Product Description

Rising interest in native herbs prompted full-time ginseng grower Dr. W. Scott Persons and horticulturalist Dr. Jeanine M. Davis to combine their expertise to create this practical guide to the cultivation of woodland medicinals—including ginseng, goldenseal, ramps, black cohosh, spikenard, and wild ginger. Expanded from Persons' out-of-print book, American Ginseng: Green Gold, this thorough handbook is indispensable for both prospective and experienced woodland growers. Profiting from sustainable non-timber forest products is emphasized as an alternative to depleting wilderness resources. Illustrated with over two hundred photographs and numerous tables, it will appeal to those looking to turn a profit or to those merely interested in a horticultural challenge.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130789 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 466 pages

Review
I have discussed the cultivation of North American woodland plants with both Jeanine and Scott for many years. This new book is a summary of all those conversations and more, with notes on the history and traditions of these plants and with information that ranges from soil conditions to harvest, and from control of critters to dealing with poachers. --Michael McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association

Jeanine and Scott have produced a grower s guide worth its weight in "Green Gold." --Richo Cech, author of Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs

To discover a book with as much solid, researched advice on cultivation and marketing of botanicals is pure joy in an industry where most participants keep this knowledge as a trade secret. There are no two researchers who have as much experience with these crops, and any grower who wants to actually generate a profit from his land will benefit tremendously from reading it. --Maureen Rogers, Herb Growing & Marketing Network

About the Author
Dr. Scott Persons represented American woods growers at the International Ginseng Conference (IGC) in Vancouver in 1994, again at IGC 1999 in Hong Kong, and most recently at IGC 2003 in Melbourne. He also speaks frequently about ginseng at conferences in the United States. He was instrumental in getting ginseng farming started in Australia and now has a shared operation there. Dr. Persons has both extensive hands-on growing experience and a broad knowledge of the international world of ginseng.

Dr. Jeanine Davis serves as coordinator of the North Carolina Speciality Crops Program, a multi-agency, statewide program dedicated to the development of new crops for North Carolina farmers. Dr. Davis focuses her work on the conservation of native plants in the Appalachian Mountains, and on helping farmers increase the profitability of their agricultural efforts in a region experiencing tremendous development pressure. For seventeen years she has researched cultivation methods for native forest plants. She encourages market development, national and international communication, and education surrounding these native woodland plants.

Customer Reviews

Generous, balanced information
For three centuries people have been taking important medicinal plants from the wild, but this book explores the much better way to meet the demands of a rapidly growing market. Persons and Davis provide state-of-the-art information on growing and selling high-value herbs such as bloodroot and black cohosh as well as the plants named in the title. There are plenty of stories from experienced growers, too, which helps to make this book remarkably enjoyable to read. The authors' emphasis never veers far from guidance that is both practical and profitable. Whether you want to grow woodland medicinals commercially or simply want to enrich your pocket of woods with useful plants, this is a treasure of a book.

Amazing!
This book is so amazing. Quality, accurate and highly informative. I haven't gotten to read the entire book as of yet but what I have taken in rests side by side from the Old Timers that live around me in West Virginia. I have let a couple seasoned Sengers take a look at this book and they were impressed almost as much as me.