Information for Ginseng Diggers, Dealers, and Exporters
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a native plant that occurs in deciduous forests of the eastern United States from the Midwest to Maine. Its roots have long been valued for its medicinal properties. In the 1700s, ginseng roots became one of North America's first international export commodities.
Due to concerns of overharvest for international trade, this species was included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1975. CITES is a global agreement to ensure that international trade in listed plants and animals doesn’t threaten their survival in the wild. Appendix II includes species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction but may become so without trade controls. Because of the CITES Appendix-II listing, an export permit is required to ship ginseng internationally. The Appendix II listing includes whole live or dead plants, whole and sliced roots, and parts of roots (including root fibers), but excludes powder or manufactured finished products (e.g., teas, capsules, extracts, and confectionary or sweets), and seeds.
The harvest of American ginseng has significant economic and cultural importance for many communities in the United States. Dealers, exporters, and diggers play an important role in maintaining healthy populations of this important native plant and ensuring trade is legal and biologically sustainability. Without your help, wild ginseng could disappear from forests, along with the livelihoods of those who depend on it for income.
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How to Be a Good Steward
Good Stewardship of American Ginseng
Good stewardship of wild ginseng means using and promoting sustainable harvest practices, which contribute to the long-term survival of wild populations and their habitats. Dealers, exporters, and diggers should understand and comply with all State and Tribal regulations concerning its trade.
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Menominee Indian Tribe Reservation of Wisconsin allow the harvest and trade of wild American ginseng under certain conditions. These 19 States and Tribe have laws and regulations to help conserve American ginseng so that it continues to survive in the wild.
Determining the Age of American Ginseng
Most States that allow the harvest of ginseng roots require plants to be five years of age and have three compound leaves (commonly called prongs), and each leaf has three to five leaflets.
Some States require plants to be 10 years of age and have three to four leaves (prongs). One way to determine the plant's age is to count the number of stem scars on its root neck (attached to the root). Each year of growth adds a stem scar to the root neck when the leaf stem dies in the autumn. A five-year-old plant will have four stem scars on the root neck, and a 10-year-old plant will have nine stem scars.
Harvest requirements vary among States. However, if there are fewer than the required number of stem scars (four to nine) and number of leaves (three or four), the root is under aged and is illegal to harvest, sell, buy, and export. Learn more about how to determine the age of American ginseng.
Good Stewardship Practices for Dealers and Exporters
Never purchase underage roots and roots harvested outside the legal harvest and buying season.
In all 19 States, ginseng harvest season starts in September. To learn more about the requirements, please contact your State or Tribal regulatory office. (The American Herbal Products Association also has ginseng Good Stewardship Brochures for individual States.) |
Before buying or selling wild American ginseng, contact your State regulatory agency.
Obtain the required State license and always have your ginseng roots certified before shipping them out of the State. |
| Before shipping internationally, obtain a Ginseng Export Permit. |
Good Stewardship for Diggers
| Get permission from the property owner to harvest ginseng on private property. Some States require a ginseng harvest license or permit. (To learn more about the harvest requirements in your State, contact your State regulatory office.) |
Check the laws and regulations before digging on State and Federal lands.
It is illegal to harvest American ginseng roots on most State lands, all National Park Service land, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges. Harvest of wild ginseng is prohibited in most U.S. Forest Service national forests. Harvest is limited to certain national forests and diggers must obtain a permit from the U.S. Forest Service . (Please contact the Forest Service office in your State for specific information.) |
Only harvest during the open harvest season so plants have time to reproduce.
In all 19 States, ginseng harvest season starts in September. To learn more about the requirements, please contact your State or Tribal regulatory office. (The American Herbal Products Association also has ginseng Good Stewardship Brochures for individual States.) |
Harvest only mature three-and four-prong plants that are at least five years old and never underage or undersize plants.
Some States require plants to be 10 years old. The harvest of a ginseng root kills the plant, that is why it’s important never to harvest underage or undersize plants. |
Harvest only plants with red berries.
Each red berry contains one to three seeds. |
Plant seeds from the harvested plants in about one inch of soil and leaf litter near the harvested plants.
Squeeze the berry to force the seeds out, then plant the seeds about a foot apart and an inch deep and cover them with leaf litter. Be sure to plant the seeds near the harvested plants. |
Leave some mature plants for the future.
After harvesting some of the mature plants (with red berries) and planting the seeds, remove the leaves of the remaining ginseng plants in the patch. This will hide the plants and protect the roots from being harvested so that the plants can produce seeds next year. |
If young plants are disturbed while digging for larger roots, plant them back in the same spot.
It’s important for these younger plants to mature and produce seeds before they are harvested. |
Collect and plant only the seeds from the ginseng patch where you are digging.
Do not plant seeds from outside sources, such as those purchased online or from growers, in or near wild ginseng patches. Planting non-local ginseng seeds can weaken populations and threaten the long-term survival of wild ginseng. |
Count the leaves.
Before harvesting roots, count the number of leaves (prongs) on a plant. Ginseng plants have one to four compound leaves, and each leaf has up to five leaflets. (Learn more about how to determine the age of American ginseng.) |
Count stem scars.
Diggers can also use this method to determine the age of a ginseng plant without removing it from the ground. Simply remove the soil around the area where the plant’s root neck joins the root and count the stem scars on the root neck.
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Exporting Wild American Ginseng
Because of its CITES Appendix-II listing, anyone planning to ship American ginseng roots, or parts of roots, internationally must apply for and obtain an export permit from us. We issue permits based on two determinations:
- Legal acquisition: The American ginseng roots must be legally acquired (i.e., all State and Tribe regulations were followed).
- Non-detriment: The international shipment of American ginseng must not be harmful to the survival of the species.
All wild and wild-simulated American ginseng roots for export must be from plants five years of age or older (i.e., four or more stem scars on the rhizome).
Wild and wild-simulated American ginseng roots must be certified by the State or Tribe where the roots are harvested before they can be transported out of the State.
All international shipments of American ginseng roots must be inspected by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). During inspection, they will check the CITES export permit and other required documents and count the stem scars on the root necks to determine the age of ginseng roots before they can be exported. This is why it’s important to keep the root neck attached to the ginseng root.
Report Illegal Harvest, Buying, Selling, and Export of American Ginseng to State and Federal Authorities
Contact the specific State or Tribal regulatory agency for more information or alert our Office of Law Enforcement by submitting information online or call 703-358-1949.
Additional Resources
The American Herbal Products Association provides State specific brochures explaining each State's guidelines for responsible wild American ginseng harvesting and U.S. export requirements are described in their Good Stewardship Harvesting of Wild American Ginseng. Following these State and overall guidelines will help ensure a sustainable future for wild American ginseng.
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