild Ginseng was $900-$1100 per pound.
2008 the price of Wild Ginseng was $450-$600 per pound.
2009 to 2011 the price of Wild Ginseng was $500-$700 per pound.
2012 the price of Wild Ginseng was $700-$850 per pound.
2013 the price of Wild Ginseng was $850-$1200 per pound.
2014 the price of Wild Ginseng was $700-$900 per pound.
2015 the price of Wild Ginseng was $500-$700 per pound.
2016 the price of Wild Ginseng was $500-$650 per pound.
2017 the price of Wild Ginseng was $500-$800 per pound.
2018 the price of Wild Ginseng was $550-$800 per pound.
2019 the price of Wild Ginseng was $550-$800 per pound.
2020 the price of Wild Ginseng was $650-$800 per pound.
2021 the price of Wild Ginseng was $700-$825 per pound.
2022 the price of Wild Ginseng was $700-$850 per pound.
2023 the price of Wild Ginseng was $700-$950 per pound.
2013 to present ginseng price information does not include premium ginseng root pricing.
Prices may change depending on market conditions and our offering usually will be higher than other dealers.
The average harvesting time is September through October; however, State governments mandate specific dates and requirements. Please check with your own State before harvesting.
All wild ginsengs (with the exception of ginseng from Pennsylvania) must have certificates of origin.
Please email us with pictures of your product(s) or mail a small sample so we can do a price quote. When mailing the product, we recommend using UPS or USPS with insurance. Remember to include your name, address, and phone number with the package.
TNA Wild Ginseng
Fongsylvania
Address: 2691 Rustic Lane Hellertown, PA 18055
Phone: 484-747-5776
To ensure the highest prices paid for your ginseng, please follow proper care of ginseng guidelines:
1. Harvesting American Wild Ginseng
2. Storage Of Fresh (Green) Wild Ginseng
3. The Cleaning Of Wild Ginseng
4. Drying Of Wild American Ginseng
5. Transportation Of Wild American Ginseng
Improve Wild Ginseng's quality and reward yourself with a better income.
Below describes how to tell the quality of wild ginseng, increase its value, and stay at the top place in the world's best ginseng market. Proper harvesting, storage, cleaning, drying, handling techniques are essential in maintaining the medical and commercial value of wild ginseng, and how to distinguish wild vs. woods-grown ginseng.
100% Wild American Bulby Ginseng roots. This can get you the highest prices:
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1. Harvesting American Wild Ginseng
GOOD STEWARDSHIP CHECKLIST When harvesting wild American ginseng, make sure you follow all of these good stewardship practices: .
Get permission to harvest. .
Harvest only mature (3- and 4-prong) plants that is at least 5 years old. .
Dig only plants with red fruit. . Plant seeds under ¾ to 1 inch of soil. .
Leave some mature plants for the future.
Source PA DCNR
Harvesting:
Get it out as a COMPLETE whole piece when digging--- This is key in maintaining the medical effectiveness, and therefore, the commercial value.
All parts of the wild ginseng plant are valuable medicine. These include the stem, and even the leaves or green branches.
Do not lay them all together as a pile – After removing those yellowish leave and impurities, scattered them loosely in a ventilated place to let it dry.
Do not break the neck of ginseng.
Try not to damage the lateral roots of the ginseng.
Note: The stem and leaves can also be sold at 5-10% of the whole ginseng price. When wild ginseng has a neck more than 3 inches and 100% bulby roots, there will be a 10-30% price increase. (see the picture )
2. Storage Of Fresh (Green) Wild Ginseng
There are live sprouts (over-wintering sprouts) on the neck of freshly harvested wild ginseng. There are wrinkles on the surface of the root, also some black dirt marks around the neck and wrinkles. We can tell the age of it by its wrinkles and the neck. The longer the neck, the more the wrinkle circles, the higher the price.
Proper storage of wild ginseng is so important that it can keep its active ingredients, and increase its market value.
Do not wash after digging. Shake off some covered dirt, place them in a plastic box as the picture shown. A good method of keeping the ginseng fresh is to use green moss. Put a layer of green moss at the bottom of the container, with the green facing up. Lay the ginseng on top of green moss. And put another layer of green moss, with the green facing down on top of the ginseng. Close the lid immediately. Then, place the box inside a cooler that is set to 35°F – 38°F. In this way, it can be preserved fresh for 1 – 2 months without losing weight.
