Ginseng valued at $350 per pound as harvesting season begins

HARRISON COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) – Ginseng harvesting season started Sept. 1, and the hunt is on for the wild plant worth hundreds of dollars.

Ginseng is used in teas, medicines, energy drinks and supplements. This year, freshly harvested ginseng could fetch $75 to $100 per pound. Once dried, the roots could sell for up to $350 per pound. The price tends to increase toward the end of the season. A few years ago, the value reached upwards of $1,000 per pound.

As the ginseng supply is depleting in other countries, much of the harvest in Indiana and Kentucky is exported overseas. The largest buyer is China.

Ginseng can be planted and grown, but wild ginseng holds the most value. DNR officials worry about the wild species starting to deplete in local wooded areas, so they’re encouraging everyone to follow the law and rules protecting the plant.

In Indiana, the season to harvest ginseng runs from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. This time-frame is when the seeds are ripe. So as you dig a plant up, you need to plant the seeds from its pod in the same area. This ensures a healthy population for the future.

DNR conservation officers also want to remind everyone that the plants need to have at least three prongs, a flowering stalk and at least four nodes on the rhizome in order to dig and sell it.

There are also rules about where you can harvest ginseng. You are not allowed to dig on any state park or national forest land. You may only harvest on private property. And conservation officers are reminding diggers that if the land is not yours, you must get written or verbal permission to dig there.

Since Sept. 1, conservation officers have made at least three busts. All suspects were caught trespassing in order to dig up ginseng. This crime is a misdemeanor.

“It does require a court appearance and can involve fines,” said DNR Conservation Office Jim Hash. “Depending on the amount of ginseng taken, up to thousands of dollars.”

If the amount of ginseng harvested is valued over $750, it will be considered felony theft.

Ginseng can only be sold to authorized dealers. Gary Shelton has been digging ginseng for 52 years. He became a certified dealer this year. When he purchases ginseng from diggers, he takes down all their personal information along with details like where they harvested and how much. This is turned over to DNR in order to help track and the population and determine if it is declining and needs further protection.

“They want to know how much ginseng is coming out of which county,” Shelton said about the DNR requirements. “And which is a good thing, they know how much is being harvested.”

Shelton hopes everyone will follow the rules while harvesting ginseng this year in order to protect the wild plants.

“It’s a protected, endangered plant,” Shelton said. “And if we don’t try to preserve it, we aren’t going to have it for future generations.”

The rules are slightly different in Kentucky. The season runs from Sept. 1 through Dec. 1. And dry ginseng can be sold from Sept. 15 through March 31. You are still only allowed to dig on private property with permission. As in Indiana, you cannot harvest in national forests.

For a list of licensed Indiana dealers, click here.

For a list of licensed Kentucky dealers, click here.