By Carter Patterson, Environmental Sciences student, University of North Carolina  –

Have you ever been walking through the woods of western North Carolina and happened upon a small plant that looked to be a Hickory tree sapling but with red berries?

My guess is that you probably haven’t. But if you were to go back to the 1600’s, this plant would be all over the temperate forest floor.

The plant described above is known as American ginseng, Panax Quinquefolius, a very important plant that has been used by humans for medical purposes all throughout time. Due to human overharvest, ginseng populations across the eastern United States have experienced a massive decline since European settlement and will disappear completely in the wild if the rate at which ginseng is being harvested does not decline in the near future.

Ginseng has been used as an all ailment cure for hundreds of years. The Cherokee were using it before the Europeans made the sail across the Atlantic, and once the Europeans realized the similarities to its asian sister species, Panax Ginseng, a revolutionary trading system began to arise. In the 18th and 19th centuries, American ginseng was America’s second leading trading product, with only fur being traded in higher volumes. This massive trade system from the United States to China is what initialized the decline of ginseng in the eastern wilderness; unfortunately, this trade is still active and strong today.

While researching North Carolina’s policies and approach to this decline, the North Carolina Ginseng Association was quick to pop up. Founded in 2013 by Robert Eidus, a passionate ginseng enthusiast and expert from New York, the NC Ginseng Association is an organization whose goal is “to produce organically grown ginseng in the woods (forest farming) in America for Americans.”  After speaking with Mr. Eidus, the severity of this relationship between humans and declining ginseng became clear; American ginseng is in trouble in the state of North Carolina.

Eidus began the conversion by talking about how the current ginseng market prices are run by Chinese growers, who have more interest in profit than species preservation. This leads to corrupt and exploitable policies in the market: one being that ginseng needs to be just 5 years old to harvest.

“The legal age of ginseng to harvest is 5 years, which helps the Chinese because they can get more ginseng at a faster rate. However, West Virginia study shows the full complement of ginsenosides are not fully produced until year 7 which means that these plants need more time to grow before harvesting for the full medicinal benefit.”

It is this type of misinformation and greed that leads to the ignorant poaching of this marvelous plant. In 2014, the History Channel released a reality TV show called “Appalachian Outlaws” that highlighted a group of ginseng diggers in the eastern US and influenced many citizens to go into the woods to harvest some of their own ginseng for personal profit. However, these people were not following laws and protocols that the government has set out on ginseng harvest. Eidus claims that “[‘Appalachian Outlaws’] ripped more ginseng out of the ground than any other single event in history.” The problem of poaching did not stop after the show ended, but, even today, the majority of wild ginseng is dug out of the ground by poachers who just want a little cash.

This problem can be stopped if policy makers knew more about the plant that they are trying to protect. Eidus claims that they sit up in their office in the Triangle and do not go out into the field which leaves them using “twisted logic” in their decision making with regards to regulating ginseng harvest.They can see the fact that the ginseng production is decreasing but fail to see why their policies are not working. Eidus has talked with the North Carolina Plant Conservation and pushed for a license requirement, similar to the licensing process for hunting and fishing, to harvest ginseng but they simply won’t listen to him or to anyone who is actually in the field seeing the effects of poachers.

“They have created more problems than helped since the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) treaty was signed in 1977.”

Eidus argues that policy on ginseng digging has to change but before policy can change, the general public and newcomer ginseng diggers have to change their outlook on this species of life. Because this is a small plant, and not a big mammal such as a deer or bear, ginseng doesn’t seem to be at the top of the list of concerns in America. However, this is not fair to the plant. Humans, all too often, view themselves as a higher being that is greater than the rest of the life on this planet. We use and destroy so many species for our own benefit, but those plants and animals have the right to live just as we do. Creating a mindset of respect for the plant is something that is important when sustainably collecting it for medicinal use. Ginseng owes us nothing, but yet it is giving us these medical properties and we must use what we are given in a sustainable fashion without harming the species as a whole.

When asked if he had any hope for this species in North Carolina, Robert Eidus responded with a hasty “no.” But he then went on to say that if there is rapid change in the near future then there is a slight chance to turn the wild ginseng populations around. It starts with education of the public and policy makers to realize what is actually happening to this plant and what it takes to replenish it.

“What has worked in the past is obviously not the solution.”

This article is meant to act as a message to the policy makers in North Carolina as well as to anybody who is looking into collecting ginseng themselves. We must come together as a community, educate ourselves with facts, and respect this plant as the magnificent form of life that it is. As Robert Eidus told me, we must all “WAKE UP!” and protect this species from wild extinction.

As for myself, I have hope for the future of this species as I believe humans are capable of helping a species just as easily as they can hurt one.

If you want to help, you can join the NC Ginseng Association on Facebook or get involved with local plant conferences to help spread awareness of the need for policy change.

Sources:

• History, Conservation, and Cultivation of American Ginseng, North America’s Most Famous Medicinal Plant (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-44930-8_6)
• In Defense of Plants Podcast: American Ginseng Revisited (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-381-american-ginseng-revisited/id1245995247?i=1000575276926)
• What is CITES? (https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php)
• Appalachian Outlaws (https://www.history.com/shows/appalachian-outlaws)

Robert Eidus addressed the North Carolina Plant Conservation Board about banning the export of wild ginseng from North Carolina, and licensing and educating harvesters.

January 11, 2022, Chapel Hill Arboretum, Chapel Hill, NC

Good afternoon, my name is Robert Eidus. I have been a North Carolina Ginseng Dealer, and have a North Carolina nursery license, continuously since 1994. I believe I have a unique perspective on American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), which, in my opinion, is in big trouble because of not only habitat loss and over harvesting, but uneducated out-of-season harvesting which has brought the poundage on a downward spiral.

It is my intention to show the Board and Scientific Committee that this is a man-made crisis and one that can be reversed to bring back the populations of this unique and rare plant.

Resource exploitation is not new to this planet and is one of the reasons the world got together in the late 1970s to pass the CITES treaty, with this plant on the first list of species that needed help. It is my reading of the treaty that those countries signing would put in rules and regulations that would maintain the plant’s numbers, and likewise protect its habitat. To date there is only the record of plants exported.

It would seem, from the raw numbers of pounds exported, that American ginseng’s plant numbers and habitat are troublesome. Two problems are the lack of a program to reseed or replant ginseng, and a new procedure to identify and educate the harvesters.