Note: Don’t store fresh ginseng in the freezer which is set below 32°F (0°C). Once it’s frozen, it goes bad. Do not wash after digging. Once the ginseng is wet, you must dry them otherwise the ginseng roots will go bad quickly.
The pictures below: Roots may increase the purchasing price 10-30% those with higher age, prettier in shape and with a neck longer than 2-4 inches.
In some area, the wild ginseng roots surface color is grayish-yellow to reddish-yellow. They are considered less valuable than the one that has blackish mud in its wrinkles circle. The price difference between them is about 5-10%.
3. The Cleaning Of Wild Ginseng
Freshly harvested wild ginseng cannot be stacked together or placed in plastic bags for a long time. If you are planning on drying storage your ginseng, the fresh ginseng should be cleaned the same day.
When fresh ginseng roots were stacked together for too long if the temperature is above 40°F, the white inner color could turn to grayish-yellow or reddish-yellow, or even worse: molded. For this reason, cleaning and drying of your freshly harvested wild ginseng in time are very important to ensure its quality and value.
Precautions: Fresh ginseng must be stored with proper ventilation.
Precautions: Stacking the fresh roots for prolonged periods of time, as shown in the photo below, will result in the spongy inner becoming moldy, yellow-pink, smells bad, and unusable.
When cleaning the wild ginseng, do not place them in running water. Instead, we suggest to soak and wash them. Soaking in water for 5-10 seconds each time, repeated the process for 3-4 times in order to gently remove the dirt.
Running water cleaning will decrease the active ingredient from the surface, and also wipe out too much blackish mud color from the skin. As we know, the black color mud in the wrinkles is very important factor in determining the age of wild ginseng. Excessive rinse will make the surface appears so white that looks like non-wild ginseng.
At the same time, insufficient cleaning should also be avoided as excess amounts of black mud covered on ginseng roots will also result in a decrease in the purchasing price.
The picture below shows unwashed or insufficient washed wild ginseng. There is still a large amount of dark mud left. This will affect the purchase price.
Picture Below: After soaking too long, then put them into the fridge. The root cracked because it was situated with an excessive amount of water. Therefore, result in the quality decrease.
Picture Below: After long soaking, and not drying in time, the plants become molded. This is another factor for value decrease.
After washing, the fresh ginseng should be dried promptly. Do not stack them tangle together as the picture shown below:
If it happened that digging caused ginseng root hurt or break, it can’t be directly put into the fridge. Instead, it must be cleaned and dried in the same day. This is the key to keep them from rotten.
Putting the fresh wild ginseng in the airtight containers and not in the fridge which is set under 33-38°F will cause the fresh ginseng to go bad.
-Picture Below shows the ginseng that is not acceptable: it was cut and not properly dried. The inside has rotted and turned a yellowish color with a sour, alcohol-like odor.
Don't let the ginseng go rotted before drying, it will smell like a dead fish even after drying! Not acceptable for purchase.
Picture Below can’t be acceptable either: they’d been kept inside in the airtight plastic bag for too long. Mold has grown, and the inside turns yellowish color, with a rotten smell.
The picture below: The good one: This is an example of ginseng root with 100% active ingredient. Look the color of its inside spongiform is milky-white like.
4. Drying of Wild American Ginseng
The correct way in the drying process will increase its value. On the contrary, the wrong way will decrease its quality, and thus the value. Every year, by the poor digging and drying process alone will result in a loss of more than 5%.
Generally speaking, the drying of wild ginseng usually takes 40-50 days or 30-40 days in a dry climate.
Immediately after cleaning, put them under directed sunshine for a short period of time (30-40 minutes) This is to quickly remove the surface moisture.
Then move them to a ventilated and shaded area for further drying. This is to avoid the damaging of the inner spongiform and protect active ingredients.
The drying process can be carried out by three ways:
A: Lay the wild ginseng roots flat on top of the cardboard box or wood plate, place it in a ventilated and shaded area. Space them from each other, no stack. Dry them naturally itself.
B: Below picture on the left: Nail the elder aged ginseng on top of a Styrofoam board, properly spacing between them. Place the board in a ventilated shady place.
