<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div>Dear All:<br><br>I have appreciated all the insight and information from the recent responses to the Ginseng media.<br><br></div>Down here in Texas, I have no experience with ginseng cultivation or harvest issues. I hope the public will recognize that the news cast is, by definition, the opinion of a few people and does not constitute comprehensive coverage.<br>
<br>I am much more concerned about the petition being circulated by United Plant Savers, calling on the federal government to take control of wild ginseng. From the petition:<br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)">" It has become very apparent that there are very limited sources of local
seeds and we ask that the USDA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the U.S.
Forest Service work together to Save American Ginseng by investing in
programs that establish seed banks for local supply of regional seed
source."</span><br><br></div>The USDA, headed by Monsanto, factory farm and biotech proponent Tom Vilsack (specifically included among the addressees), is the last organization I want involved with controlling genetic resources of medicinal plants. Traditional herbal knowledge is regularly being mined by the biotech industry in order to genetically engineer medicinal plants with increased concentration of active ingredients (for conversion into patented drugs) and/or other genetic manipulations to render their cultivation more attractive to the agro-industrial complex.<br>
<br></div>I feel people are signing on to this petition simply because they want to voice support for ginseng and are not giving much thought to the merit of the proposed solution. I am at a loss to understand why United Plant Savers wants to turn genetic control of this wild plant over to the federal government. I feel the petition, more so than the broadcast, stands to create the appearance of consensus and widespread support for federal control. <br>
</div><div><br>I hope Susan will address this and the other concerns expressed in this thread.<br><br>I thank Robin for voicing her opinions about individual vs. government control as well. Do we need to start another petition?<br>
<br>Gena<br><div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br> <div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div style="direction:ltr;font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma">
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<pre>Robin Alton Suggs
MoonBranch Botanicals
5294 Yellow Creek Road
Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771
USA
Telephone: <a href="tel:828.479.2788" value="+18284792788" target="_blank">828.479.2788</a>
Email: <a href="mailto:moonbranch@earthlink.net" target="_blank">moonbranch@earthlink.net</a>
Websites:
<a href="http://www.moonbranch.com" target="_blank">www.moonbranch.com</a> & <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/store/M16074" target="_blank">www.localharvest.org/store/M16074</a>
Member:
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project; Farm Partner
Green Products Alliance
North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines
North Carolina Goodness Grows/NCDA&CS
United Plant Savers
There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. - Henry David Thoreau
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