American ginseng has been exported to China since the 1780’s with an average of 315,000 pounds each year, or approximately 12,600,000 plants dug each year (with a pound consisting of 400 10year old plants). This is about 300 plus years or 4 trillion plants harvested, to throw out a number. We as humans can not keep taking this plant and not putting it back without dire consequences. It should be noted that before Europeans started exporting this plant it was considered a forest weed. It is not that the US government in the recent past has not given away seedlings to the public and nurseries over the years.

Is there any precedent about suspending the selling and export of wild ginseng across state lines? Since the mid 1990s, both Michigan and Maine have had a ban on exporting wild ginseng from their states.

There is also precedent when China and the US were not on the best of terms and American ginseng was banned from going to China. This could be (1) a political decision, like being on opposite sides in a war, to (2) economic decisions, especially the recent last round of tariffs in the past administration, or (3) during the Civil War when all exports stayed or were stored in the US.

So, states have banned the export of wild American ginseng across their state lines and the US has had periods in the past when export was stopped to China. The point is, whenever the export trade was halted or cut back it allowed the plant to come back in numbers and increased sustainable habitat, even if this was a collateral response.

Therefore, in my opinion, for conservation purposes, a temporary export ban could help the wild species return, as well as creating a new opportunity for NC ginseng forest farmers and nurseries to grow this crop in an organic wild-stimulated forest farming way for North Carolina residents, and an out-of-state attraction for the tourist industry.

However, if a temporary state ban is in effect for wild pouched ginseng, there is still a problem in the system that I believe needs fixing. Education of harvesters and the detrimental consequences to conservation must become forefront to NCDA. When the Covid virus was with us in 2020, I had two visits that year from young unemployed men both in early September. Both had large boxes with hundreds of ginseng roots. There was no way they could have harvested in season. On top of that, they did not know how to clean or dry the roots, so the roots started to mold out. There were hundreds of roots in each and the majority were under 5 years old or washed incorrectly. I obviously would not buy them and believe they were sent to the landfill.

In 2008, the Plant Division staff recommended to the Board (under Cecil Frost) to create a $10 Harvesting fee. This part of the meeting was never brought up or discussed. If there is a harvesting fee, then NCDA education can happen before the harvesters begin poaching out-of-season and not getting the education needed. Right now, education occurs mainly when they bring their roots to the dealer after it is too late. A ginseng harvesting fee has been established in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Maryland. It has been the USFWS’s suggestion to initiate a harvesting fee since 2008.

But the real reason for me to be allowed to talk about a state export ban and licensing of the harvesters, was the ban on harvesting in the National Forests in NC this year. The ban was reinforced in other states recently to include TN, KY, and GA, with VA in its 5 or 6th year, and Arkansas Ozark Forest since the 1990’s. I have been directed to, and recommended a Forest Service report by forest economist Frey Gregory in 2018. Thus the assessment by Gary Kauffman, in my opinion, was a wake-up call for the American ginseng plant in NC, which joined the harvest ban in other Southern Appalachian Mountain state’s National Forests.

In summary, creating a temporary export ban on wild American ginseng in NC will allow for the slow rise in plant species survival. Additional humans can help by allowing for the stratification of the ginseng seed. If a plant drops a seed there is 1% chance for germination. If we want to help this germination rate, good harvesters plant the red berries around 2 cm deep, plus a foot and a half from the plant. If this is done, there will be a 16% germination rate. However, if humans stratify the seed from fall to fall, the germination rate goes up to 90 plus %.

Creating a license for the harvesters is one of the best and easiest ways to conserve this plant. And, like the Forest Service limiting the number of pounds harvested for the season, should help with some of the out-of-season harvesting.

As a dealer, when someone has over ten pounds (approximately 4,000 plants) and swears it was off his own land, you know this is a questionable sale. They usually say the dig was legal, but when they then bring you 10 or more dried pounds right after the 15th of September and swear it was all in season, as a dealer you know they are lying. When you ask how they dried it, they will say air dried, but there is no way that can happen by mid September.

Most Ginseng Dealers will not publicly admit to participation in America’s last legally sanctioned illegal activity, the poaching of American ginseng, (which has been estimated at 85% of the wild crop). And, who is the main beneficiary? The Hong Kong Chinese, whose business model is to have their American harvesters poaching (approximately 95% of the yearly export documented) of America’s most important herb.

As one dealer stated to me, “By removing the existing trade from our forest to China, we would also help with the opioid and crack cocaine crisis.” Many harvesters are poaching to pay for illegal drugs. With harvester licensing and education, this could remove the stealing mentality from this industry and will go a long way for conservation of this plant.

by Kate Farley –

Robert Eidus is an avid American ginseng grower and educator who owns and operates Eagle Feather Organic Farm. To cultivate the next generation of responsible forest farmers, he also hosts classes, workshops, a radio show, and serves as president of the North Carolina Ginseng Association.

“It seems like with the environment, everyone’s up on trees and animals and insects and butterflies. But the plants are just not really defended at all.”

Robert Eidus considers his life’s purpose defending Appalachia’s wild woodland medicinal plants—plants like trillium, goldenseal, and especially American ginseng. At Eagle Feather Organic Farm, a medicinal plant nursery nestled in a mountain hollow north of Marshall, North Carolina, Eidus propagates a wide variety of medicinal herbs that he offers for sale and prepares into medicinal tinctures and capsules.

The heart and soul of Eidus’s work is American ginseng. Eidus got a later start in ginseng compared to many other growers and dealers. His first career was in real estate in Raleigh, North Carolina, but he grew frustrated with the business and yearned for a job that would be more physical and enable him to cultivate a deeper connection with the natural world.

“Whether it was a dream or a vision or whatever, I thought that I had this conversation with Grandfather Ginseng about being a person who could advocate for the plants. And that was kind of it.” In the early 1990s, Eidus built a house on the property that is now Eagle Feather Farm and began to seek prominent herbalists and experts in plant lore to help him learn how to steward the plants. Eventually, he settled on the technique of “wild simulation,” wherein the plant grows organically in a forest plot that mimics ginseng’s natural habitat.

Eidus is also a registered ginseng dealer and occasionally buys wild plants to process into medicine. However, he will buy ginseng only from those who harvest ginseng responsibly. Eidus promotes responsibility among other ginseng farmers, and encourages them not to use chemicals, which he believes poison the plants. He seeks to cultivate the skills of others through site visits, phone consultations, and workshops, as well as information made available through his website and local radio program.