C: Below picture in the center: Clamp the necks of ginseng roots, then hang them in a ventilated shade place so as to avoid the neck turns curved and the purchase price can be increased.
Below picture on the right: With the right way of digging, storage, cleaning, and drying, the inner color looks milky white. It fully preserved the active medical ingredient. Therefore, it brings higher quality and better pricing. (The picture is just for showing the inner sponge form of the nice ginseng.)
5. Transportation of Wild American Ginseng
For the transportation of dried wild ginseng, you need to do so-called double packaging. Two boxes one inside another.
1. Put the dry ginseng (20 - 30lb.) into a smaller box and seal it.
2. With some foam packaging material at the bottom of the bigger one, put a smaller box in. Fill it with more Styrofoam materials, and seal the larger one. Label the box with a “FRAGILE” sticker.
For the transportation of fresh wild ginseng, double packaging is also needed:
1. Put a layer of green moss at the bottom of the shipping box, with the green facing up. Put the unwashed ginseng in the shipping box on top of the green moss. And put another layer of green moss, with the green facing down on top of the ginseng. There should be 2 holes of 1-2 millimeters on the top of the box in order that the hot air inside can goes out and will not suffocate ginseng cells. But if the holes are too big, ginseng will lose the moisture then gradually goes bad. If you are shipping them with a 35°F cooler, no holes needed.
2. Put the above box into a bigger cardboard box also with suitable ventilation holes.
Note: If the temperature is under 65°F, ship the package by UPS overnight service.
We pay 10-30% above market average price for those wild ginsengs with the necks more than 2-4 inches (i.e. 20-40 years old). Please also observe all the above process instructions.
Below are pictures of the desired ginseng look: The plant with leaves, stem, neck, and lateral roots that all intact.
The Benefits of High Quality Wild American Ginseng and Ganoderma Applanatum to Cancer Therapies
Wild American ginseng can help reduce side effects from chemotherapy and contribute to healthy physical recovery. Many chemotherapy patients suffer from fatigue, and wild ginseng, a natural energy-booster, has been shown to help. With its benefits to the immune system, American wild ginseng also aids in inhibiting the effect of cancer cells. Ginseng is also very therapeutic for a variety of diseases, including elderly insomnia, chronic cough, and asthma, recurrent colds, chronic anemia, diabetes, infertility, etc. Ginseng also helps with sexual activeness, myocardial function, liver function, metabolism, and stress responses from air pollution and noxious stimuli. American wild ginseng is highly valued in health care, especially in cancer treatment and physical fitness improvement.
The benefits of Wild Ganoderma Applanatum include enhancing the immune system, regulating the central nervous system, and helping patients recovering from strokes. It is also helpful with insomnia, depression, pollen allergies, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and menopause.
In July of 2001, Fong Lam provided research samples on the effects of Wild American Ginseng and his own ancestral prescription in treating human breast cancer. The following graphs are from a test conducted by Dr. Laura Murphy, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Physiology at Southern Illinois University. It was found that the wild ginseng can inhibit the cancer cells, but when combined with the wild ginseng and his own ancestral prescription, the effect can greatly enhance in inhibiting the cancer cells. So strict distinction between wild ginseng, woods-grown ginseng and field-cultivated ginseng is crucial.
All the above statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease
To maintain the highest quality of American wild ginseng in the world, we need to strictly distinguish woods-grown ginseng and wild ginseng.
The Difference between Wild Ginseng and Woods-Grown Ginseng
Most high quality, older aged wild ginseng roots are thin and lighter in weight. Usually, the fresh wild ginseng root weighs 1-10 grams and the dried wild ginseng root weighs 0.3-3 grams only. The Woods-grown one is typically double in size and weight than the wild ginseng. Woods-grown ginseng tends to have thicker necks, no clear markings on the main root, and more lateral roots (tails). In some parts of Asia, people mistakenly believed that high-quality wild ginseng roots have to be large in size and heavy in weight. The following are photos that may help the readers to tell the differences between wild ginseng and woods-grown ginseng.
Fresh wild ginseng- 23 yrs old, 6 grams
Fresh woods-grown ginseng- 10 yrs old, 15 grams
Fresh woods-grown ginseng, 14 yrs old
Fresh wild ginseng- 20 yrs old
Fresh wild ginseng- 27 yrs old
Left Root is a 9 years old woods-grown ginseng. Right Root is a 27 yrs old dry wild ginseng.
