Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Though the ginseng root is a mainstay of Chinese medicine, it's as American as apple pie: in fact, for over 300 years, Americans have exported ginseng to China. Today an acre of ginseng can bring a farmer $100,000. Travel and environmental writer Johannsen (Ecotourism in Appalachia: Marketing the Mountains) takes readers into America's ginseng fields and forests. Ginseng is one of the most devilish plants to cultivate, taking up to a decade to be ready for market and growing in only the most specific conditions. Despite the root's persistent popularity, the difficulty of farming ginseng, the constant threat of poachers and the dwindling number of wild ginseng plants has rendered its future uncertain. Instead of focusing on the medicinal powers of ginseng to those who can afford it, Johannsen paints a picture of the poor in Appalachia who still rely on wild ginseng to provide some cash in lean times. Unfortunately, she lapses into long descriptions of ginseng farming that would bore all but the most devoted horticulturalist. For many, ginseng holds the promise of perfect health and miracle cures. Johannsen shows that, for just as many, ginseng holds an even more American dream-that of instant riches. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
While ginseng is an essential part of Chinese traditional medicine, it may come as a surprise to readers of this tome that China imports most of its ginseng and that the United States is a major exporter. Grown mainly in Appalachia, ginseng is our nation's most valuable wild plant, the best of which are sold for thousands of dollars per pound. Johannsen, an environmental and travel writer, examines American ginseng, past and present, devoting each chapter to a different theme or perspective surrounding this cure-all plant. She first details early American attempts at harvesting and cultivation, from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Subsequent chapters recount interviews with modern cultivators, park rangers, antipoaching agents, researchers, trade group representatives, state board officials, and backcountry ginseng enthusiasts. Johannsen paints a clear picture of the mythic nature of ginseng: its medicinal properties, commercial vagaries, and finicky growth requirements leading to gold rush-style boom or bust cycles. While other writers have focused on how to produce and use ginseng, Johannsen instead writes with a journalist's eye, poking into the offbeat nooks and crannies of this mysterious plant. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.-Andy Wickens, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Seattle (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
