** For Regulations to export American wild ginsengs click here

NEVER: Take anything from public land or parks. All animals, plants, seeds, trees, herbs, and everything else belongs to the public and it is illegal to remove anything. If you get caught you will probably get the maximum fine.

NEVER: Dig ginseng outside of the harvest season. Find out the harvest season for your state and only take it in this time frame.

Since ginseng is protected as an endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES, which also regulates trade in rare animals), harvesters need to understand some simple rules. 

While federal policies guide state ginseng management programs, each state tends to have different guidelines that are reflective of their different contexts such as dates of open harvest season, minimum age of plants at harvest, replanting of seeds, etc..

State Ginseng Laws and Regulations