Left Root is a 43 yrs old dry wild ginseng. Right Root is a 10 years old woods-grown ginseng.
Left Root is a 9 years old woods-grown ginseng. Right Root is a 27 yrs old dry wild ginseng.
Left Root is a 23 yrs old dry wild ginseng . Right Root is a 10 years old woods-grown ginseng.
Green Gold at Your Hand - Where is Wild American Ginseng
American wild ginseng naturally grows within 32-47.5 degrees north latitude and 74-97 degrees west longitude, in the east part of central and north US forest. It grows well at altitudes of 200-1200 meters, with 5-45 degrees slope and 5-8% sunshine, and fertile humus layer of about 8-10 inches. The loose soil of the forest is usually black and granular, where the wild ginseng grows in groups. Thus, if one wild ginseng plant is found, then more plants should be expected nearby. However, one must be aware that there could be many ‘false wild ginseng’ plants surrounding the wild ginseng; therefore it could be very difficult for an inexperienced person to identify the true wild ginseng plant.
The buds of the ginseng plant will first emerge in mid-April. Unfortunately, about 5-10% of these buds will be damaged by birds, rabbits, deer, and other animals. These damaged buds will not be able to grow stems and leaves that year. Those scars left by the broken buds and leaves indicate the age of ginseng. In mid-May, the baby plants will grow to about 5 inches high. Between May and August, 10-15% of the ginseng stems and leaves are eaten by deer, which also leaves some scars.
From August to September, the seeds of the ginseng plant begin to mature and turn red. From the end of September to mid-October, the wild ginseng stems and leaves start to turn yellow and wither, and new overwintering buds grow. Every fallen stem and leaf will leave a scar on the neck of ginseng. Each indentation on the neck of the ginseng root represents one year of age.
Wild ginseng has an annual hibernation period of six months and a growth period of 6 months.
With an average growing period of 10-45 years or more, American wild ginseng is rich in active ingredients, and its quality has been highly rated around the world. American wild ginseng has profound effects on every kind of illness of the human body.
The author has been digging wild ginseng in the same region of Pennsylvania for more than 10 years. The plants are still thriving; however, with continuous harvesting, he has found that each year, there will be about 10-15% less than that previous year.
Wild Ginseng Sprout
Wild Ginseng
Wild Ginseng
Made By Nature -- The Forest'S Green Gold: Wild Simulated Ginseng:
Promote Human Health
There are two varieties of ginseng: one is wild ginseng and wild-simulated ginseng(government treats the wild-simulated ginseng as the wild ginseng ), the other kind is woods-grown ginseng and field-cultivated Ginseng. Wild-simulated ginseng results from merely scattering ginseng seeds in an area of the forest. The ginseng plants are left to grow in a balanced natural environment, without the help of gardening or pesticides. However, pesticides and fertilizers are usually used in the growing of woods-grown ginseng.
It is very important to differentiate between woods-grown and wild-simulated ginseng, for there is a large difference in their medicine contains. The government regards the simulated wild one the same as wild. Below are some useful guidelines.
1. Wild-simulated ginseng usually has relatively long necks, with 8-10 bud scale scars. It is usually small and lightweight.
2. At the same age (9 to 15 years old), wild-simulated ginseng has a similar size and weight to wild ginseng.
3. Wild-simulated ginseng is similar to wild ginseng in terms of color, smell, circular marks on the roots from the dark soil, and milky-white spongy inside.
4. Wild-simulated ginseng contains similar active ingredients to wild ginseng of the same age. Wild-simulated ginseng also has no pesticide residues.
Fresh wild-simulated ginseng (10-18 yrs) With similar circular markings, surface textures, and inner structures on the roots, it is almost impossible to distinguish wild-simulated ginseng from wild ginseng.
On the left is wild-simulated ginseng leaves with the same emerald green color and quality as wild ginseng leaves
In the middle is a picture of woods-grown ginseng leaves.
On the right is another picture of woods-grown ginseng leaves.
