Unlike many other states, Minnesota has never required diggers of wild ginseng to buy a license. "Rooters," as they are sometimes called, enjoy the freedom. Like trophy deer hunters and secretive ...

The digging season for wild ginseng begins Sept. 1, but before heading to the woods, diggers need to be aware of laws protecting this valued plant. Since wild American ginseng is a threatened species ...

As Appalachian ginseng turns from rural tradition to global commodity, the Forest Service is trying to keep foragers at bay. By Katie Myers/Grist Published Oct 6, 2024 12:00 PM EDT This story was ...

Book cover of Ginseng Roots: A Memoir (2025), written and illustrated by Craig Thompson (all images courtesy Pantheon Graphic Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House) That Midwestern soil is, ...

This provided photo shows a 93-year-old American ginseng root, according to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Anson Tebbetts Vermont Agency of Agriculture A 93-year-old ginseng root found in the wild ...

November marks the tail end of “’sang” season, but relics of the harvest time remain: hand-scrawled signs declaring “Will Buy Ginseng – No License Needed” and reports of recent poaching on both ...

Wild ginseng is disappearing from Southeast parks at an alarming rate. Tradition endures in the Appalachian Mountains, where collecting ginseng root is a custom that stretches back to Daniel Boone.

Laura Moss is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience writing about science, nature, culture, and the environment. Autumn's arrival ushers in crisp weather, colorful foliage and, in many ...

Mark MacDonald, a FedEx deliveryman and volunteer fireman in rural Maryland, was out with his father last September looking for ginseng roots in western Allegany County. What they found could make ...

It’s early Saturday as I set out to meet Madison Woods, ginseng expert. She has agreed to meet with me, but has one request: I must keep mum about the exact location of her home in the Ozarks, where ...