This week I want to address a topic that has been on my mind since early this month: The conservation of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng). As a side note, at the beginning of my MUIH class, Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine, we were each to choose an herb from a list that we would be researching and experimenting with throughout the class. Though Panax quinquefolius was not on the list, my teacher was kind enough to allow me to choose this herb. Unfortunately, not everything I have wanted to say about the plant is appropriate for the assignments we are given... so here we are.
Appalachian Outlaws
It came to my attention while I attended a little seminar
given by Dr. Eric Burkhart via United Plant Savers, that the television show, ‘Appalachian
Outlaws’ which glorifies the poaching of our precious botanical, was filmed in
West Virginia. Further, I found out, it
was filmed in counties that I happen to have a vested interest in. I would like to hear what some local opinions
are regarding this show’s filming here in southern West Virginia.
Why Should I Care?
American ginseng is precious,
not just because it is valuable in dollars, but because it is ours and it is already a vulnerable species
by its very nature. The plant is slow to
mature, finicky about where it thrives and furthermore, is being wiped out through unethical means (trespassing, etc.) by people
who mean little more than to make a buck off of it. If such poachers keep going the way they are
going, then they will over-harvest themselves deeper into poverty… and then
what? I digress. Obviously, this plant is sought after for
reasons other than its rarity.
“Colonel Byrd, in his History
of the Dividing Line, wrote, ‘To help cure fatigue, I used to chew a root
of ginseng as I walked along. This kept
up my spirits. It gives an uncommon
warmth and vigor to the blood. It cheers
the heart of a man that has a bad wife, and makes him look down with great
composure upon the crosses of the world.
It will make old age amiable by rendering it lively, cheerful, and good
humored’” (Wigginton, 1975).
The Chinese pay a fortune for these wild-grown roots. Says Appalachian man Sylvester Yunker in
Chris Bolgianio’s “Living in the Appalachian Forest: True Tales of Sustainable
Forestry,” “This is what the Chinese don’t have… The reason they pay so much
for American ginseng is that they’ve deforested their country and can’t grow it
wild anymore. Korea has a big business
in cultivated ginseng, which is artificially shaded, fertilized, and sprayed
with fungicides. But the fleshy roots
that you get when it’s grown like an agricultural crop are very different from
the small, dark, rough and gnarly wild ones, with their concentric growth
rings” (pp 84-85).
This rare and elusive herb is used for handling stress,
mental fatigue, to boost the immune system, and to fight colds and the
flu. According to the ancient Doctrine
of signatures, medicinal herbs should be chosen to treat the body parts that
they resemble. What does this picture of
American ginseng root look like to you?
Before you start letting your imagination run too wild, I will just tell
you that many would say that it resembles the human body and is similarly purported
to be a miraculous overall-body tonic.
(Dr. Ginseng, 2011)
Why Ginseng Needs You
Now, imagine all this being wiped out from our soil –
because it’s happening. Can you live
with knowing that the Chinese consumed most of this treasure of ours? Of course you can, but why should you? Wouldn’t you like to stroll along and find a
nice Ginseng plant, ready to be harvested, plant its seeds around it, dig it up,
and chew on it yourself to see what all the commotion is about?
For my next post, I am preparing a fun-filled letter-writing
formula making it very easy for you to help save this herb. I can’t write the letter for you, but I can
make it easier. The more letters from
various constituents, the more seriously they will be taken, and the more
likely you will be able to stumble upon and enjoy the Appalachian gold yourself.
Bolgiano, C. (2002). Living in the Appalachian
Forest: True Tales of Sustainable Forestry. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole
Books.
Dr.Ginseng (2011). American ginseng in human
figure. Cultivated in Marathon Ginseng Gardens. Retrieved from
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Americanginseng.jpg
Wigginton, E. (1975). Foxfire 3. United States
of America: Anchor Books.
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