As president of the North Carolina Ginseng Association (NCGA), Eidus supports sustainable ginseng growing and harvesting even further. He has used the NCGA to build community among younger, newer ginseng growers in North Carolina. The NCGA also advocates for state-level policies in North Carolina that incentivize organic ginseng growing and preserve wild populations.

Robert Eidus wears many hats, from consultant to association president, but above all he is a champion of ginseng stewardship and intends to see the plant thrive for many generations to come.

The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage will be launching a new web site sometime in the next few months, featuring 50 profiles of American ginseng experts from around the Appalachian region. The site is called “American Ginseng: Local Knowledge, Global Roots” and its aim is to provide a wide variety of expertise to inform people about this amazing plant, its ecosystem, and the need for conservation of ginseng and other forest botanicals.

Written by Brooke Randle –

From the April 27, 2021 issue of the Mountain Xpress

Wild American ginseng, prized for centuries for its medicinal qualities as an anti-inflammatory and aphrodisiac, grows naturally on the mountainsides of southern Appalachia.

“The main thing about ginseng is that it is the best plant for the human body to be rejuvenating,” says ginseng farmer Robert Eidus. “It has tremendous benefits to the human body.”

But high international demand for the herb — which sells for about $550 per pound — has led to over-harvesting and driven American ginseng perilously close to extinction. While the season for harvesting wild ginseng only lasts from September through December in North Carolina, the plant requires several years of growth to reach a harvestable size.

Eidus started Eagle Feather Organic Farm more than 25 years ago to grow and protect the area’s natural ginseng. Today, Eidus grows and distributes ginseng roots, seeds and plants while practicing and teaching sustainable agriculture to fellow ginseng lovers at the botanical sanctuary in Marshall.

Since the plants grow in their natural habitat, traditional farming methods are replaced with natural approaches. For example, the harsh chemicals that would otherwise be necessary to protect the ginseng’s valuable root systems against fungus aren’t necessary in the forest setting, Eidus says. Forgoing chemical fungicides protects both the environment and the eventual users of the plants.

“What happens, of course, is since this is a root crop, there’s all of that spraying going into the soil and the plant absorbs it,” he notes.

A handy guide published by NatureHub lists 11 of the best organic farms in NC.

Eagle Feather Organic Farm is — among other things — a Native Botanical Sanctuary. They grow organic medicinal herbs, including goldenseal and ginseng, as well as various other woodland botanicals.

Products include a cold and flu tincture and elderberry tincture. The farm sells books and videos, and also gives tours, classes and even apprenticeships on how to grow beneficial herbs.

See the full list at blog.naturehub.com/organic-farms-in-north-carolina

written by Robert Eidus, March 2019 –

The 2018 Farm Bill, or Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, is recent United States legislation that reauthorizes many expenditures from the 2014 Farm Bill, as well as changing some existing legislation and introducing new laws.

The $867 billion Farm Bill was passed by strong bipartisan support in Congress and was signed into law by President Trump on December 20, 2018. Some of the new and changed legislation in this Farm Bill was the result of questionable back-room deals between the government and large corporate interests. This law includes traditional issues covered by the Farm Bill, such as food stamps and farm subsidies, as well as the new legislation covering hemp and Cannabidiol (CBD) as an agricultural product. This Farm Bill is designed to benefit large agribusiness and Big Pharma, not small farmers or the American people.

Some of the changes made to the farm subsidies portion of the Farm Bill are not transparent, and even some conservative Republicans have opposed these changes. Farm subsidies have always been the largest expenditure in the Farm Bill and the 2018 Farm Bill now allows non-farmers to get these subsides. The Washington Post reports that Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), one of two farmers in the Senate and a member of the Agricultural Committee, voted against the package over its expansion of Federal subsidies to more-distant relatives of farmers, such as cousins, nephews and nieces…. “I’m very disappointed the conferees decided to expand the loopholes on farm subsidies,” Grassley said before the vote. “I’ve been trying to make sure the people who get the subsidies are real farmers”.[1] The Farm Bill does little to address the biggest problems in American agriculture: corporate farmers with inhumane treatment of animals, mono-culture cropping, and use of large machinery to produce less-nutritious mass-produced food in a way that destroys soil fertility. Thanks to corporate influence on our laws, we are spending billions of dollars only to have this unhealthy system continue with more loopholes than ever.

Funding for SNAP, better known as food stamps, is the second-largest expenditure in the Farm Bill. In previous years, funding for SNAP has been a major point of contention in congressional debates, with Democrats wanting to expand this important program and Republicans wanting to cut it. The 2018 Farm Bill preserves funding for this program, providing additional assistance to struggling families who need help putting food on the table. House Republicans gave in knowing that the White House “has signaled its intention to cut food stamps without approval from Congress,” according to the Washington Post.[2]

The 2018 Farm Bill also provides funding for other existing farm programs, though these expenditures are minor in comparison to crop subsidies and SNAP. Support for farmers’ markets has been made permanent, so that supporters of local agriculture do not need to fight for funding in future Farm Bills. This support includes promotional funds for local farmers markets, which has potential to help organizations in North Carolina like ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) and our existing farmers markets. The bill also allocates research funds for organic farming. These funds can be used by agricultural research institutions such as NCSU in Raleigh, and also by local organic farmers, who may apply for these funds. Another new funding category is Farm Transition, which assists organizations working to train the next generation of farmers in an aging industry. The average age of farmers in the USA is 59.4 years.[3] NCFarmlink, a NCSU Extension agency which works to connect young farmers with land and opportunities, plans to apply for these newly available funds, and if approved, may receive benefits for some of their projects (but not salaries or administrative costs.) The Farm Bill also includes permanent funding to assist veteran and minority farmers. Conservation programs continue in the 2018 Farm Bill, without the substantial changes that House Republicans initially wanted. These programs pay farmers to strengthen conservation efforts. My farm, Eagle Feather Organic Farm, is part of this program and has received a small amount to implement some common sense conservation measures. In my opinion, funding for this program needs to be greater to combat existing and ever-worsening environmental degradation.

