There are multiple reasons that ginseng sells for such a high price compared to other herbs. First, ginseng is an incredibly temperamental and labor intensive crop to produce. Since it grows best in shade, large shaders must be constructed over the ginseng gardens. In addition, to avoid using fungicide, these shaders must be periodically moved to allow the fields to vent moisture after rain to prevent the growth of fungus. Next, in order to keep the plants alive without using herbicide, the plants must be weeded by hand multiple times per year. Finally, when the crop is harvested, the roots must all be sorted by hand to remove any roots which are damaged or discolored before they are dried and sorted by size.
These high costs for construction supplies and labor are further compounded by the fact that ginseng can only be grown once on a plot of land and takes at least 4 years to reach maturity. Once a field has been harvested, the land can be used to grow other crops, but it is impossible to grow another crop of ginseng. It though that a phytochemical excreted by older plants into the soil is what prevents the growth of younger ginseng plants even decades later. Farmers have tried to plant new ginseng fields on top of old fields that haven’t been planted in nearly 100 years, but this phytochemical is still present and causes the crop to grow so poorly that it is not worth the effort of planting.
For the cheapest prices on high quality ginseng, always purchase directly from the farm where it is grown.