Ginseng: A lucrative, risky, sometimes illegal Indiana enterprise

It’s an unassuming plant with green leaves and berries that sprouts throughout wooded areas of Southern Indiana.

Most of us would walk right by the ginseng plant without a second glance, not knowing its root is thought to be an aphrodisiac — a hot commodity, often selling to Asian buyers for $500 a pound.

For those who spot the wild plant, the lucrative, but tightly regulated business, can be a boon, albeit a risky one.

Yet as the numbers of native, wild ginseng plants dwindle, Indiana conservation officers are on the hunt to catch the harvesters who don’t play by the rules, particularly in the summer, when it is illegal to harvest the plant.

“Anytime there’s a spice that makes money, there’s a place to exploit a natural resource,” said Indiana Conversation Office Angela Goldman.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources only allows people to pick wild ginseng from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31 of each year because the plant is fully ripe, meaning the harvester can replant the berries to grow a new plant.

Every year, though, Goldman said, harvesters who scour the countryside for ginseng try to get a jump on the season and pick in the summer, when the plant will not be able to grow again.

“It is becoming a concern,” Goldman said. “We are seeing declining numbers of ginseng plants.”

One such harvester was arrested in Ripley County Friday for picking ginseng out of season and trespassing on private property to do so.

Depending on the weight of the product, the charges faced by the 62-year-old could be a misdemeanor or a felony, officials said.

Indiana law also bars harvesting ginseng on state property. People hoping to pick and sell wild ginseng must do so with the permission of the property owner.

To help ensure the plant is harvested legally, the state allows only licensed buyers to buy and sell ginseng. Goldman said about 15 to 20 buyers on average are licensed in a given year.

For those who operate within the law, the ginseng business can be a profitable, if niche, business.

“I’ve seen it go as high as $1,000 per pound,” said Mike W. Bell, a Connersville man who is a licensed ginseng dealer.

Bell grew up watching his family living in the Appalachian region pick ginseng. He got into the business to educate people on properly picking, and not destroying, what he sees as a valuable natural resource.

He buys the plants from harvesters, and then sells them overseas.

But Bell warned that the business can be a hard one. Like any other commodity, the price fluctuates, and he has seen the prices plummet.

“Dealers have a big risk,” Bell said. “You might buy it, and then the prices will fall.”

Bell estimated that only 3 percent of the ginseng he has bought and sold has remained in the United States.

In Asia, it is common for people to put ginseng powder in their tea, and for pharmacists to add it to herbal medications, Bell said.

The root is said to boost mental acuity, energy, stamina and sexual appetite.

And does it really work?

“Yes, it does,” Bell said with a small laugh.

Call Star reporter Madeline Buckley at (317) 444-6083. Follow her on Twitter:@Mabuckley88.