Natural Notes: Conservation and Ethnobotany of American Ginseng
As part of the professional development opportunities offered by my employer, I present my notes and commentary on a recent lecture I heard on the conservation and ethnobotany of a prized plant known as American Ginseng. The presenter was Jessica B. Turner, a graduate student from the University of West Virginia, who is researching the potential to perform restoration of populations of American Ginseng. The lecture took place on May 6, 2015 at Sand Ridge Nature Center in South Holland, Illinois. Enjoy!
Ginseng root is sold to Asian Markets for thousands of dollars, and is collected (legally and illegally) mostly by people living in the Appalachian Mountains. Heavy harvesting along with habitat destruction is causing sharp decline in wild ginseng populations. Although harvesting of wild ginseng is regulated, it is difficult to enforce. The monetary value for wild-caught ginseng is so high that it is often harvested (pulled out by root) illegally or in numbers beyond set limits. Additionally, mountain-top removal in West Virginia is destroying and fragmenting Ginseng habitat. American Ginseng cannot recolonize areas that have been mined due to the loss of the habitat structure and the invasion of non-native plant species.
Ginseng can easily be cultivated, but in cultivation the roots do not form the human-like figure that make them so valuable to superstitious Asians. Therefore, despite the fact that cultivated ginseng is the same species as its wild counterpart, it's straightened root system deems it far less valuable and subsequently is not preventing the desire to harvest wild populations of Ginseng.
Researchers have looked at 30 samples of existing wild populations of plants to gauge population viability so that restoration and reintroduction efforts can take place. Researchers are interested in reintroducing Ginseng to its former habitats not only under conservation principals, but also in hopes that a sustainable market of wild-caught Ginseng can persist in the economically deprived Appalachian Region (as opposed to unsustainable mountain-top mining). Research revealed that the most viable populations of Ginseng were found to grow in close proximity to forests with an abundance of Tulip Trees (Liriodendron tulpifera), and as such were considered as good sites for potential reintroduction of wild Ginseng populations. Other plants thought to be good indicator species of viable habitat, such as Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema spp.) and Spicebush (Lindera benzion), did not show any correlation to Ginseng population viability.
Since the dawn of human beings, people have used plants for various purposes, such as tools, food, crops, shelter, ornamental, and many other utilitarian uses. Ethnobotany is a branch of botanical research that examines how people have and are using plants.
Some examples of how people have used plants include palm fronds for thatched roofs and willows (Salix spp.) as a source of aspirin. Another example is the Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) which is important for many different uses in its native range. Native Americans used Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) as a medicine for various medical conditions, and research is currently underway to derive rubber from dandelions. Dandelion can be made into tea or wine, and the tea is a diuretic as well as a skin treatment. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) can be made into a tea as well, although its medical uses are debatable.
Plants have been and continue to be a source of inspiration for rituals and ceremonies. For example, the plant family Nymphacea, which includes water lilies and lotuses, are considered to be very sacred plants and are one of the oldest flowering plant species with respect to their evolutionary lineage.
Efforts are underway to catalog and conserve seedbanks of culturally important plants. Plants are increasingly being conserved through ex situ conservation, which involves taking plants off their site to either a botanical garden or taking their seeds into cold storage for long-term preservation. Seeds chosen to be stored in seedbanks are usually plants that have greater genetic resistance to environmental stresses or that no longer have suitable habitat for them to grow in the wild.
There are two major seedbank storage facilities in the world. One is located near the North Pole on a Norwegian Island (figure 1). The other is located in Colorado. The one in Colorado is managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which costs only $4 million in taxpayer dollars per year.
Plants have been and continue to be a source of inspiration for rituals and ceremonies. For example, the plant family Nymphacea, which includes water lilies and lotuses, are considered to be very sacred plants and are one of the oldest flowering plant species with respect to their evolutionary lineage.
Efforts are underway to catalog and conserve seedbanks of culturally important plants. Plants are increasingly being conserved through ex situ conservation, which involves taking plants off their site to either a botanical garden or taking their seeds into cold storage for long-term preservation. Seeds chosen to be stored in seedbanks are usually plants that have greater genetic resistance to environmental stresses or that no longer have suitable habitat for them to grow in the wild.
There are two major seedbank storage facilities in the world. One is located near the North Pole on a Norwegian Island (figure 1). The other is located in Colorado. The one in Colorado is managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which costs only $4 million in taxpayer dollars per year.
