Subject: ginseng root

From: [email-masked] (Paul Stewart)
Date: 3 Jun 1995 12:17:41 -0400

I wish to correspond with anyone who has info or experience in 
the proper method of curing, steaming, or drying raw whole ginseng roots. 
I have been doing tissue culture of the plant fro a couple of years now 
with an eye for eventual improvement of seed stratification or production 
of somatic embryos. The net has been of great help in this, and now I'm 
trying to develop the proper method of processing locally grown root. 
Also, if anyone has a source of wild American ginseng seed, I would be 
willing to acquire the proper import permits for that country 
(experimental use and quantity only for now). Thank you all.

ABIOGEN c/o Paul Stewart
RR #2 Vernon Bridge
Prince Edward Island
CANADA   C0A 2E0
[email-masked]

---

From: Michael Moore <[email-masked]>
Date: 8 Jun 1995 07:36:54 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> Paul Stewart,
[email-masked] writes:
>Subject: ginseng root
>From: Paul Stewart, [email-masked]
>Date: 3 Jun 1995 12:17:41 -0400

This is an excerpt from the "1990 Spring Pricelist & Outdoorsman Catalog",
distributed to herb and fur "harvesters" throughout rural areas in the
south 
and east by Wilcox Natural Products, far and away the largest broker of
North American herbs in the world.

                           "How To Get Top Price For Your Ginseng
                           American Ginseng, Panax Quinqefolium

	When digging ginseng remove the roots with all the root hairs in place.  
Do not split or scar the root.  Wash in cool water as soon as possible
after 
digging.  Swirl the roots in water and remove the loose dirt wlth your
finger-
tips untll the water comes away clear.   
     Air dry roots in a well ventilated room or on a porch by placing
them on 
a screen or cardboard flat.
     Keep the roots away from dew or rainfall.
     When dry store the roots in a brown paper bag or carton leaving the
top 
open.   Don't store in plastic bags or other airtight containers.
     An ideal root wil be thumblike in shape golden in color with dark 
concentric rings 
     Immature roots or roots dug in the spring will be long and thin and
have 
less weight than roots dug in the fall.
     One sure way to ruin your ginseng is to place it in an oven too near
a 
hot wood stove or on hot tin on a roof or in the back of a car.  These
roots 
will appear dark and roasted in color and you can t fool an oriental with 
such root.
     Don't scrub your roots with a harsh brush that will break the
delicate 
outer skin. Don't use soap or bleach.
     Never split or string roots to dry them.
     Protect your investment by drying and cleaning it properly.  Ginseng 
that is damaged will be docked in price or rejected.
     Leave the ripe berries under a few leaves.  Allowing the berries to
ripen 
and fall assures ginseng for years to come."

     This is in reference to the gathering of Wild American Ginseng Roots,
an increasingly immoral commerce that has reduced the plants to small
remnants,
so far removed from each other as to make bird distribution of the seeds
nearly
impossible.  EVERY stand I have observed in the Arkansas and Missouri
Ozarks
over the last 15 years has been totally obliterated.

	Wild seeds are, of course, the same as cultivated seeds.  The only
ethical
method of propagating, besides overt cultivation, is the technique known
as
"Woodsgrown".  With slower growth and harvesting usually occuring in nine
or
ten years, this semi-cultivation produces roots of a rather higher
wholesale
price (between $120-$160 a pound these days) that cultivated roots
(between $60
and $100).

	The USDA publishes (or published) a pamphlet on cultivation procedures,
but
I haven't seen a copy in any of my papers in ten years (I used to sell
them in
my herb stores)...you can probably track it down with a bit of effort.

	Below is the address of one of the larger Ginseng Growers Co-ops, and
they
may be a source for further information. 

GINSENG BUSINESS CENTER 
	16H MENARD PLZ  
	WAUSAU, WI 54401  
	715-845-7300

Michael Moore ([email-masked])

(FTP and WWW)
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine/
(WWW)
http://www.crl.com/~robbee/herbal.html
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All the SWSBM teaching and clinical manuals, JPEGs of Medicinal Plant 
photographs and class announcements can be obtained at these sites.