American ginseng falls into one of three categories based on how it is grown. These categories are wild, wild-simulated (which is also called woodsgrown), or cultivated.
Wild grown American ginseng plants are those which have not been tended to by humans. Since it is an endangered species due to overharvesting, it can be incredibly expensive and difficult to find. Many ginseng roots are falsely advertised as wild when they are actually cultivated or woodsgrown.
Harvest of wild ginseng is strictly regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in addition to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in the United States. Wild ginseng harvesters, also known as “hunters" or “diggers", are required to attain special permits in order to harvest the plant and are only allowed to do so during a specific harvest season. If you are purchasing wild ginseng, be sure to check that it is ethically harvested and the seller follows all laws regarding the sale of an endangered species.
Check out more information about the laws regarding wild American ginseng.
Wild-simulated or woodsgrown ginseng are plants which have been artificially propagated in a forest. This means growers plant the seeds and allow them to grow in the natural shade provided by trees.
Cultivated ginseng requires more labor to grow than wild-simulated ginseng, but wild-simulated ginseng is not enough to meet the market demand. This is because ginseng can only be grown once on a plot of land and it is impossible to grow a future ginseng crop in the same location. Other species of plants are still able to grow, but older ginseng plants prevent younger ginseng plants from growing nearby even decades after a crop is harvested. This is thought to be due to a phytochemical that older plants excrete into the soil. As a result, it is not viable to produce wild-simulated ginseng on a large scale.
Since the ginseng plant must be grown in shade, cultivated ginseng is artificially propagated under wooden slats or shade cloths which are suspended over the fields. Cultivated ginseng can be planted closer together which allows for more efficient use of land. When buying ginseng, always inquire about the growing practices used and try to purchase directly from the farm where it is grown.