Ginseng Articles and Headlines

Wild and Virtually-Wild (or Wild-Simulated) American Ginseng

All of the information I have is free on my website (see my list of links below), but I’ve compiled some specifically about choosing the right sites and planting the seeds in a little book if you want a paperback of something like that: https://www.wildozark.com/shop/diy-ginseng/

On FB there are a few groups of growers who share information with each other. Here’s one of them: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1489867761319939/

We have a ginseng habitat garden and nursery. If you are local and want to come out to see how ginseng looks in a restored natural environment, it’s a great opportunity to do that.

If you have any questions along the way or just want some help with photo identification of plants, feel free to email me.

The most popular links:

• • What Does Ginseng Look Like
  • How to Find Ginseng
  • 2018 Ginseng Prices
  • When to Plant Ginseng
  • Ginseng or Buckeye?

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Ginseng in Arkansas

Although my information is about ginseng and ginseng habitat in the Ozarks, the information applies to anywhere this amazing plant calls home. Some of the environments might have different trees and shrubs, but most of them are common throughout the area where ginseng grows.

For those local to northwest Arkansas, we have a nursery. We offer potted plants for specimens or re-establishing habitat. For the spring 2019 season I am not “really” operating, but if you contact me I may be available to let you in to dig your own seedlings. With enough advance notice, I can probably get some potted up for you. Season starts in mid-to-late April, but for the month of May I’ll be out of pocket. An appointment is necessary. Email me to set one up at . I’ll be back to actively promoting this aspect of Wild Ozark later in 2019 to be ready for fall planting season.

If you have tips or links to articles you want me to add to this page, leave a comment and I’ll move them to the body of this page.

Click here for Regulations and Good Stewardship brochures from all ginseng producing states (FREE).

FREE Ginseng Articles From Wild Ozark™

1. Ginseng Sustainability: Conservation or Profit?
2. Plants that Look Like Ginseng – “Look Alikes”
3. What does a ginseng plant look like? (shows seedling, 2-, 3-, and 4-prong)
4. 5 Ways to Tell if You Can Grow Ginseng in Your Backyard
5. Ginseng and Wild Strawberry Comparison
6. How to Grow Ginseng
7. When and Where to Plant Ginseng
8. Where NOT to plant Ginseng
9. How to Find Ginseng
10. 2014 Ginseng Root Prices
11. 2015 Ginseng Prices
12. Monster Ginseng Roots from Arkansas 2014
13. Ginseng FAQ
14. So How Does Ginseng Taste?
15. Can’t Find Ginseng?
16. Questing for Goldenseal (ginseng companion plant)

Stories and Ginseng Articles from other sources

Some of these links may be old or broken. If you find one that doesn’t work, leave me a comment and I’ll remove it if I can’t find the new link.

• Ginseng Digging: Local Traditions and Global Markets for Appalachia’s Medicinal Plants
• Ginseng Root Anatomy – an excellent image from Bat Cave Botanicals to explain all the parts of a ginseng root
• How to Age Wild American Ginseng – another excellent graphic from Bat Cave Botanicals.
• Where does Wild Ginseng Root Grow – an article at HubPages with some good info
• Ginseng Hunting by Phyllis D. Light – a delightful story by a woman who grew up in the woods hunting seng with her father and grandfather.
• The Root of the Ginseng Problem – an interesting article from MacLeans.ca about the possible future of cultivated roots
• Op-Ed| Vandalism On Public Lands Steals From Future Generations
• National Parks Look to Lock Out Wild Ginseng Diggers
• Man Sentenced To 22 Weeks In Jail For Poaching Ginseng From Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• PA’s DCNR page on ginseng
• Forest products Traditional and Cultural Purposes (Not specifically “about” ginseng, but it is one of the forest products mentioned.)
• Ginseng digger fined, banned from harvest for 20 years (5/2014)
• Read more from Journal Sentinel: https://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/259243241.html#ixzz31nm9glUN
• Ginseng can treat and prevent influenza and RSV, researcher finds
• Sad: https://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/09/28/ginseng-diggers-take-to-woods-as-prices-soar/
• A website devoted to wild ginseng conservation
• A fun post from Steven Foster about the debacle that is Appalachian Outlaws.
• A story about Joe and Herman Brock, Ozark ginseng diggers (submitted by Mark Martin, Joe’s grandson and Herman’s great-nephew) This account is a treasure, very interesting reading, too.
• From the NIH, about the effectiveness of ginseng for various ailments.
• A great article from Dr. Laurell Matthews, ND about the virtues of ginseng.
• Read how a fascination with ginseng and the healing springs of Arkansas led to a short story from CD Mitchell
• Park a hotbed for ginseng poaching
• Maryland Bans Ginseng Picking on Public Lands
• Ginseng could help cancer patients get rid of fatigue

Ginseng Conservation Information

• Ginseng Reproduction
• Genetic Pollution
• Stewardship
• Stewardship

Books from Wild Ozark™

American Ginseng & Companions

This is my favorite of our books on the topic of ginseng. For color photos of ginseng and companion plants, you won’t find a better one out there. Of course, that’s my biased opinion and I’d love to hear what you think of it. This isn’t a “how to” book, but a celebration of the beauty of the plant and the habitat where it lives. Anyone who wants to learn to find ginseng will benefit from seeing these photos because it’ll help with recognizing habitat.

Other Books from Wild Ozark

I also have another book out to show you the difference between the look-alikes and ginseng. Some of these photos are in my other books, but this book focuses only on these things and includes more information than the other chapters in the other books.

The book has several very good reviews and one terrible review. Of course, Amazon shows the terrible review first and it takes up most of the review space because the commenter was very detailed and even posted photos to demonstrate his complaint.

I took a lot of his issues to heart and rewrote the book. His complaints were valid and I did appreciate the time he took to make the comment. However, the placement of the review is killing my sales of that book. If you decide to take a chance on it, please leave a review if you liked it. If you didn’t like it, please email me and if it is something I can do something about, I’ll do what it takes to make it a better resource and refund your money if you were terribly dissatisfied.

Ginseng and Companion Plants

The Wild Ozark™ Nursery will be open by appointment only (except during the month of May) in 2019.

This is a great place to see the plants growing in a restored natural habitat. You can come pick up your plants and tour the Ginseng Habitat Demonstration Garden. We won’t be doing mail order of rootlets or plants this year.

Arkansas Ginseng Regulations

https://plantboard.arkansas.gov/PlantIndustry/Documents/ginsengReg.pdf

Other State’s Ginseng Regulations

As I run across these, I’ll post them here. If you have the link to one, post it in the comments and I’ll add it.

• US Fish and Wildlife Service – has links to a lot of important information
• Georgia