There are 4 types of ginseng in terms of how they were grown on the market. They are wild ginseng, wild-simulated ginseng, woods-grown ginseng and field cultivated ginseng.

Wild Ginseng

Wild ginseng is sown in natural fashion in suitable ginseng-growing woodlands with natural tree shading and with no disturbance of leaf litter, except to insert the seed. This method does not use pesticides and the product is organic ginseng, but the crop can be harvested selectively over an indefinite period of time with no major cessation of the total ginseng growing area.

Wild-Simulated Ginseng

Cultivated ginseng uses natural tree canopy as shade. Some maintenance is required and intensive cultivation methods may be used to maximize yields in minimal time. The general process involves removing part of the forest under-story from a certain plot, raking away leaf litter, sowing ginseng seed on the scratched surface, and raking back leaf litter. This method usually does not use pesticides and the product is organic ginseng. Prices could approach those of wild ginseng.

Woods-Grown Ginseng

Woods-grown ginseng is raised under natural tree canopy in forest lands. Some maintenance is required and intensive cultivation methods may be used to maximum yields in minimal time. Investment costs are less than field cultivated Ginseng and applications of pesticides and fertilizers are sometimes less, but the product is not organic. The market price is higher than field-grown ginseng, but not near that of wild ginseng or wild-simulated ginseng.

Field Cultivated Ginseng

Field cultivated ginseng are plants grown under artificial shade but requiring a large investment of time, money and equipment. Labor may run at $30,000+ per acre and gross returns of $100,000+ after four years -- but this figure is subject to fluctuating market prices of this lowest grade of ginseng. These cultivated fields are subject to mold and other plant diseases so commercial chemical pesticide treatment is the ordinary practice. This product is not organic.

These 4 types of ginsengs are divided into 6 different, distinctive perspectives below:

	Wild Ginseng	Wild-Simulated	Woods-Grown	Field Cultilvated
Origin	Natuarrally occurred	seeds and rootlets planted	seeds and rootlets planted	seeds and rootlets planted
Habitat	Within natural range, in suitable ginseng habitat	Within natural range, in suitable ginseng habitat	Grown in woods similar to natural habitat	Grown in fields with artificial shade
Cultivation	None	planting of seeds and rootlets only	When planted, build raised beds for drainage	Intensive human cultivation
Fungicide	None	None	Extensive	Extensive
Harvest Method	Dug by hand	Dug by hand	Dug by machine	Dug by machine
Price(Grade)	Highest	High	Medium	Low