The Endangered Herbs

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Ginseng, an extremely slow-growing root, is probably the most renowned of all medicinal herbs. Only the fully mature plant has medicinal value, according to Natural Health (March/April 1998), and maturity requires a minimum six years of growth. Cultivated ginseng makes up over 90 percent of total U.S. ginseng exports. This makes it easier to track. But with the more potent wild ginseng fetching $1,000 per kiloóthree times as much as cultivated ginsengópoaching activities have skyrocketed.

Indeed, American ginseng tops a recent list of endangered plants compiled by United Plant Savers, a Vermont-based team of concerned herbalists and conservation-minded citizens. (Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis, and wild yam, Dioscorea villosa, used to derive the anti-aging hormone DHEA, are second and third, respectively.) Beyond our borders, the Convention in Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has begun to compile its own listing of rare medicinal plants as a stimulus for developing strategies for protecting these species. Such strategies include setting clear guidelines for harvesting and wildcrafting that can be enforced in the places the herbs grow, education on sustainable use for both consumers and growers, and development of high-quality cultivated substitutes for wild herbs.

But it's the power of the market that may ultimately spur the preservation of these endangered plants. As wild-harvested herbs become more scarce, quality is likely to decline while prices increase, explains HerbalGram. This makes cultivation increasingly profitable. And with appropriate growing techniques, the quality of organically grown herbs can meet and even surpass that of their wild counterparts. As a result, growing medicinal plants may become a booming business.

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