Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and other Woodland Medicinals

From General Introduction: "For some time, we have noted that there is increasing interest in growing native, perennial, woodland medicinal herbs and that many people wish to gain at least some supplemental income from their production. Small landowners, if they go about it wisely, can grow many of these native medicinals profitably while preserving and even enhancing their woodlands. This book provides guidance not only in the cultivation of native forest herbs but also in the economics of their production and sale. Aspiring herb growers are often attracted first to American ginseng, because it is the most valuable medicinal botanical and has a broad, well-established market, which has existed almost continuously for over 300 years. Indeed, in the southern part of its range, people often refer to ginseng as “green gold.” The first part of this book is devoted entirely to this one native plant. While little information exists on the production of the other species covered in this book, a good deal has already been written on growing ginseng as a commercial venture, including American Ginseng: Green Gold by W. Scott Persons. In writing the 2005 version of this book, Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal, and Other Woodland Medicinals, we borrowed much from the by then out-of-print 1994 edition of Green Gold. The many North American woodland ginseng farmers who read and used that first edition will find portions of the first part of the current book to be generally familiar; however, the content has been extensively revised and rewritten to update the material and provide the most comprehensive, detailed, practical, and reliable information available on the woodland production of ginseng. One complete chapter of American Ginseng: Green Gold is included in this revision. That is the interview with Oscar Wood. Oscar has passed on, but his story remains engaging and instructive to a beginning ginseng farmer; moreover, reprinting it again preserves the memory of a good and gracious man a little longer. The second part of this book provides practical guidance in the production and marketing of other native woodland herbs that also have the potential to yield “green gold.” Goldenseal and ramps are covered in detail, because their economic potential is well established and reliable information on their propagation is available. Black cohosh, bloodroot, and nine other lesser-known native botanicals are discussed as thoroughly as present knowledge allows, with emphasis on their potential and the uncertainties associated with each. There is not nearly as much information available on growing and marketing any of these herbs as there is for ginseng. Research studies, the experiences of many growers (including the authors), and the knowledge of several long-time buyers were the basis for the advice provided here. The production budgets are best estimates using all available information. For the 2014 revision of this book, we completely updated the entire book and added a section for the growing number of gardeners, herbalists, and herb enthusiasts who want to grow these amazing plants for their own enjoyment and use. There is also some information about wild-harvesting and some of the new federal regulations concerning dietary supplements."