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Planting Ginseng

A fleshy-rooted herbaceous plant nativeto this country, ginseng was at one time offrequent occurrence in shady, well-drainedsites in hardwood forests from Maine to Min-nesota and southward to the Carolinas andGeorgia.

Mature ginseng plants are between tenand 20 inches high, with five-fingered leavesand small yellow green flowers that developover a three-year maturation cycle.

Although most claims of the medicinalproperties of ginseng roots are not widely ac-cepted in this country, the herb has become apopular item in health food stores today, andis commonly consumed in teas and as a foodflavoring.

Ginseng takes its name from the Chineseword, sclzinseng, meaning man shaped. Thisrefers to the form ginseng roots often assume.

Ancient Chinese medicine regarded ginsa tonic, stimulant, carminative, and demuiIt was even considered a powerful aphr

First cultivated in America in theteenth century, the herb was valued as amodity sought by Indians and white sealike. Today, the wild ginseng trade hasclined, but domestic cultivation has inertand many by-products are commonly foxgourmet shops and health food stores thinout the country.

One serious problem in cultivatingseng is the length of time it takes to growa marketable root. The seed may takewhere from 18 to 24 months to germinateeven longer for the plant to mature. Ethose gardeners who start with mature pmust often wait four to six years for a ha.

Another consideration is the qualitysoil required to successfully cultivate ginThe soil must be fairly light and well ferti"with woods earth, rotted leaves or finebone meal, with the bone meal applied atrate of one pound to each square yard.is planted in spring as early as the soil ca7worked to advantage. It is placed six inapart each way in the permanent beds orby six inches in seedbeds, and the seeare transplanted to stand six to eight inapart when two years old. The roots of ginplants, especially in woodland, are somedamaged by mice. Protection fromrodents may be necessary. The beds shouldall times be kept free from weeds andand the surface of the soil slightly stirred w'ever it shows signs of caking. A winter mshould be applied when freezing weathergins and removed early in spring.

The root should be collected only , when it will be plumpest after drying.the roots are plunged into hot water,and steamed. This makes them appearand semitransparent, enhancing theirt value for exportation.

Most people consider the Chinese claimsng's medicinal value to be mythologi-In the United States, the herb is still cul-mainly for export to China. Russians. however, are trying to verify Chinese through research and promotion of their herb-Eleuth erococcas-which they possesses medicinal qualities similar to ginseng, particularly as a relaxant.

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