There’s gold in them there hills. Brown gold. Mountain
ginseng. And it’s selling on
foreign markets for up to $500 per pound.
Don’t think you can go prospecting, though. In this case, you
can’t just dig your
fortune out of the dirt.
"Digging ginseng is much more regulated than it used to
be," said Greg
Sheppard, Lumpkin County director for the University of Georgia
Extension Service.
"We still hear about people trying to sneak onto
someone’s property to dig,"
Sheppard said. "But now, a patch is pretty well-guarded or
kept very quiet."
In Lumpkin County, as in many north Georgia counties, you can
still find wild ginseng,
which yields the most prized roots.
"We have a fair amount, yes, but I don’t think anybody
knows exactly how
much," Sheppard said. "It’s not something you
advertise."
Fear of overdigging and depleting the wild crop led to the
1979 state protection act
that set a harvesting season, much like a hunting season.
The law limits the harvest to only plants with three or more
prongs dug from Aug. 1 and
Dec. 31. The digger must have permission from the landowner (or
from District Ranger
Stations on Forest Service land) and must plant berries wherever
he digs the roots.
Anyone buying ginseng must be registered by the Game and Fish
Division of the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources.
"We’re trying to be sure plenty of it survives in the
wild," Sheppard said.
"For years the old-timers would hunt it in the forest. Now
it’s cultivated.
"Some people say the wild or older plants are a little
more potent and of higher
quality than cultivated," he said, "but I don’t know
if that has been put to the
test.
"We do have a pretty good crop here," he said.
"It’s a valuable crop,
but it takes about eight years to develop. It can be dug sooner,
but you won’t get the
premium price."
Ginseng is so valuable because of its health claims.
"It claims to cure anemia, diabetes, edema, high blood
pressure and ulcers,"
said Connie Crawley, an Extension food, nutrition and health
specialist. "But the one
claim everyone thinks about is sexual potency.
"There is no proof," Crawley said, "that
ginseng does any of these
things."
In many Asian countries ginseng is used much like a vitamin
supplement. "It’s
supposed to make you more vital and energetic," Crawley
said.
Even those who claim it works don’t know why.
"They think some chemical compounds make it work but
they haven’t been able to
document it," she said.
Some minor side-effects to taking ginseng include insomnia,
diarrhea and skin
eruptions. But Crawley said even people who take a large amount
don’t have too much
negative effect.
The ginseng root is sold in many forms, including pills,
powders, extracts and teas.
"There’s really no way to know what dosage you’re
getting," Crawley said.
"Different types have different potencies. Amounts listed
on labels are often
incorrect."
During the ginseng plant’s first two stages, which may last
10 years or more, its roots
are small and not worth digging. It does begin fruiting during
that time, its central
stalk bearing bright red berries with one to two seeds each.
A mature plant has three to four compound leaves with five
leaflets each and may be six
to 18 inches high. Its roots weigh much more in the fall, near
the end of the growing
season.
If you decide to try digging ginseng, first get a permit.
When digging, take care not
to break off root tips or branched sections.
Rinse the roots of loose dirt, but don’t scrub. Spread them
out in a dry, airy place
for drying. Oven drying isn’t recommended because the roots will
almost certainly scorch,
making them worthless.