I want to emphasize that the funding of farmers markets, organic research, transition farmers, veterans/minority farmers and the conservation programs are only a small part of the funding made available in the 2018 bill. Conventional large chemical-intensive agriculture gets the majority of farm funds for the next five years. Additionally, some of the recipients of these funds are not even farmers. Corporations that produce large amounts of unhealthy food will benefit most, while small diversified organic farmers who produce the best and healthiest food get a pittance. I am proud to be an organic farmer and believe organic farmers are not being treated fairly in funding. While this bill does not reverse the small positive changes that have been made in the past, it still does not provide anything close to the kind of funding our country needs in the future. Chemical companies have long promoted the myth that without chemicals, there would not be enough food to feed the world. This is a lie, because even with chemicals, millions of children go to sleep hungry each night while food waste and obesity are problems elsewhere. For thousands of years organic farmers have fed the world and can do so in the future.

One new feature of the 2018 Farm Bill is funding for legal hemp (Cannabis sativa). Cannabis is not usually part of the normal conversation around farm subsides, nutrition assistance, and crop insurance. However, the 2014 Farm Bill legalized hemp with a pilot research program that was championed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from the great State of Kentucky, which in the past was a leader in hemp production prior to 1937. In 2018 McConnell again provided key and strong support, primarily on the issue of hemp.

Including a hemp program in the Farm Bill sounds progressive, but it is actually designed in a way that will cause problems. There are no grants or subsidies for hemp in the Farm Bill; instead, farmers must pay to be part of a hemp cultivation program. The slight of hand of this legislation is historic. In 1937, the USA took away a farmers’ right to cultivate this useful plant based on scare tactics, yellow journalism, and wrong science.[4] Approximately 80 years later, farmers are being given back the right to grow, but only with massive restrictions. The natural right of a farmer to grow a crop without a license or permit should have been championed by conservative policy-makers instead of developing a bureaucratic government program. Is our government still relying on wrong science that suggests that that children will get high from smoking hemp, or that farmers will grow cannabis and hemp in the same field? Or is there another reason for this folly?

Cannabis sativa was one of the first plants to be cultivated by humans, and can be grown almost everywhere except the poles. At the turn of the 20^th century, C. sativa was included in the US Pharmacopeia, which reported that this plant has been used for thousands of years as a medicine for child seizures. However, in 1937, moral panic over cannabis led Congress to overwhelmingly pass the Marihuana Tax Act, putting punitively high taxes on this important medicine. Furthermore, unlike most of the industrialized world, US law did not differentiate hemp from other cannabis plants, with a few short exceptions such as the Hemp for Victory program during World War II. When the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970, cannabis and all cannabis-derived products were placed the Schedule 1 alongside harmful addictive drugs like heroin. This act defines Schedule 1 substances as having a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use, and a lack of accepted safety for use, even under medical supervision. This means that Tetrahyrocannabinol (THC), discovered in Israel in the 1960’s, and CBD, discovered in Spain in 1990’s, were both under Schedule 1 in the United States. For those who would like a good book to read about the subject, I would recommend Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific by Martin A Lee.

The 2018 Farm Bill heavily regulates legal hemp cultivation and production. Under the new 2018 legislation, each “state department of agriculture must consult with the state’s governor and chief law enforcement officer to devise a plan that must be submitted to the Secretary of USDA. A state’s plan to license and regulate hemp can only commence once the Secretary of USDA approves that state’s plan. In states opting not to devise a hemp regulatory program, USDA will construct a regulatory program under which hemp cultivators in those states must apply for licenses and comply with a federal-run program.[5] For a Congress set on removing Federal oversight by removing regulations, it is surprising to see a new law that involves heavy regulations, licenses, and fees, and increases the costs of government administration. Again, this fails the smell test.

Why in the world would our conservative Republican government want to create this administrative boondoggle? Why can’t American farmers join many countries in the rest of the world, where farmers are allowed to grow hemp as a typical agricultural commodity without severe regulation? Hemp has been used (with over 2,500 products and counting) for centuries, providing excellent high-quality long fibers for uses such as clothing, rope, paper, and building materials around the world. Remember, the US Constitution was written on hemp paper, the Betsy Ross flag was made of hemp fibers and our first President George Washington grew hemp plants. This type of hemp is grown in fields with plants very close to one another. The plant can be 20 feet tall and has a tap root that can extend 20 feet into the earth. Hemp is grown for the seeds, which have no THC or CBD, and for the stalk. All the plants in the field cross pollinate and the flowers are minimal. It is also a bio-accumulator, meaning that it absorbs toxic substances including heavy metals from the environment, and toxic solvents are often used to make products out of the hemp plant.[6] Before 2014, no one around the world consumed hemp, with the exception of hemp seeds. Hemp Seed Oil (note the word “seed”) contains no THC or CBD, but was approved by a US Court in 2002 over US government objection.

In the 2014 Farm Bill, for the first time in history, US hemp could not contain more than 0.3 % THC to be legal in the US. Is it because McConnell doesn’t believe THC is medical? I can not believe that our government is so hypocritical. Why would anyone care if rope, paper, or fiber, had .03 %or .05 %THC? Do Republicans feel that people would smoke hemp and get high? It is impossible for a person to get “high” from smoking hemp, whether it be 0.3 percentage of THC or even sightly higher. It seems that the new 2018 Farm Bill goes to great lengths to create penalties for growing hemp and cannabis together. However, growing cannabis with high amounts of THC requires specific growing methods that are quite unlike the methods used for growing hemp. Cannabis grown for the flower and THC and CBD content is usually grown as a “sinsemilla” (“without seeds”) plant, where only female plants are grown with no males around. Cloning from a “mother plant” is the common propagation method now for THC-content cannabis, rather than growing from seed. On the other hand, hemp is grown by seed and for seed and fiber, with male and female plants together in the same field. Hemp and cannabis would never be grown together, ever. So what is the back story our government is not telling us?

