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The researchers found that large, commercial, artificial-shade farms in the Midwest generate extra ginseng seeds like these that are available for purchase online, and much of this seed is bought by smaller eastern forest growers who can't find seed locally.
Photo Credit: Pennsylvania State University
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Genetic Impact of Commercial Seed Sourcing on American Ginseng
The Core Concept: To meet global demand, forest farmers in the northeastern United States are cultivating American ginseng using seeds sourced from large, artificial-shade farms in the Midwest and Canada, a practice that is unintentionally altering the genetic makeup of naturally occurring, "wild" ginseng populations.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike wild ginseng that naturally reproduces and adapts to specific local forest ecosystems, the commercial seeds utilized by many forest growers are adapted to field-based, artificial-shade agricultural systems. Introducing these commercial lineages into eastern forests creates widespread genetic movement between field-grown, forest-grown, and wild systems, often without intentional selection for beneficial plant traits or local ecological compatibility.
Origin/History: American ginseng has been traditionally collected in the forests of Appalachia for centuries and is highly valued in East Asian medicine. Due to severe overharvesting, habitat loss, and poaching, the plant was listed under Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) to strictly regulate international trade. This scarcity prompted the modern shift toward cultivating ginseng as a specialty agroforestry crop.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Agroforestry: The integration of cultivating specialty crops, such as medicinal plants, within native forest environments.
- Genetic Admixture: The blending of distinct genetic lineages, specifically the introduction of commercial Midwestern agricultural genetics into native Eastern wild populations.
- Conservation Biology: The regulatory and ecological frameworks utilized to protect threatened native species from both physical overharvesting and genetic homogenization.
Branch of Science: Botany, Plant Genetics, Conservation Biology, and Agroecology and Forestry
Future Application: The documentation of planting stock sources and practices will inform the development of regional seed banks, stricter sourcing guidelines for agroforestry, and improved conservation strategies to preserve the specialized local genetic adaptations of native American ginseng.
Why It Matters: American ginseng is a critical ecological and economic resource. The unregulated reliance on commercial seeds for forest farming threatens the genetic integrity, localized adaptations, and overall resilience of wild ginseng populations. Acknowledging this genetic shift is vital for establishing sustainable, genetically mindful cultivation practices that support both the agroforestry economy and species conservation.
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| Ginseng farmed or planted in forests using commercial seed may well be shaping the genetics of ‘wild’ populations, the researchers said. Photo Credit: Pennsylvania State University (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
To meet global demand for American ginseng, the medicinal plant traditionally collected in the forests of Appalachia and traded and used internationally, the plant now is commonly cultivated on forest farms in the U.S. Northeast. But, according to a team of researchers at Penn State and James Madison University, much of the seed for that agroforestry enterprise is coming from field-based, artificial-shade ginseng farms in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada — and it may be influencing the genetics of naturally occurring ginseng.
To understand where forest farmers are obtaining their planting stock and better assess how human selection might affect ginseng, the team interviewed 34 ginseng growers and looked at how seeds and plants are sourced, shared and planted. The researchers found that large, commercial, artificial-shade farms in the Midwest generate extra ginseng seeds that are available for purchase online, and much of this seed is bought by smaller eastern forest growers who can’t find local or regional sources of ginseng seed. The team recently published their findings in Plants People Planet.
“This means ginseng farmed or planted in forests using commercial seed may well be shaping the genetics of ‘wild’ populations,” said study co-author Eric Burkhart, teaching professor in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
American ginseng is considered rare or threatened in many parts of the U.S. due to overharvesting, habitat loss and poaching. Listed under Appendix II of CITES — Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — the international trade of ginseng is strictly regulated to ensure its survival. While wild harvest is permitted in 19 states with regulations, it is banned in others.
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| Ginseng root is highly valued, particularly in East Asian medicine, for properties that help the body manage stress, boost energy and enhance cognitive function. It is widely sought, bringing high prices in recent years. Photo Credit: Pennsylvania State University (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
Given the collection pressure facing ginseng, Burkhart said there has been growing interest in cultivating American ginseng as a specialty agroforestry crop in much of the United States, including Pennsylvania. One question that continues to hamper those interested in growing ginseng as a forest crop is where to obtain planting stock, since it is illegal to remove seed from wild ginseng populations and there are few existing forest farmed sources.
The result is that most people who plant ginseng on their forestlands do so using seed or root transplants that are grown under artificial shade in Wisconsin, or in Ontario, Canada, where the plant is currently commercially farmed. In these places, seed is a byproduct of cultivation for root and is generally the most available and affordable choice on the internet.
“This study is the first to document planting stock sources, and the practices and approaches associated with selection and preservation of American ginseng in lineages in North America,” he said. “In doing so, we found that little attention is being paid by growers and planters to intentional selection for any plant traits, but that there is widespread movement of planting materials between different types of production systems including field-grown, forest-grown and wild systems.”
The researchers found that ginseng farmers generally — both in the forest and under artificial shade — are not intentionally selecting traits but instead making plant stock decisions based on convenience or availability, so any genetic changes are happenstance. Human behavior matters for genetic conservation, Burkhart pointed out, noting that people’s actions — buying, selling, planting — can affect the genetics of both wild and cultivated lineages through mixing and crossing.
Understanding the behavior of ginseng growers, he added, will play a role in the plant’s future, especially around efforts to develop planting stock sources for forest farmers while conserving remaining wild population genetics.
“Growers would benefit from having planting stock available that is native and well adapted to our region,” he said. “The first step in the process of providing this material is to understand human influence on the species, and desirable plant traits from a grower’s perspective. The results also highlight the importance of involving growers in future efforts involving planting stock conservation and seed banking for sustainable use.”
The first study author Rachel Palkovitz graduated with a doctoral degree in anthropology from Penn State in 2025 and is now an assistant professor of geography and integrated science and technology at James Madison University. Mary Shenk, Penn State professor of anthropology, of Asian studies and of demography, contributed to the research.
Funding: This study was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to Burkhart and Penn State and an Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany from the Garden Club of America to Palkovitz.
Published in journal: Plants People Planet
Authors: Rachel E. Palkovitz, Mary K. Shenk, and Eric P. Burkhart
Source/Credit: Pennsylvania State University | Jeff Mulhollem
Reference Number: bot041526_01
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