Conscientious herb gathering

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Your decision should depend on the age of the older plants (they're probably on the uphill side of the group, with the younger ones down the slope where the seeds rolled). You can normally get some idea of an individual's stage of development by the number of "prongs": the stalks that radiate from the central stem and end in a palmate cluster of leaves (generally five). Ginseng can have anywhere from two to - I'm told-eight prongs, although I personally have never found a "bunch" with more than five. (The word "bunch" refers to one single plant and probably came into use because each specimen has the appearance of a clump.) When I counted the stem scars on the root of that five-pronged plant, I found that it was 20 years old.

Some stories tell of century-old ginseng (though I've also read that the plants tend to deteriorate after about 25 years). The four-pronged specimens I've dug have been from seven to fifteen years old, those with three prongs from three to six.

I have a general policy of not digging any 'seng that has less than four prongs. This gives each of the plants several years to produce seed, and also allows every root to attain a larger size. (If I found a three-pronged individual with a particularly thick stem which could indicate an older, larger root, however, I might be inclined to take it.)

Another point about gathering only older plants is that as ginseng ages it often puts out a new auxiliary root a sort of spare which is there to maintain and nourish the herb in case of damage to the main system. Since "damage to the root" is us ginseng diggers' middle name, we should take care to protect this standby root by the following method: The larger main root or roots are removed by digging very gently and cautiously around the plant. The smaller auxiliary-still attached to the upper, portions is then re-covered in the earth with as little disturbance as possible. The whole process can be done without even removing the secondary root from the ground. Usually the "bunch" will wilt at first, but it will appear completely recovered after a day or two and will be able to live and reproduce as if nothing had happened. In this way we can protect our ginseng and eat it too.

It's quite possible, of course, to cultivate ginseng as an alternative to gathering it wild. This is a delicate and fairly long term procedure, but can be very profitable. I heard a story about an old farmer in Iowa who planted a few back acres with 'seng. When the roots were ready to harvest and sell, he actually had Oriental men in business suits flying in from China to buy the crop.

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