[MPWG] quick question about ginseng use

[scott harris]

Hi Steven,

You are correct about Panax ginseng being Asian ginseng, but not all ginseng grown in Korea is Korean ginseng or all ginseng grown in China Panax ginseng. The U.S. and Canada ship out seeds from American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) to Korea and China in large amounts. 

Two years ago, I received a request from a Chinese buyer for 6000 pounds of American ginseng seed, 3000 of which were to be stratified and the other 3000 pounds were to be green. Of course, there was no way I could supply such a huge order, nor would I, even if I had that amount. Their obvious intention is to eliminate their dependency on buying American ginseng from American growers. 

As you well know, a great amount of the Korean and Chinese Panax ginseng products imported into the U.S. are nothing more than field-grown cultivated American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) that was grown in either China or Korea. Also, please note that both of these countries import tons of American ginseng, process it and return it to as "Asian ginseng". 

"Here's how the switch takes place: Wisconsin ginseng is shipped to China to be sorted into various grades. While the sorting process is itself a legitimate part of distributing ginseng, smugglers often use it as a ruse to switch Wisconsin ginseng with Asian- or Canadian-grown ginseng considered inferior by consumers. The lower quality ginseng is then shipped back to the U.S. for sale to American consumers who think they are buying the Wisconsin-grown product." 
"For consumers concerned with purchasing ginseng grown in the U.S., there is no accurate way of testing ginseng to determine where it was grown, other than testing for pesticides that are banned in the United States. The Ginseng Board of Wisconsin has been testing some ginseng found on store shelves, and in many of the products, residues of chemicals such as DDT, lead, arsenic, and quintozine (PCNB) have been detected. Since the majority of ginseng sold in the U.S. originates from countries with less stringent pesticide standards, it is vitally important that consumers know which ginseng is really grown in the U.S."

To read more on this subject: http://www.senate.gov/~feingold/speeches/04/05/2004527724.html

There are many American growers now cultivating Panax ginseng from Korean ginseng seeds. Therefore, I must disagree with your statement that "It may be correctly referred to as Korean ginseng only if it's from (grown in) Korea." 

Respectfully,
Scott Harris
Sylvan Botanicals
www.catskillginseng.com 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Steven Dentali, Ph.D. 
  To: MPWG at lists.plantconservation.org 
  Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2005 9:37 PM
  Subject: Re: [MPWG] quick question about ginseng use


  Just a point of regulatory nomenclature clarification (according to Herbs of Commerce, 2nd Edition and adopted by FDA effective Jan 1, 2006), the common name for Panax ginseng is Asian ginseng. It may be correctly referred to as Korean ginseng only if it's from (grown in) Korea.

Steven Dentali, Ph.D.
VP, Scientific and Technical Affairs
American Herbal Products Association
8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 370
Silver Spring, MD  20910
301.588.1171 x 103
Fax: 301.588.1174
www.ahpa.org


    Yes, panax ginseng is Asian or Korean ginseng. 




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