Panax quinquefolius
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 Panax quinquefolium foliage and fruit
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| Panax quinquefolium L. |
American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) is a species of ginseng native to eastern North America. It is a perennial dicot of the family Araliaceae.
The plant's forked root and leaves were traditionally used for medicinal purposes by Native Americans. Since the 1800s, the roots have been collected by "'sang hunters," and sold to Chinese or Hong Kong traders, who often pay very high prices for particularly old wild roots.[1]
American Ginseng was formerly particularly widespread in the Appalachian region (and adjacent forested regions such as Pennsylvania and New York State), but due its popularity the wild plant has been overharvested, and is thus rare in most parts of the United States.[2] It is also grown commercially, under artificial shade, in fields in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and usually harvested after three to four years when ripe.[3]
[edit] External links
- "There is More to a Forest than Trees" by Lynn Davis, College of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech
- "Roots and Regulations: The Unfolding Story of Pennsylvania Ginseng", by Melissa Beattie-Moss
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