On October 7, 2003, the US Federal Government issued patent # 6630507, titled “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.” The inventors in this patent were Aidan Hampson, Julius Axelrod, and Maurizio Grimaldi.[7] Hampson and Grimaldi were scientists with the National Institute for Mental Health, and Axelrod was a scientist with the National Institute of Health. This patent was granted to the United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services. The application goes to great lengths to show the medical benefits of CBDs in this plant in order to get a US government patent. Granting this patent to the United States means that companies must apply to be allowed to use this technology patented by the NIH for research, and may also apply for license to create drugs using this technology. 15 years after this patent, the United States had granted only a few companies license to use the technology in Patent 6630507. One of them was GW Pharmaceuticals, a British big Pharma company. Several years, GW Pharmaceuticals developed a CBD-based epilepsy drug they called Epidiolex for two forms of childhood onset epilepsy. They submitted this drug to the United States FDA for approval in October 2017, and in June 2018, Epidiolex became the very first drug containing an active marijuana-derived ingredient ever approved by the FDA.[8] In September 2018, the United States DEA made an exception to existing classification, and placed Epidoex in the Schedule 5 controlled substance category, the lowest level. This category contains drugs with a proven medical use and low potential for abuse. However, other cannabidiol products were not reclassified.

As a recent NY Times article stated, “In June [2018], the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a cannabidiol-based drug called Epidiolex as a treatment for severe forms of epilepsy, representing the first government-sanctioned medical use for CBD”.[9] (Remember, of course, that Cannabis sativa was legal at the beginning of the 20th century!). GW Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Epidiolex, stands to profit hugely from this drug. Some sources are reporting that Epidiolex will cost around $32,500 per patient per year.[10] As the Alliance for Natural Health USA points out, the FDA at any time can demand that all other forms of CBD be taken off the shelves,[11] after which the only legal source of this medicine would be an outrageously overpriced drug that doesn’t even have the synergistic benefits of other compounds naturally occurring in the cannabis plant. As a result, besides the outrageous cost, a person taking Epidiolex may experience many harmful side effects like infections, rashes, depressed appetite, sleep problems, and elevated liver problems[12] that they would not experience by consuming cannabis. Is this Big Pharma’s answer to putting profits over child safety?

Was there impropriety with the secrecy and influence in having GW Pharmaceuticals (GW), a British company, become the first and exclusive approved manufacturer of a CBD drug? Also unusual is that GW was given UK Government permission to grow Cannabis for research in England, an exemption to UK laws (Cannabis sativa is illegal in England) The research done for this product, as reported in the NY Times, was done by the NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and led by the director, Dr. Orrin Devinsky. He was quoted as saying, the drug’s effect was “not miraculous.”[13] To be clear, the research was funded and produced by Big Pharma. If industry produces the research and not the government, they are under no obligation to release their findings to the public so we have no way of knowing the actual effects of these drugs.

Why was this association and the research about this program not widely publicized? Why the secrecy? Where is this research housed, and how can the public access it? This will be a win for Big Pharma, which historically pushes for single-molecule compounds, which favor patentable isolated compounds over whole plant synergies. The key word here is patentable. The FDA’s single-molecule tilt reflects a cultural and political bias that privileges corporate pharmaceuticals.

This has become a classic case involving back room deals that will benefit a company to receive huge profits . In this case it is CBD products, where the industry writes the rules to benefit their interests. What got us here is a complex web of circumstances that led to our current state of affairs. The start of the path is the “Big Lie” of 1937 about the science of Cannabis sativa. When Israeli researchers discovered THC in 1960’s, growing for medicine was moved forward. A step backwards came in 1970 when cannabis was listed as a Schedule 1 drug in the US, based on the outrageous lie that Cannabis sativa has no medical value. This would be countered in the 1990s after Spanish researchers discovering CBD, followed by the historic California law in 1996 making medical cannabis legal in the state. (33 states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes and 10 states permit adult use). In the early 1990s, Israeli researchers discovered that cannabinoids naturally occur in the human body, giving rise to research on the endocannabinoid system that is currently going on today all over the world.

A big leap for CBD medicine came in the 2010s when Dr. Gupta recorded for CNN the incredible story of Charlotte Figi and the Charlotte’s Web strain of cannabis from Colorado.

This real-life case proved the US Pharmacopoeia at the beginning of the 20^th century was right – that this plant is a powerful medicine for children suffering from epilepsy. Since then, many people from different states have brought their children to Colorado to get Charlotte’s Web from the Stanley Brothers in Colorado Springs, even going so far as to establish residency in Colorado in order to comply with the state’s restrictions on the medicine. To combat this move by parents and children moving to Colorado, 11 Republican states (Legislature and Governor) in 2015 passed their own hemp oil legislation. In North Carolina, the Hemp Oil Act was brought up and passed the same day in the House, sent to the Senate the next day, and sent to the Governor to be signed into law on the third day. It took all of three days.

To grow a hemp product in North Carolina, a farmer is required to be approved by NC Hemp Commission, purchase seeds from approved vendors, do the research for the crop for the government, get the crop batch lab tested, have a buyer before the program for each farmer, and destroy the crop if the lab test is higher than .03 THC.[14] That is really crazy. Furthermore, state cannabis programs like this are still technically illegal under federal law. So, as John Hudak from the Brookings Institute points out, CBD is only made legal under very specific circumstances.[15] It is not true that all CBD products have not been removed from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. To be legal, cannabis products must be produced by a licensed grower in a manner that is consistent with the Farm Bill as well as other federal and state regulations. So far, the only cannabis-derived product that meets all these requirements is one specific single-molecule drug that has been approved by the FDA: GW Pharmaceutical’s Epidiolex. There are numerous misunderstandings about the legality of CBD products, and, under the new Farm Bill, CBD products will be broadly available. But this does not mean all CBD products are legal moving forward.

The government has not heeded the lessons from research developments, such as the discovery of THC and CBD, and the discovery of the endocannabinoid system. They have not used the research findings which show that cannabis is a safe and effective drug that all Americans should have access to. Instead, it seems that the government and the pharmaceutical industry have used lies, cover-ups, and back-room deals to ensure that this important medicine just benefits the rich and powerful people and corporations in this country, with private companies doing the research and this research not being verified by third parties. As FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb stated, “In view of the proliferation of products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived substances, the FDA will advance new steps to better define our public health obligations in this area….In particular, we continue to be concerned at the number of drug claims being made about products not approved by the FDA that claim to contain CBD or other cannabis-derived compounds. Among other things, the FDA requires a cannabis product (hemp-derived or otherwise) that is marketed with a claim of therapeutic benefit, or with any other disease claim, to be approved by the FDA for its intended use before it may be introduced into interstate commerce.”[16]

As CBD products become increasingly popular among the public despite their murky legal status, it is important for us to keep several questions in mind. Why did the US government decide to schedule only this drug (Epidiolex) as Schedule 5, despite the fact that CBD is still technically Schedule 1? What are the implications of this contradiction between this exclusive and expensive approved medicinal use and a law that says that CBD has no medical benefit? This is contradictory to the government patent. How did this happen without public transparency? One branch of the US government approved Patent 6630507, another branch of the US government (the Department of Health) holds the patent, and yet another branch (the FDA) grants rights to corporations to utilize the technology in the patent. And yet still another branch, the Justice Department, can potentially enforce laws prohibiting any other use of Cannabis-derived medicine. Why can’t we acknowledge that the we made a mistake in 1937 and allow this useful plant to come back into our Pharmacopeia? This is another example of special treatment given to corporate allopathic medicine in the name of profits without transparency. It by has been shown by science professionals and thousands of years of use that the benefits of this natural medicine could otherwise be realized by millions of people, at very low cost, were it not for legislation and unfair business practices that favor the corporate elite and the one percent.