Pioneer in environmental protection-Planting techniques and Market prospects of Wild-simulated American ginseng
As a pioneer in environmental protection, the United States has vast forest resources. However, despite increasing market demand for ginseng, only 0.01% of the forest has been used for planting wild-simulated ginseng. As estimated, the yield of wild ginseng has decreased by 10-15% annually. The increasing needs of the market for wild ginseng have not been met, even with the annual 10% production increase of wild-simulated ginseng. It is time for the United States and Canada to fully utilize its ideal environmental conditions by planting wild-simulated ginseng. If planted on a large scale, wild-simulated ginseng could be of great significance to both the economy and human health.
Note: For the 15-year wild-simulated ginseng, the price is about the same to that of wild ginseng.
Requirements and conditions for wild-simulated ginseng planting
1. Wild-simulated ginseng plants thrive best on slopes of 8-40 degrees, with 5-10% sunshine, and with a fertile humus layer of 8-10 inches of black granular loose soil.
2. It is recommended to plant ginseng in areas that wild ginseng grew previously, usually in lower parts of mountains or on hillsides. These areas tend to have deciduous trees and smooth water flow.
3. Planting season is September and October. Areas between 34-47 degrees north latitude and 74-98 degrees west longitude are best. Seeds can be treated with a method provided by Dr. Eric Burkart, a doctor of the Plant Sciences Department of Pennsylvania State University. Seeds are to be first soaked in a solution of 10% household chlorine bleach (Higher concentrations of legal pesticides can also be used) and 90% water. Gently stir for no more than 10 minutes and then rinse with water. The chemicals used for this treatment will decompose automatically within a couple of years. Sowing the seeds will require raking the fallen leaves aside. However, be careful not to disturb the soil in order to keep the natural balance of the forest. Plant 3-5 seeds in every square foot. Immediately cover the seeds with leaves to maintain the temperature and moisture of the soil. There is no need to water or tend to the area afterward. Usually, the seed germination rate is above 80%.
Note: It is recommended to plant the thoroughly sterilized seeds in the first year. Because of the tiny clefts in the seeds, they are more vulnerable to bacterial infection in the second year. There is no need to water seeds after planting. After 5 years, wild-simulated ginseng plants can produce 3-10 seeds every year. The germination rate for naturally landed seeds is usually above 50%.
The fallen Autumn leaves will provide a natural thermal layer for the ginseng seeds during the winter. Wild-simulated ginseng breeds quickly; generally after 9-10 years, an acre of planted land can produce more than 500 pounds of fresh wild ginseng each year. The author tested 11-year-old wild-simulated ginseng and 10-year-old wild ginseng for active ingredients and found that there were no noticeable differences in the clinical effects.
Due to the decreasing annual yield of wild ginseng, increased amounts of wild-simulated ginseng will be used for future prescriptions and home health care in place of wild ginseng. At the same age and with similar quality, wild-simulated ginseng can be a reliable replacement for the precious wild ginseng.
The value of planting wild-simulated ginseng in the vast forests of the United States has not attracted the attention of the U.S. government yet. Wild-simulated ginseng is not only beneficial to the U.S. national income but also to the improvement of public health. It is my hope that American practitioners of Chinese medicine, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, national universities of medicine, concerned patients, wild ginseng planters and diggers will see the benefits of wild-simulated ginseng. Let us join together and urge the U.S. Congress to hold hearings to support the planting of wild-simulated ginseng- nature's green gold.
After many years studying the growth and distribution of wild American ginseng, Dr. Eric Burkart is now actively promoting the planting of wild-simulated ginseng. The promotion of this project will make a useful contribution to U.S. national interests, national income, future environmental protection, and public health.
Diseases, insects, and pests can be well controlled with thorough seed sterilization and proper planting method. It is possible for sterilized seeds to be infected with diseases or pests if the planting method involves grass removing and plowing. However, proper planting methods such as preserving the natural topsoil of the land will lessen the chance of disease wild-simulated ginseng. Most of the common diseases, insects, and pests associated with field-cultivated ginseng results from field plowing, removal of grass and bushes, high-density planting, and other factors that would unbalance the natural conditions. The best way to avoid diseases, insects, and pests is to plant wild-simulated ginseng plants in their natural environments.
