Friday’s visit to Cocke County by university team led by
state Rep. Jeremy Faison
NEWPORT, Tenn. — State Rep. Jeremy Faison, with a
team of researchers and administrators from MTSU in tow, set out in the woods
of Cocke County Friday morning to dig for Appalachian gold.
He was with scientists from the Tennessee Center for
Botanical Medicine Research, based at MTSU, who sought his help to collect
samples of the East Tennessee-grown ginseng to compare with varieties of the
herb found in China.
MTSU’s partnership with the Guangxi Botanical Garden of
Medicinal Plants in China is exploring the uses of ancient
herbal remedies in modern medicine, an effort that has yielded almost
40 results showing promise in the treatment of cancer, viral infections and
other aliments.
Faison has hunted “seng,” the Appalachian slang for ginseng,
for eight years. Moving through the moist air and damp brush, with a steel
chisel as an unearthing tool, he was able to lead the MTSU team to several
samples quickly.
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and state Sen. Bill Ketron,
R-Murfreesboro, went on Friday’s hunt for ginseng as well, digging up samples
to be used by the team.
Faison said a pound of wild ginseng brings close to $700.
“There are a lot of old timers around here who have been digging seng and
paying bills for years,” he said.
Ginseng has been a valuable medicinal herb, particularly in
the Asian markets, for centuries. The American variety of the herb was
discovered in the 1700s and has long been a part of Appalachian culture.
Historians say legendary frontiersmen Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone were ginseng
traders.
Demand for ginseng remains strong to this day, where
aggressive harvesting of the wild herb in Asia has increased demand for
American ginseng. State officials say ginseng is a multimillion-dollar industry
for Tennessee.
McPhee, during a trip to China last summer, suggested that
researchers grow ginseng and other botanical samples for study at MTSU’s
500-acre agriculture complex at Guy James Farm. The university and
botanical garden, cited as the world’s largest medicinal herb garden by the
Guinness Book of World Records, are partners in an exclusive collaborative
agreement that seeks to develop Western medicines from plant extracts.
“I think it has great potential, because our agricultural
program is one of the best in the Southeast and we have a lot of good farmland
in our state,” McPhee said.
The partnership, which began in 2011, plays to the strengths
of both institutions. Garden researchers cultivate and prepare extracts. Then,
MTSU scientists, led by professor Elliot Altman, screen the samples to
determine their promise in the treatment of ailments.
Wild ginseng grows mainly in small groups or as solitary plants
on shady slopes in forest beeches, maples, hickories and oaks, basswood and
tulip poplar. Trees shield the plants from direct sunlight and provide cool-air
circulation.
It thrives in East Tennessee’s mountain region, where the
forest soil is rocky, moist, light, and porous with a high content of rotten
leaves. But, as a cultivated crop, it grows well throughout Tennessee in forest
clearings, such as after selective tree harvesting.
The wild herb takes years to grow to maturity. With its long
maturation and high demand, it was designated as a “special concern” species
and, since the mid-80s, the annual Tennessee harvest has been regulated by the
state’s Department of Environment and Conservation.
The wild ginseng harvest season is from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31,
but it usually ends by the first frost in early October. It is unlawful to dig
wild ginseng for the purpose of sale or export on any date not within the
ginseng harvest season.
Faison said he was glad to assist MTSU in finding samples to
study and he plans to come to Murfreesboro to observe the testing to see how
East Tennessee samples compare to samples from the botanical garden in China.
He said he wants to encourage research on ways to
cultivate wild-simulated ginseng, known for its roots that are twisted and
bent, as a cash crop.
“It’s all because of the Chinese market,” he said. “There’s
something special about Appalachian ginseng — and they will pay premium
dollars.”
Ketron, who helped organize Friday’s visit to Faison’s
district, agreed, and said ginseng has potential for the entire state.
“It’s a great opportunity, not only for MTSU but the state
of Tennessee. If we can grow this commercially on the farm at MTSU, there’s a
great possibility we could sell this — and bring in revenue.”
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