I know this is like last weeks news, but here it is: http://m.wvva.com/w/main/story/120468988/
BECKLEY – West Virginia natural resources police say they have made 11 arrests and seized 190 pounds of dry ginseng that was illegally harvested.
The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources estimates the market value of the native herb at $180,000.
The department said Wednesday the arrests followed a year-long investigation in southern West Virginia. Besides the ginseng, they said they also seized stolen guns, illegal drugs and $30,000 in cash.
West Virginia has a ginseng digging season. It begins Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
The department says the seized ginseng was harvested before the digging season began.
Ginseng long has been coveted in many Asian cultures because the plant’s gnarly, multipronged root is believed to have medicinal properties.
Natural resources officials say demand has spurred illegal harvesting.
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Grow it and harvest it legally and your OK. If you grow it, beware these kinds of people. It is almost as valuable as Marijuana, so be careful how and where you grow it… and who you tell your growing it 🙁 You will find out quick who you cannot trust in that business.
It takes 5-10 years before you can harvest anything of real value, so make sure you can sit on it and protect it before you invest in it.