Wild-simulated ginseng planted in its natural environment- free of diseases or parasites
Consequences of Repeated Use of Pesticides: Health Risks Surrounding Woods-grown Ginseng
American woods-grown ginseng generally grows for 7-12 years or more before it is ready to be harvested. The process of planting woods-grown ginseng, which includes plowing of soil, removing leaves, shrubs, and weeds; seriously damages the growing environment of the ginseng. Soil plowing will bring yellow or greyish-yellow clay soil from deeper layers to the surface. The clay soil will increase the chances of ginseng root rotting and infection from pests and disease. The deciduous leaves and wild weeds that are cleared off during the planting of woods-grown ginseng is the food of earthworms, insects, deer, and other wildlife. The excrement of wild animals and insects, such as earthworms and deer, provides excellent natural fertilizers for the ginseng plants. Removing the natural top layer of the forest soil will reduce the activities of wild animals and therefore lessen the natural fertilizers available.
The purpose of high-density planting of woods-grown ginseng is a high production yield. However, high-density planting has upset the natural ecological environment and thus increased the chance of pest and disease damage to ginseng plants. Therefore, the use of pesticides is often used in woods-grown ginseng production. Clearing away bushes, shrubs, and weeds is also another method intended to enhance the growth of the woods-grown ginseng. Although the clearing of wild plants increases light intensity by 10-15%, in case of heavy rain and melting snow, the natural organic fertilizers inside the soil are washed away without the roots of other plants. The removal of bushes, shrubs, and weeds damages the natural environment in such a way that the quality of woods-grown ginseng produced is clearly substandard. It is very important to differentiate between woods-grown ginseng and wild-stimulated ginseng because the quality and price paid for woods-grown ginseng are far below that of wild-simulated ginseng.
Identifying Woods-grown Ginseng
1. The use of pesticides is very common with woods-grown ginseng.
2. Due to higher sun intensity, the woods-grown ginseng roots tend to be bigger and heavier.
3. The color of woods-grown ginseng roots tends to be grayish-yellow.
4. Woods-grown ginseng has a bitter taste and lacks the pleasant fragrance of wild or wild-simulated ginseng.
5. The necks of woods-grown ginseng tend to be much thicker and have less indentation when compared with wild or wild-simulated ginseng.
Woods-grown ginseng has been shown to have a less clinical effect than wild or wild-simulated ginseng.
Fresh woods-grown ginseng- 9 yrs old
Woods-grown ginseng- 7 yrs old
Woods-grown ginseng- 14 yrs old
The photos below show woods-grown ginseng plants. Because of stronger photosynthesis processes, the colors of woods-grown ginseng leaves are distinctly different from wild or wild-simulated ginseng.
An Introduction to American Woods-Grown and Field-Cultivated Ginseng
The Effects of Pesticide Use in Ginseng Planting
Field-cultivated ginseng, also known as farm ginseng, has an average age of 4-5 years. Instead of having a neck, field-cultivated ginseng has a 2-3 scars/ concave dents. After the ginseng plant survives its first year, there is no scar or concave dent left on the root. However, there will be scars left for the following years. Each concave dent represents one year old. Thus, a ginseng root with 3 scars or concave dents is about 4 years old.（see picture below）
The seeds of field-cultivated ginseng are usually preserved after collection for one year. After two years, the seed will split and will be need to planted with artificial illumination. When the field-cultivated ginseng is transplanted, its quality is affected by the limited capacity of the soil regeneration. Thus there will be noticeable differences in taste, ginsenosides, and other active ingredients between the field-cultivated ginseng and wild or wild-simulated ginseng. However, American field-cultivated ginseng is higher in quality than Korean ginseng or red Chinese ginseng. American field-cultivated ginseng has still been found to be better in terms of nourishing and balancing of the human body.
The field-cultivated ginseng from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are usually grayish-black in color and higher in quality than the grayish-yellow field-cultivated ginseng from Wisconsin. However, more than 80% of the field-cultivated ginseng in America is produced in Wisconsin.
Field-cultivated ginseng planting requires large open spaces. The removal of weeds and grass, leveling of lands, and the use of wooden sheds to keep the sunlight at about 15-20% is necessary for the growth of field-cultivated ginseng. For wild ginseng growth, the illumination is usually 5% -8%.
The high-density planting procedure for ginseng farming, which pursues the highest harvest volume, results in the regular occurrence of pests and diseases. Thus, the use of pesticides is required to control pests and diseases. On October 6, 1997, the World Journal published an article with the title, "Is Wisconsin Ginseng Sprayed with Illegal Pesticides?"
