American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius L., is a well known herbal remedy. The different range of the more important species partially explains why the American ginseng is preferred in Asia and vice versa. Some other species include the native dwarf ginseng, P. trifolius L., Japanese ginseng, P. pseudoginseng Wall., and Chinese ginseng, Panax ginseng C.A. Mey., while other plants are also called ginseng such as the related Siberian ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim., that is is the same family, but some are in different families and may not even have the reported medicinal benefits if ginseng so they will not be discussed any further here. 
Because the roots of ginseng are rather expensive thus it is often exploited. So called 'sengers often claim to be "environmentalist" just because they plant the red berries back in the hole where they dug up a ginseng plant only unlike anything else they may also be digging, often without permission. Well how long did it take for that ginseng plant to get mature enough to even have berries? Maybe a decade, and now we will be lucky if those few seeds even sprout. To give you what kind or reputation 'sengers really have this is the only concern that anybody has ever had when I've asked permission go hiking using a trailhead on their property where it was granted only on the condition that I was not digging ginseng. One of the worst examples was of three teenagers who were arrested by a park ranger in Little River Canyon National Preserve when they were found to have over 100 ginseng plants that they had just dug out of season, thus the plants did not even have any berries to plant. The park resource manager didn't even know a population of ginseng existed in the park much less one that size. Rather than levying as harsh a penalty as possible, which is still not enough as far as I'm concerned especially considering that a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor could have been added to the 18 year old, the judge basically gave them time served in exchange for the moot point of returning plants that were already in the custody of the park service, and disclosing the location of the (former) ginseng population so it could be replanted, but after they were released and nothing could be done about it the SOB's refused to disclose the location, therefore the park service had to just find the best place they could to replant ginseng. I have seen ginseng in only three places in northeast Alabama none of which were at Little River Canyon National Preserve, but don't bother to ask me where, besides two of these populations consisted of a single plant, and the other place is reported to be haunted as well as being protected by a virtual wall of poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze., and Virginia-creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch., which can appear similar to both poison ivy and American ginseng.
