State

Tar Нее. , History _ By Faye Lewellen Rooted In History The mountains of North Carolina have long been a place where the seemingly magical ginseng root has thrived. ‘I vi и lies are dial ii gives an uncommon warm ill to the blood, and frisks die spirits, beyond any other cordial. Ii cheers the heart even of a man that has a bad wife and makes him look down with great composure on the crosses of the world. . - . h helps the memory. . . . 'Tis friend¬ ly to the lungs. ... It comforts the stom¬ ach and strengthens the bowels, pre¬ venting all colicks and fluxes. In one- word, it will make a man live a great while and very well while he does live. And what is more, it will make old age amiable by rendering it lively, cheerful and good-humored." So exulted prosperous Virginia planter William Byrd II in 1735 upon tasting what would become an impor¬ tant export item from western North Carolina — ginseng root. The aromatic roots of the ginseng plant had long been used by the Cherokee Indians and other Native Americans, as well as early settlers, as a general tonic and cure-all medication. Calling ginseng "the great man.” the Cherokee believed it was the first plant made at Creation. But as prized as the five-leaf variety was in North America, it was nothing compared to the reverence experienced in Asia by its three-leaf cousin. There, the roots were believed to cure a wide range of illnesses, pro¬ long life, promote good health and act .is a powerful aphrodisiac. The demand in China alone was tremendous, but it went unmet because overharve-sting in various Asian countries diminished the supply. Aware of this demand from his time as a missionary in China. Father Joseph Lapilau sent samples in 1717 from Canada to China, which then agreed to open its doors to trade. By 1773. tons of wild Canadian ginseng were being shipped from Boston to Hong Kong, the center of Asian distribution. Word of the ginseng trade trickled Пнио «кии» Ы N < IhMM.M, Ы Auhnn mil Union south, but it was not until 1 70-1 that trade began here. Andre Michaux, conduct* ing a botanical survey of the Southeast for the French govern¬ ment. recognized the valuable plant in the Appalachian highlands at this time. Knowing the dried roots were sell¬ ing for the exorbi¬ tant price of 7 to 10 cents per pound, Michaux showed the mountaineers how to recognize, collect, prepare and market the prod¬ uct. Most ginseng roots grow only to the size of a finger. However, because of the Cherokees’ careful method of harvest¬ ing. some roots weighing up to a pound were found early on. The roots, heavi¬ est in the fall, had to be air-dried. Between three and five pounds of fresh roots, more than 300 individual roots, were required to produce one pound of dried roots. Colden in color with dark concentric rings, the roots develop slowly over many years and often into shapes that resemble parts of the human body. Medicine made from an arm-shaped root, for example, was believed to specifically help that limb. The most valuable roots were those which resem¬ bled a miniature human body. These were prized as charms for good luck and long life. Old roots brought high prices because it was believed the root’s longevity could be passed to man. A I)r. Hailcn of Philadelphia was one of the first to hire people in Buncombe and Yancey counties to buy roots from the mountaineers and Cherokee. Hundreds of "sang hunters" would the Stutc/March 1996 14 come to the rendezvous points with packs loaded with dried roots. After the sales, they stayed on several days for races, wrestling matches and other frontier entertainment. Some hunters, however, stayed home and bartered their ginseng for the wares of traveling traders. By the early 1800s patent medicines in the United States were touting "seng" and "sang-tone" ingredients in their elixirs, but the huge domestic and foreign demands were already affecting the supply. In 1798 Governor John Drayton of South -Carolina reported that: “Ginseng has been so much sought by the Cherokee Indians for trade that at this time it is by no means so plenty as it used to be in this state." By 1880 the Cherokee were receiving 50 cents per pound, which was consid¬ ered a high price for the time. Early in colonial days, ginseng had been exported from the Adirondacks and Ozarks as well as the Appalachians, but in many areas overharvesting left the plant all but extinct. George Stanton began cultivating the planes in New York in 1898. For many years after that, there was a craze for ginseng gar¬ dens. especially in New York, Wisconsin, Missouri and Ohio, where people expected to make a quick and easy fortune from the plants. This was seldom the case. In one peak year, however, more than 220,000 pounds of dried roots were exported at $7.50 per pound. In the 1920s and the Depression years, wild ginseng provided the little cash moun¬ tain people had to pay for taxes and essential goods. Along with hides and timber, ginseng roots were one of the earliest and most profitable exports from western North Carolina, and today “the great man" continues to play an important role in the state’s international trade, selling for around $300 a pound. As recently as 1993, close to 10,000 pounds of the magical root were harvested on Tar Heel soil. Faye Iswellrn is a freelance writer living in Fayetteville, Georgia.