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| Figure 1: Entrance to Svalbard Global Seed Vault. |
Most plant species that are stored in seedbanks are of varieties that have orthodox seeds, which are able to be stored for many years and still be viable. Many temperate plants have seeds that are orthodox. In contrast, many tropical seeds are recalcitrant and cannot be stored long-term. Oak trees (Quercus spp.) actually have recalcitrant seeds even though many species grow in temperate regions. This is because the evolutionary origin of oak trees is from a tropical ancestor. Even today the greatest diversity of oak trees can be found in warmer climates.
Although ex situ conservation practices such as seedbanks and botanical gardens are becoming more common methods of plant conservation, in situ conservation is still the dominant conservation practice (e.g. nature preserves, environmental restoration areas, etc.). One technique that is applied in in situ conservation is reintroductions. Reintroducing plants into the wild is something that must be done with thoughtfulness and conservation for factors such as climate, former distribution, availability of suitable habitat, removal of invasive species, and more,
One culturally important plant that is in need of in situ conservation is American Ginseng, or Panax Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). The native range for this plant, which is highly prized by Asian cultures, is widely distributed across woodland areas in the eastern United States. Figure 2 shows Ginseng's distribution in Illinois, which includes Cook County and Chicago (most likely in more heavily wooded areas, such as the Palos area or the Swallow Cliff area). The root is prized because of a belief among Asian cultures that the root is able to cure almost any human ailment, both mental and physical. Although science has revealed that Ginseng has little or no medicinal or nutritional value, this superstition about ginseng arises from the human-like form that wild-caught ginseng roots exhibit when removed from the forest floor (figure 3).
Although ex situ conservation practices such as seedbanks and botanical gardens are becoming more common methods of plant conservation, in situ conservation is still the dominant conservation practice (e.g. nature preserves, environmental restoration areas, etc.). One technique that is applied in in situ conservation is reintroductions. Reintroducing plants into the wild is something that must be done with thoughtfulness and conservation for factors such as climate, former distribution, availability of suitable habitat, removal of invasive species, and more,
One culturally important plant that is in need of in situ conservation is American Ginseng, or Panax Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). The native range for this plant, which is highly prized by Asian cultures, is widely distributed across woodland areas in the eastern United States. Figure 2 shows Ginseng's distribution in Illinois, which includes Cook County and Chicago (most likely in more heavily wooded areas, such as the Palos area or the Swallow Cliff area). The root is prized because of a belief among Asian cultures that the root is able to cure almost any human ailment, both mental and physical. Although science has revealed that Ginseng has little or no medicinal or nutritional value, this superstition about ginseng arises from the human-like form that wild-caught ginseng roots exhibit when removed from the forest floor (figure 3).
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| Figure 2: Distribution of Ginseng in Illinois by county. Source: Encyclopedia of Life |
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| Figure 3: Ginseng root. Photo source: Wikimedia Commons |
Ginseng root is sold to Asian Markets for thousands of dollars, and is collected (legally and illegally) mostly by people living in the Appalachian Mountains. Heavy harvesting along with habitat destruction is causing sharp decline in wild ginseng populations. Although harvesting of wild ginseng is regulated, it is difficult to enforce. The monetary value for wild-caught ginseng is so high that it is often harvested (pulled out by root) illegally or in numbers beyond set limits. Additionally, mountain-top removal in West Virginia is destroying and fragmenting Ginseng habitat. American Ginseng cannot recolonize areas that have been mined due to the loss of the habitat structure and the invasion of non-native plant species.
Ginseng can easily be cultivated, but in cultivation the roots do not form the human-like figure that make them so valuable to superstitious Asians. Therefore, despite the fact that cultivated ginseng is the same species as its wild counterpart, it's straightened root system deems it far less valuable and subsequently is not preventing the desire to harvest wild populations of Ginseng.
Researchers have looked at 30 samples of existing wild populations of plants to gauge population viability so that restoration and reintroduction efforts can take place. Researchers are interested in reintroducing Ginseng to its former habitats not only under conservation principals, but also in hopes that a sustainable market of wild-caught Ginseng can persist in the economically deprived Appalachian Region (as opposed to unsustainable mountain-top mining). Research revealed that the most viable populations of Ginseng were found to grow in close proximity to forests with an abundance of Tulip Trees (Liriodendron tulpifera), and as such were considered as good sites for potential reintroduction of wild Ginseng populations. Other plants thought to be good indicator species of viable habitat, such as Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema spp.) and Spicebush (Lindera benzion), did not show any correlation to Ginseng population viability.
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