For information on Identifying Ginseng, please Click Here

American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius) is a fleshy root perennial. Stems and leaves die in winter but regrow in the spring. It is a shade requiring plant, native to north-facing slopes in hardwood forests and best adapted to cool, temperate climates. It grows naturally in the western mountains and foothills of North Carolina. This plant has a short, legal harvest season between September 1 and the first frost.

Organic Wild vs. Chemically Cultivated

The vast majority of ginseng in the world has been sprayed with chemicals, especially fungicides. Some ginseng plants are also sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. There is a sacred relationship between the earth, air, and water allowing ginseng to grow. To grow “wild” the plants are traditionally found in hardwood forests under a canopy of tall dense deciduous trees. Usually the slope is facing North, rich in humus soil, and surrounded by companion plants.

Since ginseng is a root, it absorbs the natural minerals from the soil. Research has indicated that it may not be possible to regrow a root in the same exact spot for many years, since it depletes the soil. New research into natural herbal fungicides is being conducted at Eagle Feather Farm.

The ginseng that is cultivated can be farmed in raised beds, like in Wisconsin, or in “woodsgrown” beds, like in the mountain and foothill forests of the East Coast of America. What occurs when large numbers of ginseng plants are grown in close proximity is that a fungus appears, every time.

As the fungus moves in the beds it creates a circle and in a short period of time destroys the entire bed. A typical bed can have thousands of plants and be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

As far as we know the only way to eliminate the fungus is to spray the plants. The fungicide, pesticide or herbicide is then absorbed into the root. It is not known if the chemicals are toxic.

The two types of ginseng are different in the following ways: the wild organic root is knarled, ringed with wrinkles, small, light weight and has a bitter woodsy taste. The cultivated root is larger, heavier, smoother, tastes sweeter and smells different. The 1994 price on the world market for dried roots were ninety (90) percent more for the wild organic roots.

Studies in 1986 show that 94% of the organic wild American Ginseng is purchased by the Chinese in the Pacific Rim. The Orient, mostly from Hong Kong, sells the most chemicalized ginseng back to us for American consumption. This not to say that fungicided ginseng does not have ginsenicides, it does. However it would also include chemicals with possible toxin build up in the body which most people would not want to ingest. Unfortunately, the ginseng industry does not tell you the negative effects of its products.

Growing Ginseng

• Please see our page on growing ginseng and goldenseal.
• Soil mixture requirements

Harvesting Ginseng

• “Dig” only AFTER the plant’s red berries (seeds) have dropped or were harvested, in the legal season.
• Harvest in the Native American tradition with prayers and rituals including “smudging” and tobacco offerings.
• Never strip a digging area or harvest the first plants.
• Leave smaller plants for the “seventh generation” by harvesting only roots that are over seven years old, with most plants being between ten and twenty-five years old.
• After harvesting, the “green” roots are carefully washed and air dried under controlled shade conditions. The process of drying takes over one month. Do not quickly dry the roots using a dehydrator, heat, or sun drying as this could affect the potency and will make the roots brittle. After the roots are dried, the individual roots are packaged or they are processed for tinctures, capsules or powder.

Download a Good Stewardship Harvest Brochure for Wild American Ginseng (click on your state). The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has produced a series of brochures to encourage good stewardship practices by those who harvest wild American ginseng roots.

For Ginseng Export Requirements, Click Here

The Ginseng Harvest In Madison County >> (newspaper article)

Check out Plants & Their Friends on YouTube.

Ginseng is very susceptible to fungus and as a result, it is sprayed with a variety of fungicides to reduce the chances of the plant building up a tolerance to just one chemical. Consumed as a holistic herb taken for general well-being, the residue of fungicides on the root is considered a harmful additive which detracts from its healing properties.

Robert Eidus, owner of Eagle Feather Organic Farm, explains how ginseng is not regulated for the presence of fungicides and as a result, much of the ginseng that is sold for public consumption is tainted with harmful chemicals. There is an alternative form of ginseng and that is in a wild-grown or wild-simulated root without the use of fungicides. Robert explains the organic method he uses to ‘immunize’ ginseng against the soil-born fungus.

