It’s always a question I’m begin getting even before the plants are unfurled for the year … what are the 2023 ginseng prices going to be? Now that it’s digging/buying season, some numbers are starting to appear. See the comments for news on this front from diggers and buyers, and observers like myself. I neither dig nor buy, but I have an interest in the plant because Wild Ozark is the only ginseng nursery in Arkansas (that I know of).
As I see posts from buyers, I’ll add them to this page. If you hear anything, please drop a comment with your intel. Feel free to share speculations in the comments, though!
In Arkansas, the digging season begins September 1. Buying season starts 2 weeks later. This is a forum for diggers and dealers to ask questions and communicate with each other. It’s a meeting space for those in the industry to share information with all of us about the markets and prices across the ginseng-growing regions.
Note: The prices you see discussed here are NOT the prices you should expect if you are buying ginseng for personal consumption. These are the wholesale prices that dealers give to diggers.
Diggers, please share what prices you’ve found in your part of the country or post a comment to find a dealer. Just mention your county/state, not your exact location.
Dealers, if you’d like to comment with your contact information so diggers can find you, please do. If you ship internationally and sell retail, that’s good information to list as well.
We’re all anxiously waiting to see what this year’s market will do. Speculations, rumors, and hearsay are great for discussing but everyone should DYOR (do your own research) and verify before taking any small talk to heart.
Please join in the conversations. Comments are open!
Madison Woods is an artist and ginseng habitat steward from northwest Arkansas. She grows wild-simulated ginseng and Wild Ozark is the only certified ginseng nursery in Arkansas. She sells potted seedlings and companion plants in spring to local customers, and ships bare-root plants in fall to customers farther afield. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram or email with questions. 
i hear its gonna start about 180 green in east tn. that’s 11.25 an oz. that’s better than it usually starts around here, its usually about 7 or 9 the first week of season if its gonna be a good year its usually 10 bye the second week here. So im hoping for a really good year.
Thanks for the update, Sean. Has there been drought in your area too? It’ll be hard for diggers in my area to find a lot of the ginseng if it’s looking like mine do now. We had early berry and leaf drop because it’s been so dry. I would imagine that would make for better prices, though.
Hey Sean if you wouldn’t mind sharing your buyer with a fellow East Tennesseean would you please send his name and contact information because I am looking for an honest buyer in that area. I would sincerely appreciate it. Thank you, Mountain Man.
Hi Jerome, Can you send fresh ginseng to South California, Los Angeles? I’m looking for a wholesale price to order 40~50lbs each time. Contact me 5622988129 ( leave me a message if you can’t get a call). Thank you!
Kim.
I agree with Jerome the Mountain main. I’m in east TN too and got a small area that I’m gonna dig up and would like to sell but have no clue where to start? Was thinking the Amish might buy?
so I’m a new digger but I have been on several hunts over the years. This year is a lot different, at least the spot I went to was. I barely found anything as far as the plant itself goes. some golden shriveled up remnants of a plant, so I dug and upon digging I found the roots of several other plants but no stalks, berries, or leaves were left and I’m certain that nobody else has been through because I have game cams up there with motion detection and triggered recording. when I checked them on a time lapse, deer, armadillos and the usual wildlife is all that set the cams off. I noticed the stalks and leaves growing in the timelapse and apparently the ginseng already went through the fruiting stages and the leaves had fallen about a month to 3 weeks ago. The seasons are messed up. This year as it stands is gonna be harder to locate patches if its like this everywhere. I live in the Northwest Arkansas area but I usually Head a ew Hours East into the Ozarks To find it and this is what I have experienced so far. I am Posting just to see if it is like this everywhere or just in my region?
I’m in the southeast end of northwest Arkansas, and that’s the same thing I’ve seen here, too. Our plants dropped berries and leaves way earlier than usual, probably because of the drought we’ve been experiencing. And, I would imagine that’s why I’m seeing higher prices at the start of buying season here too.
Here’s what I see Mills Ginseng is offering at this moment (9/4/2023). These prices can change throughout the season, so no guarantee that’s what he’s offering when you contact him. He’s on FB and if you search for Mills Ginseng you should find him:
Fresh UNWASHED Ozark (Arkansas and southern Missouri) ginseng
3″+ neck/2+ oz in weight = $275/lb
2″+ neck/1+ oz in weight = $225/lb
Average well dug = $175/lb
Small/damaged = $125/lb
Dry ginseng
Average lots, honey blonde color = $500/lb
Big/bulby/old lots more.
