Ginseng Season on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau

September 1 is the beginning of ginseng season on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. Towards the end of the summer the plant has produced seeds which fall of the stem, and some, two years latter become new ginseng plants. Wild American Ginseng is a threatened species, and is protected by the United Nations CITES treaty. Because of the plant’s declining status, best practices are to help it propagate by manually picking and planting the seeds. They are surrounded by a beautiful red berry, which sticks out on the forest floor amidst rocks, ticks, snakes, ferns and all sort of other plants. Labor Day ginseng planting has become a tradition for my family. We leave the roots in the ground and dry the leaves to make tea. Many believe that the leave’s ginsenosides are a cure-all. I am not sure if that is true or not, but an afternoon in the woods is always nice. And I can’t say I mind that the WiFi definitely does not work deep inside the Plateau’s creek gorges. Read more here.