American ginseng has been nicknamed “green gold” for good reason. The root that grows wild across the Appalachian Mountains can fetch more than $500 per pound and has been used medicinally for generations to support everything from brain function to the immune system.
Through the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), junior Maya Prestipino has been researching conservation practices surrounding the harvesting and selling of the protected plant species. Due to loss of habitat and a limited harvesting season, ginseng is listed as threatened under Virginia’s Endangered Plant and Insect Species Act.
