producers, while growing this crop in some cases, have limited opportunity to successfully compete in this market.  American ginseng (Panax quiquefolium) is the true wild ginseng of North America.  This is the ginseng suggested for cultivation in Pennsylvania.

All of these types of ginseng are used as adaptogens.  Adaptogens are herbs taken to restore your equilibrium, to use an old quote, "to fix what ails you."  Because TCM focuses more on maintaining health than on curing diseases, ginseng has enjoyed a fairly good demand.  Even during the recent downturn in the Asian economy, wild ginseng sold for $250 a pound.  American ginseng also serves as a caffeine substitute and even a seasoning.

best sites are usually mid-slopes.  Stands at least 30 years old with a minimum of 70 percent shade work well.  Good overstories can include ash, sugar maple, beech and basswood.  Ginseng will often grow under oaks and red maple, but these trees can tolerate poorer soils than ginseng. 

Good herbaceous plant indicators of prime soil conditions for ginseng include ginseng (if it is growing there, it can grow there), Christmas fern, indicator fern, cohosh, and wild ginger.   

Dry sites are not suited to ginseng or goldenseal production.  Highly acidic, low-base nutrient (calcium, magnesium and potassium) soils are also unsuitable.  It is a good idea to have a soil test done prior to investing in ginseng or goldenseal production.

Soils with 15 to 20 percent base saturation (determined from your soil test) AND pH between four and six may work for ginseng production.  These are very rough guidelines and wild ginseng and goldenseal can certainly

be found growing outside of these ranges.

Deer will damage ginseng plantings.  While not a preferred browse species, deer will eat ginseng.  Small mammals will eat the seeds.  Slugs will browse the leaves.  These three groups of herbivore may become a problem with ginseng plantations.  While slug and small mammal control is possible, deer browsing control might be more difficult.  Fences can work, but not without drawing great deals of attention to your planting.  Consider test plantations on your property to guage the potential for deer damage as well as the potential for success with the crop.  By contrast, very few herbivores will eat goldenseal. 

So if you have a woodlot on moist, rich soil and are willing to experiment, ginseng and goldenseal might provide an alternative cash income.

Four market types of ginseng exist: truly wild, wild-simulated, woods cultivated, and field- grown ginseng.  Again, CITES regulates the collection of truly wild ginseng.  Only small amounts are actually sold each year.  Field cultivated ginseng is produced in great quantities each year from farms primarily in Wisconsin and  production can and does exceed market demand.  Woods-cultivated, also called woods-grown, ginseng is grown across the northeastern United States as well as Michigan,

and has potential for Pennsylvania producers.  While both woods-cultivated and field-grown ginseng have markets, wild-simulated ginseng presents the greatest likelihood of profit for forestland owners.  Wild-simulated ginseng describes roots planted in sites identical to those where wild ginseng normally occurs.  In many case, the roots produced by wild-simulated ginseng are identical to wild roots.  The rest of the discussion on ginseng will cover wild-simulated ginseng production.