Wild Ginseng Root
Bob Beyfuss holding a fully wild root dug from ginseng bowl area above Coal Creek.
Bob Beyfuss holding a fully wild root dug from ginseng bowl area above Coal Creek.
Ever since the kids and I found ginseng, we’ve been fascinated by it. Finding it, studying it, seeing shapes in the physical roots, and drinking it in tea. But we’re also worried about ginseng. For one thing, it gets stolen and too frequently the thieves don’t respect the “take” failing to plant the berries into…
Bob Beyfuss dug up this two prong to prove how old it was, and then replanted it.
Dr. Iris Gao has moved from mainland China to Middle State Tennessee University in order to study Wild American ginseng. It just so happens that we have a lot of the root at Coal Creek farm in Eastern Tennessee. Dr. Gao visited recently with her colleague Dr. Elliot Altman (aka the hemp doctor) and Andrea Bishop, who…
A new approach to cultivating and growing ginseng could expand opportunities for farmers and landowners while discouraging poachers. The goal is to cultivate and grow new plants in Appalachian forest. Doing so can create additional value—Wild American Ginseng being a valuable botanical and an endangered plant. It makes sense to take advantage of Appalachian agriculture…
Wild American Ginseng Published in the Spring 2019 Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation by George Lindemann Toward the end of April 2018, the Chinese Government imposed a tariff on imported wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). This little known wild root has somehow gotten into the middle of a brewing American/ Chinese trade war. I am…
This month National Geographic has a feature on ginseng emphasizing violence and crime. While theft is an important challenge, the plant faces many other challenges as well. I have written a “top twenty” list explaining 20 of my favorite ginseng factoids. Please read my story on medium here.