[1]   JeffStein. “Congress just passed an $867 billion farm bill. Here’s what’s in it.” washingtonpost.com. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/12/11/congresss-billion-farm-bill-is-out-heres-whats-it (accessed April 18, 2019)

[2]   Ibid.

[3]   National Young Farmers Coalition. “Average age of farmers continues to rise.” morningagclips.com. https://www.morningagclips.com/average-age-of-farmers-continues-to-rise/ (accessed April 18, 2019)

[4]   Martin A. Lee, Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific (New York:Scribner, 2012)

[5]   United States Department of Agriculture. “Industrial Hemp” https://nifa.usda.gov/industrial-hemp (accessed April 18, 2019)

[6]   Project CBD. “What to Look for in Your Cannabis Medicine.” projectcbd.org. https://www.projectcbd.org/guidance/what-look-your-cannabis-medicine (accessed April 18, 2019)

[7]   United States Patent and Trademark Office. “United States Patent 6,630,507.” http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6630507.PN.&OS=PN/6630507&RS=PN/6630507 (accessed April 19, 2019)

[8]   U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “FDA approves first drug comprised of an active ingredient derived from marijuana to treat rare, severe forms of epilepsy.” FDA.gov. https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm611046.htm (accessed April 22, 2019)

[9]   Williams, Alex. “Why is CBD Everywhere?” www.NYTimes.com. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/27/style/cbd-benefits.html (accessed April 18, 2019)

[10]   Loftus, Peter. “New Marijuana-Based Epilepsy Treatment to Cost $32,500 a Year” www.wsj.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-marijuana-based-epilepsy-treatment-to-cost-32-500-a-year-1533761758 (accessed April 19, 2019)

[11]   Alliance for Natural Health USA. “$32,500 for CBD Oil?” www.anh-usa.org. https://anh-usa.org/32500-for-cbd-oil/ (accessed April 19, 2019)

[12]   Roni Caryn Rabin. “CBD Is Everywhere, but Scientists Still Don’t Know Much About It.” www.NYTimes.com. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/well/live/cbd-cannabidiol-marijuana-medical-treatment-therapy.html (accessed April 18, 2019)

[13]   Ibid.

[14]   North Carolina Agricultural Commission. Title 2 Chapter 62 Industrial Hemp Commission. http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac/title%2002%20-%20agriculture%20and%20consumer%20services/chapter%2062%20-%20industrial%20hemp%20commission/chapter%2062%20rules.pdf (accessed April 18, 2019)

[15]   John Hudak. “The Farm Bill, hemp legalization and the status of CBD: An explainer.” www.brookings.edu. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/12/14/the-farm-bill-hemp-and-cbd-explainer/ (accessed April 19, 2019)

[16]   Morning AgClips. “FDA on regulation of products containing cannabis.” MorningAgClips.co. https://www.morningagclips.com/fda-on-regulation-of-products-containing-cannabis/ (accessed April 19, 2019)

written by Betty Belanus, April 17, 2019 for Smithsonian Folklife

“One ounce of wild ginseng powder has the value of $150! I thought, ‘If I screw these up, Robert’s going to be so mad at me.’”

Luckily, Jess Larson did not screw them up. At a gathering of the North Carolina Ginseng Association at Warren Wilson College in March, she presented a beautiful tray of glistening dark chocolate ginseng truffles, made with the precious powder donated by association president Robert Eidus. As the group’s secretary and also a skilled confectioner, Larson was charged with incorporating ginseng leaves and roots into tasty treats for the meeting.

The table laden with these delights was understandably the most popular place in the room, which also displayed ginseng roots, ginseng-infused honey, and other products for a silent auction. A diverse range of experts shared their experiences: Caleb Trivett, who began digging ginseng with his family as a child; John Kim, a Korean American ginseng trader who is attempting to open new markets for fresh ginseng in Los Angeles; and Iris Gao, a scientist from Middle Tennessee University whose cutting-edge research should help speed up ginseng growth and determine new medical uses of both the roots and leaves.

Compared to the panel speakers, Larson admitted that she is a mere ginseng novice. She grows a variety of other herbs, and now she is trying her hand at ginseng in the shady woods at her home in Hickory, North Carolina. She likes to experiment with recipes including teas and tinctures, and now that she has tackled ginseng sweets, she wants to try her hand at ginseng-infused liquors and bitters.

Ginseng root powder is believed to increase your energy level and boost your immune system. The taste of ginseng root is described as earthy and slightly sweet by some, and bitter by others. To me, it added an interesting undertone of flavor to Larson’s rich chocolate truffles. And, whether from the root powder, the sugar, the chocolate, or the good company of ginseng enthusiasts, my energy soared all afternoon. Between all the experts and one expert confectioner, their talents and innovative ideas bode well for the future of American ginseng.

Try your hand at ginseng truffles with the recipe kindly shared by Jess Larson. You can purchase American ginseng powder online or at health food stores.

Chocolate Ginseng Truffles

Makes about 14 (adapted from Minimalist Baker)

Ingredients
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup raw walnuts
10 whole medjool dates, pitted (if dried out, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain)
1 tablespoon cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon ginseng root powder (more or less depending on how much ginseng you want to taste)
1 1/4 cups dairy-free dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Toppings (optional)
1/4 cup cacao nibs, crushed pecans/walnuts
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Grind pecans and walnuts in a food processor or high-speed blender until they reach the consistency of a meal. Remove and set aside in a dish.

Grind pitted dates in the food processor until small bits remain and/or it forms into a ball.

Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginseng powder, and half of the nut meal to the dates and pulse. Continue pulsing and adding the nut meal a little at a time until a loose dough is formed. You may not need to use all of the nuts, which is fine because you can use any leftovers for topping the truffles.

Once you have a dough that’s easy to form into balls, scoop out one tablespoon and carefully roll or shape them into balls. (If they aren’t quite forming, hold the dough in your palm and let the heat of your hand warm them, then gently shape into a loose ball.) Set on parchment paper and place in freezer to chill while you prepare the chocolate.

Melt chopped chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second increments. Be careful not to overheat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in coconut oil to help the chocolate thin and ease the dipping process.

Remove the truffles from freezer and, one at a time, dip them into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to remove them and tap away excess chocolate. Transfer back onto parchment paper and top with sea salt, crushed pecans, or cacao nibs before the chocolate hardens.

Let set at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Transfer to freezer for longer-term storage.

Betty Belanus is a curator and education specialist at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. She is delving into the history and traditions of American ginseng as the subject of a Smithsonian Folklife Festival program for 2020.

by Robert Eidus,

Hemp oil is fake medicine, the snake oil of the modern era, and it is overwhelming my community of Asheville, NC.

Hemp oil vendors promise a pure product that will have all kinds of healing effects, but this is just the start of the false statements and outright lies associated with this fake medicine. There is no way for consumers to know what is really inside the hemp oil bottle, unless laboratory tests have been performed by a third party and the results have been printed on the product. In addition, hemp oil can contain harmful added substances that can cause harm, such as heavy metals and chemical residues, resulting in headaches and other health problems. Though many people claim to experience healing from CBD oil, there is no evidence that this is due to anything other than the placebo effect. The brain, not the medicine, is doing the healing.

One of the biggest points of confusion is the belief that hemp oil is the same as cannabis oil and can heal in the same way. Nothing could be farther than the truth. Though both hemp and cannabis come from the Cannabis sativa plant, the strains of C. sativa used for hemp oil have been bred for industrial uses, not human consumption. Industrial hemp is a toxic plant that is grown and processed with toxic chemicals to make products like rope, fiber, paper, and building materials. Most importantly, hemp is a bio-accumulator, which means that it draws toxins like heavy metals from the soil which then remain in the plant after it has been harvested. “That’s a great feature for restoring a poisoned ecosystem, but it is not great for making ingestible medicinal concentrates,” says Martin A. Lee in Project CBD: CBD Users Manual.

The second major confusion comes from the push by Big Pharma for single-molecule compounds over whole-plant synergies. This benefits pharmaceutical companies because isolated molecules can be easily patented. Again, this builds on misinformation and lies. Cannabis works through the “entourage effect,” which means that multiple compounds found naturally in the plant—in particular, CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)—work together within the human body to have effects that cannot be achieved by any one of these compounds alone. For a cannabis product to have medicinal effects, there is a minimum threshold of each compound that must be reached. CBD needs THC to be fully activated, so if you buy CBD by itself you are paying for fake medicine.

The third area for confusion is in the way that hemp oil products report the CBD concentration in milliliters. This is a serious mistake for this plant, since numerous factors are necessary to determine how much medicine any cannabis product contains and how much an individual needs to take.It is important to at least (1) have a complete taxonomic report with each product by batch, especially the THC and CBD percentage by dry weight, (2) know the particular cannabis strain and how it relates to your illness, (3) know the appropriate quantity to be ingested by consulting with a health care practitioner, (4) know the method of extraction, as the different types of organic extraction produce different strengths, and (5) know the best time of day to take medicine, for those sensitive to THC. Most importantly, the whole process of growing and extracting the cannabis product needs to be organic if it to be real medicine.

For a more accurate understanding of this complex plant, I recommend checking out Martin A. Lee’s history of Cannabis sativa in the book Smoke Signals (2012). According to Lee, Cannabis sativa was included in the US Pharmacopoeia at the beginning of the 1900, which recognized that the plant had been used for thousands of years for epileptic children. Lee also writes that 90% of the Cannabis sativa around the globe contains THC and CBD in a 1:1 ratio, and medicine for thousands of years was based on this ratio of constituents. It was not until after 1960, when THC was discovered in Israel, and the 1990s, when CBD was discovered in Spain, that plant breeders began to cultivate only female flowers, creating strains that produce much stronger medicine due to much higher levels of either THC or CBD. High-quality cannabis for medicine is grown using pots (indoors) or breathable fabric (outdoors) to control what these bio-accumulator plants ingest.

CBD and THC are both classified by the United States government’s Drug Enforcement Administration as a dangerous Schedule 1 substance and is discussed in the Farm Bill of 2018. However, in 2018, the Food and Drug Administration approved a specific CBD-containing medication, which was then listed under the less-restrictive Schedule 5 by the DEA. Do not be fooled that this is medicine: this fake medicine is a single-molecule compound produced by Big Pharma. Ask for scientific studies.

In 2014, North Carolina passed the Epilepsy Alternative Treatment Act (“Hemp Oil Act”), which allowed for epileptic children who are not responding to conventional treatments to use CBD oil medicinally. Patients must be diagnosed by a doctor at one of four university-affiliated hospitals and the product must be produced in a licensed NC pharmacy with lab testing results attached to each bottle showing that the product contains at least 10% CBD and no more than 0.9% THC. However, CBD oil sold in North Carolina does not display the lab results required by this program. That means that in North Carolina, CBD oil is technically legal, but qualifying products are not actually available. I would also contend that allowing only epileptic children to get Cannabis oil is not sufficient, since there are many other people who have a need for this medicine in North Carolina. Making medicinal cannabis available in North Carolina with laboratory testing will be the only way to get rid of fake medicine in my community.

Finally, we should also pay attention to the many available herbs, supplements, and over-the-counter medications that address the same ailments that people take CBD for, including anxiety, sleeplessness, and minor pain relief. A knowledgeable herbalist or holistic medical practitioner can point people toward other medicines that can heal these problems for a fraction of the cost—and a fraction of the risk—of hemp oil fake medicine.

 
Eagle Feather Farm worked with WWOOF in 2017 and is no longer an active participant.
For current farm opportunities, please contact Robert Eidus at (828) 649-3536.

Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, USA (wwoofusa.org),
Published by Nick Wolfenbarger on Sep 27, 2017.

