Panax quinquefolius
Origin: Eastern North America (via China)
Improvement status: Wild
Seeds per packet: ~10
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
American ginseng is a highly-coveted medicinal plant that grows primarily on shady north-facing slopes in deciduous hardwood forests from Quebec and Maine south to Louisiana, and back north to South Dakota and Minnesota. It is most commonly found in Appalachia, though it's not very easy to find — and, indeed, generations of 'sang hunters have managed to make their living searching for and digging up its valuable roots.
Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) is perhaps the most famous medicinal herb in the Traditional Chinese Medicine pharmacopoeia, with written accounts of its use going back thousands of years. But while Asian ginseng is considered a "warm" herb (stimulating, invigorating), American ginseng is more "cool" (calming, non-stimulating). Both are considered adaptogens, helping the body regulate various functions. It's hard to say which is held in higher esteem by herbalists and consumers of herbal medicine, but it's safe to say that both are highly valued and important.
When Europeans first announced their "discovery" of a ginseng species in America, first noted near Montreal in 1716, word traveled fast. By 1720, a French company was exporting American ginseng roots to China, and within a few decades the populations around Quebec were crashing, and ginseng exploitation traveled southward. By 1800, Albany, NY was a major center of ginseng exports. In the 1820s, nearly 4 million pounds of ginseng root were exported from the US to China. In the 1880s, that number peaked at nearly 7 million pounds. By 1980s, we were only able export a little over 1 million pounds of ginseng roots per decade, and now the number is about half that. This is not due to a lack of demand — just an ounce of dried Grade A ginseng root can go for upwards of $400 — but a lack of supply. Today, the majority of ginseng consumed is farmed, mainly in Canada (especially Ontario), the US (especially Wisconsin), and China, but the wild-harvested stuff — the real deal — is still more highly valued, and the American ginseng export market is highly regulated.
Of course, American ginseng was not discovered by Europeans. And Chinese people were not the first to recognize its medicinal powers. Indigenous peoples across its native range utilized ginseng. Haudenosaunee peoples ate or smoked the roots as a tonic. The Menominee used it similarly, and to increase one's mental capability. Seminole people used it for wound-healing. And the Penobscot used it to promote fertility. It is not recommended for children, pregnant people or those who are nursing. Recent clinical studies have found it effective at improving cognitive function.
The team at Plants for a Future has compiled a long list of traditional uses for the plant (links and citations can be found at PFAF.org): "The root is said to be adaptogen, cardiotonic, demulcent, panacea, sedative, sialagogue, stimulant and stomachic. It is used in the treatment of chronic cough, low-grade fever, spontaneous or night sweating and fatigue due to chronic consumptive disease. When taken over an extended period it is said to increase mental efficiency and physical performance whilst helping the body adapt to high or low temperatures and stress. Some caution is advised, though, because large doses are said to raise blood pressure. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use."
Our seeds — some of which are already sprouting in cold storage! — come from cultivated American Ginseng grown in China, imported by the good folks at Sheffield's Seeds in Locke, NY.
GROWING TIPS: Normally these seeds require 150 days cold-moist stratification, but when this batch of seeds arrived in our hands and we immediately put the seeds in damp peat, some began to sprout! We assume these seeds were already pre-stratified. So we recommend keeping the seeds or seedlings in damp peat in the fridge until you're ready to plant them in the early spring. If the ground isn't frozen where you live, you might be able to plant them as soon as you get them. Plants will generally thrive in fully shaded woodlands, especially on north-facing slopes in deciduous woods. Plant 1/2" deep.
