DIGGING FOR CASH: HERB ROOT PRICES SEND DIGGERS INTO AREA FIELDS

A sign along Highway 146 in East Cape Girardeau, Ill., directs motorists to Donald Poole's house.

Got a headache?

Place several ginseng roots in a brown paper bag and tie the bag tightly around your head.

Arthritis acting up again?

Place some ginseng or golden seal root in bourbon. Drink small portions of the liquid as needed.

Ginseng, a perennial wild herb of eastern Asia and eastern North America, has been touted by practitioners of folk medicine for centuries as a remedy for every imaginable ailment, from hangovers and arthritis to anxiety, warts and impotence.

The plant's name comes from Chinese words meaning "likeness of a man." Ginseng has long been prized by man, particularly Asians, as a home remedy, a cure-all, for just about everything.

The ginseng root, found growing wild in the shade of many forests, is used as a medicine in a number of countries.

Although its medicinal value has never been proven, ginseng is used in a number of products and is just one of a lengthy list of wild growing herbs found in herbal and health product stores throughout the world. Ginseng is available in tonics, shampoos, skin creams, soft drinks, salves and much more.

Sassafras root tea was also once counted on to relieve bronchitis, kidney troubles and respiratory ailments. Today the tea is made simply for the novelty of its unique flavor.

Golden seal, a wildflower grown from a bitter, yellow root, is noted for beefing up immunity and preventing secondary infections.

St. John's wort has become popular for its value in treating mild depression.

These wild plants, and many others which have been harnessed and cultivated, were considered drugs with great healing powers in the 17th century. The popularity of herbs has grown faster than the speed of American scientists to research them or the Food and Drug Administration to regulate them.

Americans are spending more than $3 billion a year on herbal products.

Probably the most sought-after wild and cultivated plant product is ginseng, that mysterious root of supposed vitality and health, promising riches and mystical powers for those willing to plunge into the darkest corners of Appalachia's toughest terrain to dig the roots.

The wild roots command some big prices for those who dig them -- from $250 to $300 a pound. That's four to five times more than prices paid for the cultivated (tamer) crop.

The wild plant, however, is on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's endangered species list, and ginseng digging, buying and exporting is regulated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Customs and state conservation agencies.

Some states require diggers to acquire a license. Others require only buying-and-selling dealers to have licenses.

Donald Poole of East Cape Girardeau, Ill., is a licensed buyer and seller of "roots."

Poole, a retired railroader, buys a lot of golden seal and ginseng. He grows a little golden seal as well.

Poole said he has been involved in digging herb roots for about 50 years.

"I've always been interested in it as a hobby," he said. "When I retired I started buying and selling."

The buying market for golden seal is April through October. The ginseng root season begins in late August.

In Missouri, the cultivated ginseng harvest has been estimated at 5,000 pounds.

Cultivated ginseng is a valuable crop, said Debby Kelley, project manager of the Missouri University Alternative Center.

Some farmers do not report their crop to the Department of Agriculture.

"They're afraid of theft at harvest time," said Kelly.

The cultivated crop, although abundant, is not coveted like wild ginseng. It can take six to 12 years to bring a "simulated wild" ginseng to market.

The crop is time-consuming, labor intensive and expensive to grow. Seeds alone can cost as much as $7,000 an acre, and being a perennial product, the cultivated crop will be ready for harvest by the fourth year.

Novices who hunt the "wild things" find the experience can be a hectic chase. Novices may have problems spotting ginseng in the wild. Its green leaves and yellow flowers, which turn into red fruit int the fall, are inconspicuous. Sometimes the plant lies dormant for a year. Deer also like to eat the tops of the plant.

There are not that many plants in any one patch in the wilds. It takes about 150 of the dried, gnarled ginseng roots to make a pound.

For most gatherers, it's a hobby. The average annual pounds per gatherer is probably less than five pounds.

No one gets rich digging wild ginseng roots, said a representative of Wilcox Natural Products in Ellington, a company that buys most of the ginseng found in Missouri and other states.

Wilcox Products is a major exporter of the root.

In Missouri and Illinois the departments of conservation oversee the harvest of the herb.

Kentucky and Tennessee are big states for wild ginseng.

The United States is the world's third largest ginseng exporter, following China, which is both an importer and exporter, and South Korea.

Almost all ginseng grown it the United States is exported to Far East countries. Domestic demand accounts for less than 5 percent of all U.S. production.

U.S. ginseng exports have more than doubled during the past decade, from about $60 million in 1988 to more than $125 million.

Today, the products are cultivated in a number of states.

"We don't know how many acres of the crop is being cultivated in Missouri," said Kelly. "It's a high value crop, and people often don't report growing it because of the danger of theft."

The wild crop has been known to sell for as much as $600 a pound in the Far East. It's no wonder the hills are alive with folks "gensing."

Ginseng once grew abundantly in Asia, but China now produces less than 100 pounds of wild ginseng a year.

Cultivated ginseng, although abundant, is not coveted like wild ginseng. Unlike most specialty crops, however, growers don't have to go looking for a market, say ginseng experts.

People will knock on your door if they know you have it.

In Missouri, the Agri-Forestry Department at the University of Missouri, is working with people who want to grow ginseng.

Sandra S. Hodge, coordinator of technological transfer at Missouri, said her department is working on a number of specialty crops, including St. John's wort.