Bart Zink first learned about wild harvesting from his father, hunting for morel mushrooms in rural Michigan. Now he hunts for wild mushrooms and ramps on the steep slopes of Western North Carolina. “You kind of have to go out into uncharted territory now,” Zink says. “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack, and you might not even be looking in the right haystack.”

People in the WNC mountains have been foraging in the woods for generations, seeking out edibles like mushrooms and ramps or medicinals like bloodroot, goldenseal, black cohosh and — perhaps most famously — ginseng. But with interest in these plants rising and more novice foragers venturing into the woods, the plants are becoming harder and harder to find.

“Ramps have been over hunted in certain areas,” Zink points out. “When I was in Barnardsville recently, I saw carloads of people who were going out into the woods with big grocery bags.”

The rise in popularity of tailgate and farmers markets is also putting an increased demand on these forest plants, and according to Jeanine Davis, associate professor and extension specialist with N.C. State University, many people don’t understand where the plants they buy are coming from.

“That’s always a shock to folks when I show them that most of this black cohosh, bloodroot or goldenseal, there’s not a farm where it came from,” Davis says. “People are walking out in the woods and finding it, and that’s not necessarily bad, but we do need to have some controls on this, or those plants could be gone.”

As gourmet restaurants tout the flavors of wild edibles and herbalists extol the health value of native medicinals, interest in these plants is only continuing to grow. But what is the responsbility of the recreational forager or even the consumer? When browsing the stands at the farmers market or the shelves in an herbal shop, how can you know if the plants and products you’re purchasing came from overharvesting or even poaching? How can you know if you’re encouraging a sustainable, local economy or contributing to a growing problem?

An unsustainable demand

Davis notes that one of the first things to understand, is that not all these plants come from foraging. Some local growers are taking up the task of cultivating in their forests, but growing sustainably comes with a price.

“I can take you into the woods and show you people growing these plants all over the place,” Davis notes. “But [the question] is, ‘How do you do it so that you make money? How do you charge enough? What kind of yields do you need?’”

Ginseng is a potent example. Wild ginseng roots fetch a high price on the herbal market, but they are also small, light in weight and take years to mature to their full potency.

“Think of how old this little root is, but also think of how many of these it takes to make a pound,” Davis notes while examining a wild root. “People say, ‘Oh, ginseng’s going for $1,000 a pound,’ but that’s dried. Think of how many of these it takes to make a pound. It weighs basically nothing.”

Some growers have turned to simulated conditions and, in many cases, large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides to produce a plant that can be harvested quickly, but is compromising quality, says Robert Eidus of Eagle Feather Organic Farm in Marshall.

“The growing period for the cultivated [variety] is three to four years, and they grow for weight,” Eidus says. “With the wild [variety], it takes 6 1/2 to seven years to get the full constituents, and they’re not growing for weight; they’re growing for age. You’ve really got two different products that are confused by the public as the same thing.”

Examining the root of a cultivated ginseng plant will easily show you the difference. The wild root is small and gnarly with a long neck, whereas the cultivated root is larger and smoother. But most consumers aren’t buying ginseng roots — they’re buying dried and ground up ginseng that comes in a bottle that tells you little or nothing about where the plant came from.

Some growers, including Eidus and other members of the N.C. Ginseng Association, grow in the forest or by simulating wild conditions without the use of chemicals. But these growers are selling their ginseng at a higher price in smaller markets, not growing quickly to sell in bulk to high-volume buyers in the U.S. or Asia. Eidus asserts that most of the ginseng grown in America, and most of what you’ll find in herbal stores — particularly large chains — is exposed to chemicals and harvested too young. “You can’t get away from that fact,” Eidus says. “There’s just a small amount of really good ginseng in the world, in my estimation.”

A desire for the more potent wild ginseng has led to the rise of poachers who take the plant from private and federal lands without permission, hoping to make a quick buck. And when money is involved, so is greed — and little incentive to leave any of the plant behind.

“The mental attitude seems to be, ‘If I don’t take it then that jerk over there is going to take it, and I’m not going to let him have it, so I’m going to take it all,’” Eidus says. Though he says many ginseng dealers have a “sixth sense” that a plant has been poached, it’s often impossible to know for sure.

“The plant is definitely endangered and going downhill,” Eidus adds. In order for a wild patch of ginseng to be considered sustainable it should have about 75 plants in it, he adds. But, “You don’t see that anywhere anymore.”

Ginseng isn’t the only plant facing limited supply and high demand. Eidus and Davis say goldenseal and lady slippers — often used in tinctures — are both highly threatened by overharvesting.

Growing solutions

So, what do you do to make sure you’re being a conscientious consumer? Davis says to start by reading the labels: Look for the USDA Organic label to know no chemicals were used in production or the Blue Ridge Naturally label to know that any wild-crafted ingredients were sourced sustainably.

But most importantly, Davis says, ask questions: Ask where the plant came from, how it was grown and what the seller is doing to prevent overharvesting.

And once you find a grower or seller you trust, be willing to pay more for their products, Davis adds. “If we want to support the farming of these plants, we need to be willing to pay a little bit more,” she says. “It’s going to cost more for someone to farm something than to go out on property they don’t own and just gather it all up.”

For those searching out these plants in the woods, local forager Michael Gentry says to take less than a quarter of what you find and remember the Rule of Three: Leave some for the wild animals, some for re-seeding and some for other foragers.

Of course, there’s another option for those who are looking for a modest supply of these plants or who are interested in preservation efforts: You could always grow your own. Many forest plants can thrive on steep slopes unsuited for other gardening, Davis points out. And Eidus adds that ginseng and goldenseal can happily grow together in a raised bed with good drainage and good shade. “It’s my answer to suburbia,” he says. “[You] don’t have to have a forest.”

Davis adds that many people in the area are inheriting land that they have no interest in farming but still hope to keep. Modest harvesting of forest plants can provide additional income to cover property taxes. And creating contracts or agreements with others who would responsibly forage on your land in exchange for caring for the property is a way to protect the plants and keep your land in good condition.

The main thing, though, is to be mindful. Whether you’re shopping at the farmers market, exploring in the woods or even beginning a construction project on your property, Eidus says to be aware of the unique and fragile nature of the plants around you.

“We have not dealt with these plants correctly,” Eidus says. “We don’t really care what’s in the forest, and that’s unfortunate because we’re losing this connection to these plants that was really strong just three or four generations ago.”