Ginseng diggers invade Wisconsin!
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Ginseng diggers numbering about 1,000 will be searching forest floors in western and northern Wisconsin over the next two months for the gnarled root of wild ginseng. Ginseng is valued by Asians for both its soothing and energy-boosting qualities.
Most of the state-licensed diggers are from within the state of Wisconsin, though others come from as far as California, Tennessee and Indiana, according to license records. A dozen or more cross the borders each year from both Iowa and Minnesota |
The diggers are taking part in an annual fall ritual of supplying Chinese customers with ginseng, the revered medicinal herb they believe to have a nearly magical ability to prevent illness and provide stamina, several state dealers said.
According to Paul Hsu, owner of Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises, wild ginseng roots from New York and Wisconsin are considered superior to roots from 17 other eastern states where it grows on the floor of hardwood forests.
Wisconsin's soils and cooler summers "are more conducive to root growth," said Hsu. Hsu is the largest grower of cultivated ginseng in Wisconsin with about 1,000 acres planted in roots. The company has its main office and warehouse in the rural Town of Texas, north of Wausau.
Ginseng is described an aphrodisiac. When infused as ginseng tea, it is believed to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, prevents growth of tumors, and reduces the effects of alcohol intoxication.
Locations of wild ginseng patches from Langlade County south to the Baraboo Hills and the Kickapoo and Mississippi River valleys are closely guarded secrets, Hsu said.
Though Hsu buys about half of the wild ginseng root harvested in Wisconsin each year, the diggers won't even tell him where they work.
Ed Kuester of Fredonia has been pulling ginseng roots out of the soil of Forest, Langlade and Oneida counties for more than 55 years, he said. Kuester, 71, said that the patches he targets, mostly in lumber company forests, were too isolated for someone else to find.
Wisconsin residents who dig pay $15.75 for an annual license if they collect the root on property that they do not own. Non-residents pay $30.75. The two-month harvest began Sept. 1 and ends Nov. 1.
Dealers last year paid between $300 and $400 a pound for the oldest, thickest and most wrinkled roots of wild ginseng, said Dan Wiebke, owner of Wiebke Fur Company in La Crosse and a ginseng buyer. A rounder root brings a higher price in China than a skinny one, he said.
The price rises with age. One reason is that the texture of the root becomes more porous and lighter after a few decades.
"The Chinese favor this lightness," Wiebke said.
Wild roots also attract a higher price because they taste sweeter than field-cultivated plants, according to Hsu.
Most of the ginseng on the world market comes from such cultivated and shaded beds.
Both cultivated and wild roots are sold in East Asia, where wild ones fetch much higher prices.
To ensure the survival of a wild population of ginseng in Wisconsin and other states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this year is permitting the export of only roots that are 10 years or older, according to Kelly Kearns, plant conservation program manager with the state Department of Natural Resources in Madison.
Roots exported in previous years had to be at least 5 years old. The federal agency ruled earlier this year that the lower age threshold did not allow plants to remain alive long enough to contribute to the production of new plants. Ginseng begins producing seed by 4 to 5 years of age.
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The age of a root is revealed by counting stem scars on the neck of the root. There is one scar for each year the plant produced a stem with leaves.
In 2004, diggers in Wisconsin harvested 2,000 pounds of dry ginseng roots from about 300,000 plants, Kearns said.
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The desire for ginseng is rooted in Chinese culture. Its name is based on the Chinese term jen-shen , which means "in the image of a man." Roots shaped like the human body are considered most desirable. An older root is a prized possession because Chinese believe the plant's longevity is passed on to the people who ingest it.
Hsu, 63, drinks two cups of ginseng tea each day and firmly believes that the herb helps the body's immune system fend off illness. He says that he's only had two colds in the last 32 years.
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Other medicinal properties he links to ginseng tea include improved digestion, enhanced concentration and heightened energy. Ginseng tea is also widely used as a sleep aid and stress reliever, he said.
Ginseng's reputation as an aphrodisiac, however, is simply a side effect of the root's basic qualities of enhancing stamina and calming nerves, according to Hsu. "Ginseng provides a feeling of well-being," he said. "There is less crankiness."
"If you're less tired and less stressed, you'll have more interest in sex," he said.
"You're more eager."
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