By steeping goldenseal roots and rhizomes in hot water, he makes a concentrated tea that he uses to wash the soil in the raised beds. Once the soil has been washed with the antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of goldenseal, the ginseng seeds are then planted. To combat air-born fungus, Robert sprays the ginseng seedlings with horsetail. After it rains, a new coating of horsetail spray should be applied. While this method may be more feasible for smaller patches of ginseng, growing ginseng and goldenseal together may help reduce the spread of fungus such as phytophthora.

Provided courtesy of Forest Farming. Find them on YouTube at www.youtube.com/channel/UCA-ZP07pEpCzWuGGeI1veWQ

Robert Eidus, owner and operator of Eagle Feather Organic Farm, explains the ecology of ginseng, goldenseal, trillium, and ramps. In order to successfully grow these forest medicinals, edibles, and decorative plants, it’s imperative to understand their relationship to their environment and in some cases, to each other. While their rate and success of propagation in the wild are different, they enjoy similar forest ecosystems. Loamy soil that drains well, often related to slope, in addition to the shade of deciduous forests are, in a nutshell, the preferred habitat of these forest plants.

Provided courtesy of Forest Farming. Find them on YouTube at www.youtube.com/channel/UCA-ZP07pEpCzWuGGeI1veWQ

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.”

Do you shop at health food stores for what seem like the best nutritional supplements?

By Anne Brock, Flour Sack Mama
Reprinted from floursackmama.blogspot.com
Thursday, May 5, 2011

Do you shop at health food stores for what seem like the best nutritional supplements? Robert Eidus says you might want to think twice about the source. Eidus is unapologetically a purist about medicinal plants like ginseng, goldenseal and others that he grows on his unique forested mountain farm.

While I was visiting his booth recently at the Asheville Herb Festival, I was one of numerous visitors whom Eidus took the time to converse with. His NC Ginseng & Goldenseal Company was selling some live plants at the festival. But the most valuable thing Eidus offers is his wealth of information.

“Ginseng is the best tonic on the planet to rejuvenate more parts of the body than any other plant,” Eidus explained. Scientists are coming to understand the workings of ginseng as an adaptogenic herb that helps the body to heal itself. Eidus is concerned that the way most ginseng is grown today, in a monoculture environment with fungicides, and harvested too early, creates false hope for American consumers.

In Eidus’ opinion, “In our health food stores, they have cultivated gingseng that’s max three to four years and is loaded with fungicidal residue.” He explains that respect for this plant and its full medicinal properties means waiting at least six and a half or seven years before harvesting it on one’s own private property, where the plant loves to grow under a canopy of trees.

He tried to show me how to notice the layers of growth called bud scars atop the plant’s root that can indicate when it’s ready to harvest. He cautions that it’s illegal to take ginseng or any other plants from public lands like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where poaching is a problem.

On his Eagle Feather Organic Farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Eidus teaches organic growing methods. His farm has even been the site of research for the US Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Research Education Program.

He offers numerous classes, workshops and farm internship opportunities. On the day of the festival, a couple of interns who had been learning on the farm that week were assisting with plant sales.

As with anything related to your health, you may want to consult your medical doctor before using natural medicinal supplements. Eidus notes particularly that goldenseal can be dangerous to ingest in high amounts.

His perspective on medicinal plants certainly offers a lot to think about. You can see more of this plant expert’s sage wisdom at youtube.com/PlantFriends.

Heather Sprouse, Leah Houghton interned with the farm via Helpx.net.

Robert Eidus, Cory Pine Shane, and Mark Williams join host Ned Ryan Doyle for a look at the medicinal plant, goldenseal, recently de-listed as a threatened plant species by the NC Plant Commission. The history and uses of goldenseal are outlined, the current regional industry and the uncertain future of this remarkable plant are all at stake.

Original airdate 1-16-2011. Online at www.oursoutherncommunity.org

by Diana Schmitt –
Madison County Sentinel, September 8, 1999, page 18.

Eagle Feather Farm, at first glance, doesn’t not look like a typical farm — there are no tractors, open fields, or barns. What you will find instead is shady southern Appalachian forest.

Robert Eidus, owner and operator of the farm, raises ginseng, goldenseal and other native medicinal herbs as well as Chinese herbs.

The 30-acre-tract upon which Eidus’ farm rests lies off Indigo Bunting Rd. near Barnard. Eidus mentions that this is a “famous piece of land”, as it once belonged to Howard Allen, known for having “pulled everybody out to the ditches of Madison County.”

