That price has been reduced by half in the last ten years. Nearly all of the ginseng, grown or gathered from the wild in the United States, is exported to oriental countries for sale. The Chinese believe that the slower-growing wild roots, which are harvested at an older age, absorb more curative power from the forest floor. Anyone who knows ginseng can easily tell the difference between wild and cultivated roots. The wild roots are dark tan in color, gnarled in appearance and show many concentric growth rings.
Wild roots are generally small in size and light in weight.
The cultivated roots are cream colored, smooth and fat, and exhibit few concentric growth rings. Cultivated roots are often large and heavy. The Oriental buyers have quite an elaborate grading system for the dried roots they purchase. Approximately 3,800 acres of ginseng are grown in intense cultivation under artificial shade in Wisconsin. Under intense cultivation the roots grow quickly to a harvestable size.