By JAMES HANNAH
Associated Press WriterDAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- It's called "senging" -- traipsing through the woods to dig up wild ginseng plants -- and it's a cottage industry in Ohio and other states.
But the popularity and value of the medicinal herb has raised concerns among Ohio regulators, who want to make sure that state laws are followed and ginseng is not harvested out of existence.
To that end, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is finishing up a two-year investigation of the ginseng industry.
Through interviews with more than 100 dealers and diggers, investigators have identified more than 30 individuals involved in 65 to 70 violations, Doug Miller, a law enforcement supervisor with the department's Division of Wildlife, said Thursday.
Miller said investigators expect to seek charges within the next month. Those charges could include harvesting ginseng outside the legal season of Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, digging ginseng without permission of the landowner, and failure to maintain accurate records.
Ginseng is a slow-growing perennial herb that prefers the rich soil and dense shade of mature woodlands. It has been a traditional ingredient in Chinese medicine and used in tablets, capsules, extracts, teas and creams.
Ginseng root is currently selling for about $400 a pound, and it takes about 300 roots to make a pound, Miller said. Ohio certifies about 3,000 pounds of ginseng for export annually.
There are 46 licensed ginseng dealers in the state and an estimated 2,000 to 4,000 diggers, mostly concentrated in eastern and southeastern Ohio.
Miller said the high price of ginseng coupled with the slumping economy may be prompting some diggers to harvest ginseng before the season begins so that other diggers don't get there first. If ginseng is harvested before its fruit ripens into bright crimson berries, the plant will not be able to reproduce, he said.
"There are guys waiting to dig this stuff as soon as it comes up," said Miller, adding that diggers use everything from mattocks -- hand tools similar to pickaxes -- to screwdrivers. "You could dig out all of the ginseng in the state. The whole thing is driven by the money."
Investigators seized 180 pounds of ginseng last month as part of their probe.
Kentucky is one of the nation's largest producers of ginseng.
The state certified 11,566 pounds of ginseng for sale last year, up from 11,345 pounds in 2007.
Last week, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer publicly urged ginseng dealers to operate within the laws.
"The demand for it is very, very high, especially overseas," said Bill Clary, spokesman for the state's agriculture department. "There is a fear that if people harvest it too extensively, not only will it endanger the market but it might mean the plant will be placed on the endangered-species list."
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On the Net:
Ohio Department Natural Resources: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