Also famous to the land is the 27-foot deep fishing hole on the French Broad River.

Eidus purchased the land in 1980 and made the final move to the area in 1993 when he founded the North Carolina Ginseng and Goldenseal Company.

Eidus, a former “urbanite from the Northeast,” found himself drawn to the cultivation of ginseng and goldenseal by at least two events. In 1992 he attended an historical conference by Dr. Jeanine Davis on ginseng.

He soon after discovered ginseng on his property and learned that goldenseal is endangered in North Carolina. Since then he has felt called to make the herbs available to others

According to Eidus, North America and China are the only places on the globe where ginseng exists natively. North Carolina produces 9,000 pounds of ginseng per year. 94% of this goes to Hong Kong for processing. It takes approximately 400 roots to make one pound.

Madison County currently ranks second in North Carolina, behind Jackson, for ginseng exportation at an average of 800 pounds per year. This is likely due to the fact that 78% of Madison is forest- -the habitat that ginseng naturally thrives in.

The majority of Madison’s ginseng is ‘wild crafted’ This means harvesters are not involved in the cultivation of the plant. They merely walk the mountain habitat and collect the roots as they find them.

What Eidus is doing is very unusual. He is cultivating his plants in the wild and not exporting them. He stated that he is the “only person who deals with it from seeds and roots to the final products.” He believes American ginseng should go to Americans. As well, because he is cultivating the plants in their native habitat, they are organic.

This in contrast to standard commercial cultivation in areas such as Wisconsin where plants are cultivated in raised beds and sprayed heavily everyday with chemicals to prevent fungus. Plants are then exported to Hong Kong for processing.

Two factors increase the cost of ginseng by twofold – – commercial cultivation and exportation of the roots. Whether wild crafter or cultivated, to Hong Kong for processing. The price of one pound increased from $300 to $ 600.

“The best roots are wild ones,” stated Eidus. It is healthier and cheaper to use local, wild organic roots.

Eidus believes that ginseng is “the most remarkable plant on the planet because it affects the most parts of the body of any plant.” Ginseng is ideally a tonic for the preservation of the whole body. It should be considered a holistic aid to better health, rather than medication for a particular symptom.

Traditionally, Eidus relates that ginseng has been touted to: increase fertility, increase red blood cell count, increase brain activity, aid in sleep disorders, regulated blood sugar in diabetics, increase energy, lower stress levels, and generally produces a longer life.

Eidus’ vision for Eagle Feather Farm is “to get excellent quality products to the public.” He wants his farm to become an educational center, to demonstrate sustainable farming of the forest, proper composting, and efficient solar energy and water usage.

As part of this educational intent, Eagle feather Farm will be one of six farms on the 1999 Mountain Farm Tour. The tour is highlighting small farms in Madison and Buncombe counties using a variety of approaches to sustainable practices.

In addition, Eagle Feather Farm is a member of the North Carolina Herb Association and the Mars Hill farmers’ market.

Eagle Feather Farm has a license from the state of NC to purchase ginseng for export. There are approximately 9,000 lbs of NC ginseng sold to Hong Kong each year. In Madison County, NC, where Eagle Feather Farm is located, there were approximately 800 lbs collected. Each harvester has to complete a NC state form, indicating the county where the ginseng was harvested, the date, plus the pounds. Wild ginseng looks, tastes, and smells different from cultivated and sprayed ginseng.

When the 1-26 corridor was opened, Eidus made 29 native plant rescues. He was able to save numerous species which otherwise would have been bulldozed. Eidus offers tours of the farm and holds yearly spring conference, “Food is Medicine, Medicine is Food.”

Eagle Feather Farm is young and growing. Presently the farm offers tonic and corrective tinctures, on, two and three-year-old ginseng roots for planting, goldenseal roots, and seeds from five states.

“I am on of the only people selling organic ginseng in eastern America,” comments Eidus. Unfortunately, he can’t produce it all yet and must accept some roots and seeds from other farms which are not organic.

“Nobody is selling organic,” stated Eidus. He looks forward to a time when his farm is able to produce his entire inventory organically. And he hopes that as organic becomes important to more and more people, there will be some competition.