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Ginseng - Marathon County
Ginseng plants with ripe red berries growing in Marathon county, Wisconsin.
For thousands of years, Asian ginseng (panax ginseng) has been a primary herb used in the traditional medicine of China and touted in natural medicine. Yet American ginseng (panax quinquefolius) has become highly coveted throughout Asian nations for its unique bittersweet flavor profile and multiple health benefits.
American ginseng is native to the deciduous forests of North America, including Wisconsin, with Marathon County producing 95% of commercially grown ginseng in the United States. How did Wisconsin become a leader in commercially grown ginseng?
Wisconsin’s cooler climate and rich, well-draining glacial soil gives ginseng grown here a unique, bittersweet flavor profile and aromatic properties not found in ginseng that’s grown elsewhere. Wisconsin’s Indigenous people have long used the root for spiritual purposes and to treat ailments including digestive issues and fevers.
The Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage reports that, “Long before North America was colonized, various Native American peoples used ginseng in medicine. Ojibwe Midewiwin, spiritual leaders skilled in medicine, used the root for digestive troubles and pain relief. Muscogee people used a poultice of the root to staunch bleeding and a tea to treat respiratory conditions and fevers. The Meskwaki people of the Great Lakes region have used it as both an aphrodisiac and as a panacea, a ‘universal remedy for children and adults,’ Daniel Moerman writes in Native American Medicinal Plants.”
The Ginseng Board of Wisconsin notes that Indigenous tribes also used ginseng as a trade commodity with early European Settlers.
The cultivation of ginseng for larger-scale commercial use in Wisconsin dates back about a century. In the early 1900s, brothers Walter, John, Edward, and Henry Fromm started growing crops of cultivated ginseng under canopies.
Ginseng is a sensitive crop that’s susceptible to wind, rain, sun, and frost damage. The shade structures protect the slow-growing perennial herb during its early growth—it takes approximately five years to bring ginseng root to harvest.
The Fromm brothers’ efforts kicked off the contemporary cultivated ginseng trade in central Wisconsin. Today, dozens of family-owned ginseng farms operate throughout central Wisconsin. Among them is Hsu’s Ginseng Enterprise, started in 1974 by Paul C. Hsu. Born in Taiwan, Hsu migrated to Wisconsin and was inspired to get into the business after he sent Wisconsin-grown ginseng to his mother to help her improve her health.
Hsu’s Ginseng Enterprises is one of the largest Wisconsin ginseng farms, operating on approximately 1,000 acres. Hsu helped propel the city of Wausau to become internationally known for its cultivation of American ginseng.
Other Wisconsin ginseng producers include Heil Ginseng Enterprises, Baumann Farms Ginseng, Wisconsin Grown Ginseng LLC, and many more.
Wild ginseng can still be found in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Wisconsin Wild Ginseng Program regulates the harvest, sale, and purchase of the wild ginseng that grows in the state’s shady, deciduous forests. (Those regulations are separate from cultivated ginseng.)
Using Ginseng
The root herb has been touted to boost immunity, increase energy, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce stress. Ginseng is commonly steeped and consumed as a tea, but its culinary uses go beyond tea; ginseng has been used in beer and wine. Its bitter flavor appeals to fans of black coffee, dark chocolate, or grapefruit.
The Ginseng Board of Wisconsin recommends ginseng as an ingredient for pork, poultry, or vegetable-based soups and stir fry.
While the Badger State is commonly associated with beer and cheese, our unique crops such as cranberries, horseradish, cherries—and ginseng—showcase to the world our vast agricultural heritage.
To learn more, visit Ginseng Board of Wisconsin; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; “Ginseng: the official herb of Wisconsin,” December 2017 Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau report; “Ginseng for Your Supper,” https://www.pbs.org/video/ginseng-lbiccf Wisconsin Foodie, air date Jan.17, 2019; Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection.
