Native to the deep forests of eastern North America, this herb is now endangered in the wild due to overcollection. It's now widely cultivated on former tobacco farms where the roots are harvested from the third to fifth year - sometimes older. American ginseng should not be confused with other herbs with the word ginseng in their name like Korean ginseng or Siberian ginseng (aka Eleuthero). We like making a strong tea by simmering the roots for about 10 minutes and adding some honey- then eating the leftover roots too. The taste is sweet, a little bitter, and eye opening in all the best ways.