Small, broken, dirty lots less.
Schofield Roots has been buying Ginseng in southern Missouri and Northwest Arkansas for near 53 years.
417-682-7922
Schofield Roots
Correct Number
417-683-7922
Thanks for commenting with your contact info, Dale.
Yellow leaves some already brown and already on the the geound..leaving a weak stalk(if ya lucky enough to find it)Its gonna be a rough and yucky season in East Tennessee..and ima trying to collect for my Daughters Wedding!Pray for Me Yall!
Looking for contacts, connections. I’m in East Tennessee. First year buying ginseng, I’ve bought 30-35 pounds this month, I’ve been paying $50-$100 less a pound then a local buyer I know and reselling it to him. How ever I do plan on continuing to buy and I will start buying alot more once I start advertising it. I know alot of diggers, but been just buying from few people I know. Ive had several 2oz+ roots and had a 4.3oz sk far. I’m looking for a buyer I can sell to weekly or monthly, would like to maximize my profits. Am able to ship. Green, dry, with plant intact ect.
423-608-3854
Mills ginseng posted that they quit buying for the season and the bottom line has fell outta the market
Thanks for the update Tony. I’m sorry to hear this. I know a lot of people will be affected. Are any of you in other areas experiencing the same?
I’m not sure why anyone would think the ginseng market has crashed or bottomed out. Dealers in WV are currently paying $750-$850 a pound. Two dealers that I spoke with in Ohio are paying $800-$900 a pound and here in Pa they’re paying between $700-$800 a pound. The dig was way down this year due to drought conditions in the higher producing states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. A couple of the larger exporters are putting it out there that they may not be able to export their product out of the country. This is strictly a move to make the smaller exporters lower their prices and for some to even stop buying which in turn will trickle down to the buyers. Many are afraid to sit on thousands of dollars worth of ginseng only to lose hundreds of dollars on the pound when they sell to their respective exporters. Basically the larger exporters want to get as much of the dig this year as possible because the harvest is estimated to be so below the average of a normal year that they will put this speculation out there. This is not the first time this tactic has been used. Just hang on to your ginseng a few weeks longer and you’ll be happy. Best of luck to all.
Thank you so much for this information. I bet that’s what’s going on with our local buyer, because he’s likely dealing with one of the smaller exporters.
Yes I’ll bet so. It happens every year that the fig is way down. The drought this year was worse than what people realize. That with that fact that a lot of diggers aren’t going out anymore creates a perfect storm. The larger exporters will often put news like this to either get the smaller brokers out of the game because they’re afraid of the risk or they do it to keep prices in check. If I had to bet I would bet that we will see prices here in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio hit the $1000/pound mark this year. As always good luck to all and god bless…
I am a digger in Alabama and our season was short this year due to the drought as well I suspect. Yellow season came and went in a week seems like and then brown/dead plants came quickly afterwards. The prices that we get for good roots seems to be lower here compared to northern states. We always have good roots but our prices are always at 650.00 or lower. Is there a process that we can sell our ginseng o northern buyers for more
Hi Payton, maybe one of the out of state buyers can answer that question for you. I know others from out here that have had their roots certified so they could ship them out. But our ginseng still doesn’t bring as high a price as the Appalachian roots, because our ginsenoside levels aren’t usually as high as theirs. That may also be true of yours.
Payton most northern buyers aren’t interested in ginseng outside of their region unless it is in the Appalachian Mountains range. The quality of root from Alabama and even Arkansas just isn’t equal to that from say Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Just to give you an example of that exporters in your area are dropping their prices and buyers in most of Ohio have just raised their price to $1000/pound. If anyone needs evidence of that just check out Gilloglys Ginseng Facebook page. I sold mine yesterday for here in Pennsylvania for $875/pound. Anyways it would be very difficult for you to certify your dig and find a buyer for it in most of the states north of you. I’m not saying that it would be impossible but unless it was extremely large and high quality root it would be difficult to sell it up this way. I really believe the prices in your region are going to climb over the $700/pound price during the week of Thanksgiving so try and hang in there. God bless all!!!!
how much can I sell 100 pounds of ginseng dry root for
This fluctuates every year. It’s not season for digging yet, buyers won’t begin buying until September, and at that time they’ll begin posting prices. I’ll make a 2024 prices page once it gets closer to season.