Xiao Peigen, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a famous ginseng expert, pointed out in his book, Investigation and Cultivation of Ginseng, "In all regions of ginseng cultivation, pests and diseases are the biggest threats." Xiao Peigen mentioned in his book that the soil has to be treated with pesticides to enhance the harvest volume of field-cultivated ginseng. Seeds should be treated with pesticides by mixing different amounts of Chinese pesticides. During the growing season, "A mild dilution of pesticides should be sprayed on the plants every 7-10 days. The pesticides can reach as deep as 3 cm below the ground."
(This information is from Xiao Peigen, and may not apply to the use of pesticides in the United States.)
In another book, "American Ginseng", Xiao Peigen also stated that, "the actual production of American ginseng is only 1/6 to 1/3 of the theoretical production yield, and the loss of production is almost entirely caused by pests and diseases".
In the document for wild ginseng exports, the U.S. government indicated that field-cultivated ginseng contains pesticides and that wild ginseng does not. In recent years, the U.S. government has been committed to the promotion of local organic food. In 2009, the Chinese government also started putting more effort in regulating food safety. As a result, the usage of pesticides in ginseng farming had been somewhat controlled and reduced. The side effects caused by taking ginseng with high pesticide content have attracted the attention of many medical experts, nutrition experts and toxicology experts. Many experts believe that the growing incidence rate of cancer, fetal abnormalities, and liver disease in Asia and other parts of the world is likely related to the pesticides used in agriculture. After the usage of pesticides in ginseng farming was exposed, many consumers had questioned the quality, commercial value, medical effectiveness of field-cultivated ginseng. For this reason, planting ginseng in its natural growing environment is an important way of steering mankind towards healthy, organic food.
The United States has excellent environmental preservation programs; Wisconsin, as well as the other states in the Mid-west and Northeast, has ideal natural forests for ginseng growing and transplanting. In order to improve the quality and the confidence of customers in Wisconsin American ginseng, the U.S. government and the Wisconsin Ginseng Board must petition for all ginseng to be transplanted into natural wild ginseng growing areas. Then the world-famous Wisconsin American ginseng could further thrive in the Wisconsin forests.
Identification of Field-cultivated Ginseng:
1. Field-cultivated ginseng has coarse skin and free of wrinkles and scars.
2. Field-cultivated ginseng weighs 1-3 times more than wild ginseng and 2 times more than wood-grown ginseng. On the other hand, field-cultivated ginseng has 1-3 times less lateral roots than the wild ginseng of the same weight.
3. Field-cultivated ginseng is usually pale yellow in color and lacks the distinctive dark marks or wild ginseng.
4. Field-cultivated ginseng is very limited in its clinical effectiveness.
Returning to Nature- Solving the Problem of Field-Cultivated Ginseng
Planting wild-simulated ginseng will not only increase the quality, nutrition, and value of ginseng; it will also help preserve the environment. Returning to nature will save hundreds of shrubs and trees from being cut down. It will also eliminate the need for weeding, scaffolding, and chemicals. Planting ginseng in its natural environment will greatly improve the economic efficiency of ginseng planting.
If ginseng is planted in its natural environment without pesticides or weeding, it is then classified as wild-simulated ginseng.
Wild-simulated ginseng- 5 yrs old; grown with 5-10% sun lamination
Ginseng Harvesting Time: September -October
Ginseng Purchasing Time For Green Roots: September 1st to October 1st.
Ginseng Purchasing Time For Dried Roots: September 15th to December 31st.
The average harvesting time is September through October; however, state governments mandate specifics date and requirements. Please check with your own state before harvesting.
All wild ginsengs (with the exception of ginseng from Pennsylvania ) must have certificates of origin.
Please email us with pictures of your product(s) or mail a small sample so we can do a price quote. When mailing the product, we recommend using UPS or USPS with insurance. Remember to include your name, address, and phone number with the package. All prices are based on the market depend and subject to change without notice. Please follow all local laws and regulations on harvesting.
TNA Wild Ginseng
Fongsylvania
Address: 2691 Rustic Lane Hellertown, PA 18055
Phone: 484-747-5776
